LGBT Center staff members answer your questions.
Q: Why do queer people flaunt their identity?
Sam Kay: People “flaunt” their identity because we live in a world where, for the most part, people assume you are straight and cisgender until told otherwise. Heterosexuality is forced onto people before they can even talk, and to reject it is viewed as shameful, deviant and even dangerous depending on where someone has grown up. In a society where for your entire life you have been told, subtly and overtly, that how you feel is wrong, it’s no surprise that people get fed up with this mentality and are loud and proud about who they are.
Q: I think my friend may be queer. How do I show support?
Leah Yodzis: Well, for starters, if you aren't completely sure if they are queer, don't pressure them to come out. Also, don't just assume that they are queer by the way they dress, or if they fit any stereotypes. In order to show support for them without blatantly asking if they are queer, show respect for the LGBT community. Don't use slurs or jokes involving the LGBT community and make sure that they know you are fully accepting and open if they happen to eventually come out to you.
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Q: How is the struggle for queer rights related to other civil rights movements
Ryan Lovingood: The Civil Rights Movement was (and is) the struggle for black Americans to secure legal recognition and protection for their citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. The modern queer civil rights movement is closely related, with a spectrum of Americans fighting for their Constitutional rights — if you accept that queer individuals are born, not made. Many prominent African-American ministers contest that the queer civil rights movement and African-American civil rights movement are incomparable — as one is born black, but one is made gay. So on one side, prominent figures in the black community assert that the queer civil rights movement is not related to the civil rights movement, while others see them as inseparable.
Sam Kay, Ryan Lovingood and Leah Yodzis are staff members for the LGBT Center at Ohio University. Do you have a question relating to the LGBT community? Email them to lgbt@ohio.edu or oulgbtcenter@gmail.com, tweet @oulgbtcenter with #qaqueer, tumblr at oulgbtcenter or post/message to the center’s Facebook page, oulgbtcenter. Individuals who submit questions will appear anonymously in our responses. All questions are welcome!
