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Originally a synonym for "odd," this term--as both noun and adjective--became a derogatory epithet for gay men and lesbians in the twentieth century, especially in the United States, where it emphasized the alleged "unnaturalness" of homosexuality. Although many people still use "queer" as an anti-gay slur, there emerged a movement in the 1980s that sought to reclaim the term and rob it of its negative meaning. In this usage, "queer" is an inclusive umbrella term that designates all those who are sexually dissident, even if they are not strictly homosexual, and all "transgressive" forms of sexuality. Many lesbians and gay men, transsexuals, bisexuals, and even heterosexuals whose sexuality does not fit into the cultural standard of monogamous heterosexual marriage have adopted the "queer" label. Some gay men and lesbians, however, remembering the hurt caused by its pejorative meaning, dislike the term, even in its "reclaimed" usage, and feel that it has the effect of diluting the specificity of the narrower categories.
The term is sometimes used as a verb. To queer something is to replace normative, heterosexual values with values of minority sexualities, in effect, to make non-normative values the norm.
