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The Queens' English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases by Chloe O. Davis
sincerelychalice's review against another edition
4.0
Everything I hoped it would be. Including historical references and contexts, giving credit to the communities and sub-communities where terms originated, and disclaimers for derogatory and contextually derogatory words. I laughed. I reflected. I quizzed my own knowledge as I went along.
Davis notes in the beginning of the book that labels may be used to categorize and divide us, but how we express our identity and our spectrum of attraction for others is really what unites us. This had me reflect on how various queers feel about our ever expanding terminology. Some folks feel pigeonholed by labels, and others feel connected through them. I think it’s equally important to acknowledge that any term limits expressing ourselves in our fullness, but there’s also value in having these terms, words, slurs to be ABLE to communicate and express ourselves. All forms of self-expression are beautiful. Whether that includes grounding ourselves in one strong label, stringing together a constellation of words to better express, or renounce labels altogether and express in other ways. All are beautiful.
Familiarity with the language helps though. And I couldn’t think of a queer term that Davis didn’t include. A great resource, and I hope she creates updated versions in the future.
Davis notes in the beginning of the book that labels may be used to categorize and divide us, but how we express our identity and our spectrum of attraction for others is really what unites us. This had me reflect on how various queers feel about our ever expanding terminology. Some folks feel pigeonholed by labels, and others feel connected through them. I think it’s equally important to acknowledge that any term limits expressing ourselves in our fullness, but there’s also value in having these terms, words, slurs to be ABLE to communicate and express ourselves. All forms of self-expression are beautiful. Whether that includes grounding ourselves in one strong label, stringing together a constellation of words to better express, or renounce labels altogether and express in other ways. All are beautiful.
Familiarity with the language helps though. And I couldn’t think of a queer term that Davis didn’t include. A great resource, and I hope she creates updated versions in the future.
koby's review against another edition
3.0
Great concept, perfect title, beautifully rendered book... but... maybe it should be a website? Like, no one needs to actually own this. No one is going to use this over a Google search and I think this book missed an opportunity to do something BEYOND a dictionary. There are a few inserts of "more info" type sections, but I felt it needed more. Some oral history maybe? Or select essays on background and evolution of certain words and phrases? Personal anecdotes that illuminate the concepts? I know that wouldn't be, technically, a dictionary, but to really enjoy this book, it does actually need to be more than a dictionary. It's such a beautiful book, but other than its appearance, there isn't enough to it. Closer to a 2.5, but rounding up because the book itself is so beautiful.
bookedinsideout's review against another edition
4.0
A valuable book cataloguing some important words and phrases from the LGBTQIA+ community for reference and learning, understanding their origin (especially the ones that have made their way into the mainstream so we can acknowledge where they come from and take care not to misappropriate them), preserving a particular time and space of a culture, and celebrating the power of words and a shared language. While being laid out like a dictionary makes sense, for me I think it would have been helpful if it was grouped in categories (such as having different phrases grouped together, sexual identities, gender identities, etc.). But even so, it is a beautiful book to keep and refer back to for definitions that come from the community who created them.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
srosen930's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a clever reference book to gather modern terminology in the LGBTQ+ community.
Each dictionary entry includes definitions, how to use in a sentence, if the term was appropriated from a specific community, etc.
It's not one to really read from beginning to end, but its good to use as a reference in case you are confused as to what specific terms mean.
Each dictionary entry includes definitions, how to use in a sentence, if the term was appropriated from a specific community, etc.
It's not one to really read from beginning to end, but its good to use as a reference in case you are confused as to what specific terms mean.