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A review by sincerelychalice
The Queens' English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases by Chloe O. Davis
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 Including historical references and contexts, giving credit to the communities and sub-communities where terms originated, and disclaimers for derogatory and contextually derogatory words.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.