The Word Queer - a podcast by Jai//Em

Quick Notes & Links:

If you like superheroes stories with a bit of realism, check out the show Raising Dion on Netflix.

We will use the word "queer" on the show. Queer is used within the community and by allies to define everyone outside of the heterosexual norm.

Creative4evr is very thankful to all the support. Please give us some stars and a review in your podcast app!

Janet has been a guest on the That Aged Well Podcast 3 times! Check it out.

Coming up on Creative4evr -- Book Chat: Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Links:
> Raising Dion
+ 3 Min YouTube Video - The History Behind The Word Queer
> Isn't Queer A Bad Word?
+ 2 Min Video - What is Intersectionality
> LGBTQ+ Glossary
> Being Gay Doesn't Necessarily Mean You're Queer
+ 3 Min YouTube Video - Gender Identity
> Queer and Straight People Discuss Gender Identity
+ 3 Min YouTube Video - 5 Tips for Being An Ally
> Queer 101 from the Unitarian Universalist Association (religious organization)
> We Are All Allies - PFlag
> Janet as Guest on That Aged Well: The Little Mermaid / A Goofy Movie / Double Jeopardy
> Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe -- Find on Amazon or on Audible read by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Don't forget to be creative this week. Even if you just think about it. Later!

Full Show Notes:

Hey, hi and hello! Welcome to Creative4evr. The podcast dedicated to keeping you forever inspired, forever motivated, forever creative, and forever YOU.  I am your host, Janet, a.k.a. Jai//Em, a.k.a. the voice inside your head, a.k.a. your biggest fan, and together we’re going to get some creative shit done.

First! Check It Out:

This week I suggest you check out Raising Dion on Netflix. I binged season 1 and really, really enjoyed it. The synopsis for the show reads: A widowed mom sets out to solve the mystery surrounding her young son's emerging superpowers while keeping his extraordinary gifts under wraps. It stars Alisha Wainwright, Ja'Siah Young, Jason Ritter. The Creators are Carol Barbee and Michael B. Jordan who is Executive Producer.

It’s a great show. You know I’m always talking about superhero things and sci-fi, and fantasy. That’s my jam. I really like this one because it’s so steeped in reality that every episode I come away sweating a little bit. It’s a show about a 7-year-old kid, he happens to be of color, and he is sort of struggling with these superpowers in a very real way that made me sweat sometimes. I really enjoyed it, you should check it out if you care about superhero stuff or you are writing superhero stuff…do the research. It’s easy to binge watch the whole season. I understand not everyone has Netflix, but if you are able, borrow a password from a friend and check it out if you like superheroes with a little bit of realism attached.

Defining Queer:

So I wanted to talk about this on the show because it’s something I am going to do often. I want to let everyone know where I’m coming from, and give a little education or backstory. Maybe you don’t want to ask or are afraid to ask— I’m just gonna help you out right now.

I am going to use the word “queer” on this podcast. I use it a lot in the real world, and I do so to refer to larger queer community and myself. I identify as lesbian, but I also identify as queer.

So this is an okay word to use if you are using it in a neutral or positive way. It used to be only used as a way to identify people that were not straight, but as a slur, in the pejorative sense. Queer started out meaning: strange, odd or peculiar. However as time went on, people started thinking of gay people as strange, odd and peculiar. So they started calling us queer. The fact is, it is still used as a weapon, it is still used as a way to express hate. But in the 80s there was a push to reclaim the word and now it is widely used as a neutral or positive word in many LGBTQ+ spaces, and in spaces where queer people have allies.

So, what does it mean now? The same thing it did— people that are not straight. But it covers everybody! It is an umbrella term referring to, not just gay and lesbian people, but bisexual, transgender, pansexual, agender, demisexual, asexual, even bi-curious people. The word queer includes every single identify that exists outside of the 100% straight people. And honestly, it is my opinion that straight people themselves can be queer-minded. Now, I am not saying straight people are queer. I don’t need them to claim a word that isn’t theirs. I don’t want you to claim queer, if you are not queer, to be honest. But queer-mindedness can be a thing that straight people have, right? If you have a deep understanding and respect for all the identities that exist outside of straight people. If you are an advocate for queer people. If you have any history with queer people, whether that be a relationship, or a fling, or whatever it is, straight people can be queer-minded too.

The word “queer” is also political. The reason for this is because of the history of the word. Anyone that uses “queer” or openly identifies as queer is making a statement that they are actively working to reclaim the word for the larger community it defines. That means that if you don’t identify as queer (again you can be queer-minded), you can still be part of the politics and revolution behind the word. So if you are comfortable, you can and should use it. In conversation, saying something as simple as “the queer community” instead of “the gay community” is a great way to not only express to others that you want to be a part of this reclaiming, that you are an ally, but it is a thousand times more inclusive than saying gay. I know it the past, gay has been used as the umbrella term. But it is not anymore and there is a push to move away from that. I think that is why we hear a lot of people saying LGBTQ+. So if you feel comfortable and you want to start referring to the “queer community,” I encourage that.

The last thing I want to remind everybody about is that if you decide to use this word, if you have been using the word, please remember that the ability to do so is very much dipped in privilege. What I mean is, there are a lot of people that are not privileged enough to use this word. They either live with and around people that still think of the word in the pejorative way and they are not able to use it because of safety reasons, or they themselves haven’t gotten to this part of their LGBTQ+ journey, right? They may identify as gay or lesbian, etc. but don’t have any further education about the many other identities that exist. Maybe we will talk about that in an episode. Even people that identify as queer, have to learn about gender identity, about sexual orientation, about inclusiveness, about intersectionality. And that kind of education thrives in communities of privilege, communities with resources to spread this kind of knowledge, communities that have living breathing examples of all the types of people that exist in the queer community. It’s no mistake that many people that identify as queer move to NYC, to Atlanta, to Los Angeles, to these big cities where there are so many people, so much diversity, that they are able to find and learn about people like themselves. So yeah, being able to walk around and use the word “queer” in an educated way that doesn’t pose a safety risk to yourself and others around you?… That’s privilege. And we should all remember that.

So, I identify as lesbian, but I also identify as queer. And I use whichever, depending on what I am talking about. If I am talking about everyone I say “queer,” if I am talking about just lesbians I say, “lesbians.” Of course I will put a bunch of links in the show notes so you can fall down the rabbit hole and learn some more about the word “queer.”

> 3 Min YouTube Video - The History Behind The Word Queer
> Isn't Queer A Bad Word?
+ 2 Min Video - What is Intersectionality
> LGBTQ+ Glossary
> Being Gay Doesn't Necessarily Mean You're Queer
+ 3 Min YouTube Video - Gender Identity
> Queer and Straight People Discuss Gender Identity
+ 3 Min YouTube Video - 5 Tips for Being An Ally
> Queer 101 from the Unitarian Universalist Association (religious organization)
> We Are All Allies - PFlag

Oh, and if I say anything about the Q4 community on the podcast, I am talking about queer people. Just like I call my Creative4evr community, my C4 community, I call my queer community my Q4 or Queer4evr community.  Shout out to all my C4 and Q4C4 people. What up?

There you have it. “Queer” is a word that includes everyone outside of the heterosexual norm. It can also be used to identify your politics whether you are queer or not. And I urge you to use the word “queer” instead of “gay” because it is more inclusive. Here’s my little warning. If you are uncomfortable… If you cannot say it without sounding strange, or choking. Don’t say it, you aren’t ready, start at home and work your way outward from there. You just don’t want people thinking you are using it in the old-school, pejorative way. And for goodness sake, don’t whisper it. If you think you gotta say it quietly, you’re not ready. It is not a secret word, it is not a scary word, it shouldn’t be a scary word coming out of your mouth. So yeah, wait until you are ready, then get out there and start referring to the “queer community.” I would appreciate it and I think some others would appreciate it too.

Alright, you’ve got the definition of the word “queer.” I hope it helps. If you have questions about anything discussed, please reach out. The email is hello@creative4evr.com or go to instagram or twitter @Creative4evr.

Now I might sound a little different right now and that’s because I’m on the road! That’s right, I am recording on my travel setup. My hope is that I don’t sound too different once I edit and everything, but who knows. Different room, different mic, different sound. I’m in San Francisco! I am here for work, I’ll be here for the week. 1) it’s gorgeous, it’s been so sunny and fantastic but 2) it’s soo windy. My god, the wind today. I am close to a Trader Joes but getting there today was like walking through the movie, “Twister.”

So we’re going to end the show today with a few announcements. First thank you to everyone listening so far. Thanks for your feedback and your support— I appreciate your kind and encouraging words. I hope that those of you who are enjoying the show go into your podcast app and give the Creative4evr podcast stars. I want 5 stars, but I want you to give me as many stars as you choose.

#2 Show note reminder — Everything we talk about is in the show notes. The links to other content or information, the tips, my suggestions, everything is there. For many of you this means you just scroll down on your podcast app while you are listening to this episode and bam, all the info, all the links. If you are listening on the website all the notes are right below the player for each episode. I do a quick notes version at the top and then the full transcription below that. I do this so you can reference what we are talking about, easily find the links, take your own notes. So, please check them out.

#3 — I am a guest on another podcast this week, That Aged Well, which is hosted by the very talented Paul and Erika. Last year they invited me to help them review Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and I’ve now done 2 more episodes with them. Last week we did Disney’s “A Goofy Movie,” and this week we did the crime thriller “Double Jeopardy,” staring Ashely Judd and Bruce Greenwood and Tommy Lee Jones. I’m gonna tell you right now, I love the movie 1999 movie Double Jeopardy so much. So much! All 3 of these episodes are out and you can find links to them in the show notes, or on the Creative4evr.com website, or you can and should subscribe to the ThatAgedWell podcast so you can listen to them and the many other episodes they have done about movies from the 80s and 90s. It’s a great podcast, I am lucky to know and be able to collaborate with creators and storytellers like Paul and Erika.

Alright, That’s it for this week! We’ve got a lot coming up the next couple months on the podcast. Our first book review will be the novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It’s a coming of age novel about two Mexican-American teenagers growing up in El Paso, Texas. Link in the show notes if you want to know more about that book, or if you haven’t read it and want to get it on Amazon. Or you could listen to it on Audible, because if you do, the narrator is Lin-Manuel Miranda! It’s not to be missed, he does a great job. So check it out if you want get ready before the episode or if you want, you can wait until after the episode comes out. Whatever floats your boat. We’ve also got a show about whiskey coming up, a show about patience, a show about audience, a show about a tv show. So much stuff to come!

I hope you have a great week, I am going to have a windy week, and I will see you next week back in Brooklyn.

Until then, don’t forget to be creative this week. Even if you just think about it. Talk to ya later.

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