queer: Originally pejorative for gay, now being reclaimed by some gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons as a self-affirming umbrella term. Caution: still extremely offensive when used as an epithet.

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Originally meant to describe something as unusual or strange. Became a deroggatory word to describe homosexuals. More recently, it has been reclaimed by non-heterosexuals as a word used to describe themselves. Queer can now be used to describe homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered people. In scholarly studies the word queer is also used to describe those who practice unconventional sex (e.g. bondage, etc.), therefore even heterosexuals can sometimes be defined as queer.

\`queer\
1. adj.
(a) strange, unusual
(b) gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered

2. n.
A member of the lgbt community.

Background:
Originally, "queer" was simply just another word for strange, unusual, or wierd. When gay people first started coming out of the closet, they were seen as strange, unusual, and diseased. Thus, the word "queer" began denoting someone who is gay, lesbian, transgendered, or bisexual. Recently, it has been adopted by many people in the LGBT commnunity as an acceptable umbrella term. However, not all people are comfortable using it.

Originaly meant strange or odd. Now stands for anyone who is sexualy different but may or may not mean gay. Queer covers any type of gender or sexual attitudes that are outside of the mainstream of one man one woman monogamy. You can be Queer and still have a heterosexual orientation if you have unusual sexual or gender identites, philosophies or habits.

1.- Strange, unusual, outside the "norm"

2.- A person who is not heterosexual. The word was meant as an insult but has been reclaimed by many non-heterosexual folks, many of whom use it to describe one another. It is still often considered rude to use the word "queer" in this context unless you self-identify as "queer".

Something out of the norm.