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The Queens' English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases by Chloe O. Davis
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.
arthur_of_camelot's review against another edition
5.0
4 point .... 8? This is a great resource (and actually gets the definitions for asexuality / aromanticism right!!) but there's just one little (major) thing:
When defining a word that is / could be derogatory or offensive, or that has been appropriated from another culture, this book is very good about including a usage note that warns of that. I just want to be clear that I'm not complaining about the inclusion of words that have been / are slurs, etc.
AND YET--when defining and discussing "gold star" "silver star" "platinum" "PURE" ??? (they really straight up fucking called it *pure* with no note or discussion or anything) they drop the usage note for no identifying reason, except what?
Y'all forget trans people exist?
Y'all really forgot about rape victims?
Didn't even want to say anything about compulsory heterosexuality?
For literally every other term that could possibly be offensive or outdated, this book actually was very good about including a usage note stating that, and then casually and unironically decided to define gays who haven't had sex with someone of different gender as PURE.
No mention whatsoever about the biphobia, the superior attitude, the fact that some people didn't CHOOSE to WILLINGLY ""have sex"" with a different gender, that transgender people exist and L/Gs bragging about how they would !!NEVER!! fuck us, the societal pressures of compulsory heterosexuality, any leeway given for ever questioning or being unsure of your identity--
Nah. Fuck all of us.
If you say the phrase "gold star gay" out loud and can't understand how that inherently (and often deliberately) ranks some gay men and lesbians above others, and how that just miiiiiight be like. gee, idk Jill. super fucking problematic?? Idk what to tell you
When defining a word that is / could be derogatory or offensive, or that has been appropriated from another culture, this book is very good about including a usage note that warns of that. I just want to be clear that I'm not complaining about the inclusion of words that have been / are slurs, etc.
AND YET--when defining and discussing "gold star" "silver star" "platinum" "PURE" ??? (they really straight up fucking called it *pure* with no note or discussion or anything) they drop the usage note for no identifying reason, except what?
Y'all forget trans people exist?
Y'all really forgot about rape victims?
Didn't even want to say anything about compulsory heterosexuality?
For literally every other term that could possibly be offensive or outdated, this book actually was very good about including a usage note stating that, and then casually and unironically decided to define gays who haven't had sex with someone of different gender as PURE.
No mention whatsoever about the biphobia, the superior attitude, the fact that some people didn't CHOOSE to WILLINGLY ""have sex"" with a different gender, that transgender people exist and L/Gs bragging about how they would !!NEVER!! fuck us, the societal pressures of compulsory heterosexuality, any leeway given for ever questioning or being unsure of your identity--
Nah. Fuck all of us.
If you say the phrase "gold star gay" out loud and can't understand how that inherently (and often deliberately) ranks some gay men and lesbians above others, and how that just miiiiiight be like. gee, idk Jill. super fucking problematic?? Idk what to tell you
bellesbooknook's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing! This is the ultimate reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community, filled with almost every term or phrase you could think of that has come out of and helped make a part of LGBTQIA+ history.
The book is incredibly well organized. Under each definition, it specifies what community the vocabulary word originated out of, whether that be the lesbian/gay community, the trans community, the ballroom/drag community, or the black queer community. So it’s really handy to see where each word originated from and also illustrates just how many words in the LGBTQIA+ lexicon originated from both the drag and black queer communities and just how massively these communities have contributed to the language of the larger LGBTQIA+ community today.
Alongside each definition, there are other helpful tidbits such as whether the word has since been deemed outdated or offensive or whether it could potentially still be considered hurtful to others despite it being reclaimed by some members of the community, while always reminding the reader to ask one’s personal preferences first before using a certain word. Throughout the book there are also illustrated mini-history lessons, guides, and educational sections that delve into other topics like trans people and pronouns, different forms of gender expression, and more, which is a really nice touch and only add to how expansive and informative this book is.
My one critique I would have for this book: Elliot Paige’s deadname is printed. Considering how much this book devoted to trans visibility, I’d like to hope that the author or publisher didn’t have any ill intentions and that this was merely a matter of unfortunate timing and not being able to edit this book in time before its release. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for that. But just a fair warning going in. Also, there’s an illustration of Ellen in this book. Again, I’m going to assume this was just a timing issue, but I couldn’t help but think, “Yikes, this didn’t age well...” when I saw it
The book is incredibly well organized. Under each definition, it specifies what community the vocabulary word originated out of, whether that be the lesbian/gay community, the trans community, the ballroom/drag community, or the black queer community. So it’s really handy to see where each word originated from and also illustrates just how many words in the LGBTQIA+ lexicon originated from both the drag and black queer communities and just how massively these communities have contributed to the language of the larger LGBTQIA+ community today.
Alongside each definition, there are other helpful tidbits such as whether the word has since been deemed outdated or offensive or whether it could potentially still be considered hurtful to others despite it being reclaimed by some members of the community, while always reminding the reader to ask one’s personal preferences first before using a certain word. Throughout the book there are also illustrated mini-history lessons, guides, and educational sections that delve into other topics like trans people and pronouns, different forms of gender expression, and more, which is a really nice touch and only add to how expansive and informative this book is.
My one critique I would have for this book: Elliot Paige’s deadname is printed. Considering how much this book devoted to trans visibility, I’d like to hope that the author or publisher didn’t have any ill intentions and that this was merely a matter of unfortunate timing and not being able to edit this book in time before its release. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for that. But just a fair warning going in. Also, there’s an illustration of Ellen in this book. Again, I’m going to assume this was just a timing issue, but I couldn’t help but think, “Yikes, this didn’t age well...” when I saw it