There’s nothing wrong with wanting to settle down and have a family just as they’re nothing wrong with spending 40 years cruising the bars and fucking strangers.

Both are totally cool lifestyle choices and can be lived in totally Queer ways. But your article is pretentious, self-righteous and frankly kind of poorly-written. You have frequent grammar, spelling, and usage mistakes, and your don’t have any kind of research or logic to back up your opinion.

The first thing you have to do, when asking the world to accept you for who you are, is accept others just the same, even if they’re not on the front lines, picketing and joining queercore bands. Some people just want to raise a family and eat at Red Lobster on weekends. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

@Stuff Animal – Heterosexuality isn’t “normal” it’s just common.

I identify as a gay man. I like being a gay man. I think the terminology fits. I don’t identify as queer. I use the word Queer to refer to people who do however, because everyone has the right to define themselves.

When I was attacked and beaten, “queer” was the slur used
When I hear straight people using the word “queer” (as people are increasingly encouraging them to do” I hear it used in hate far more often
I don’t like the word queer because it feels like a

These are my reasons for prefering gay as a term. You have no right to decide you know my politics or views on the strength of that. You are no better than the religious right deciding they know all about me because of sexuality to suggest you know the SLIGHTEST THING about what I support, think or do based on my sexuality

How dare you suggest I refuse to use a term that was used to beat me down because I’m against trans people! How dare you suggest I refuse to use a term that triggers me because I’m a cog in the machine? How dare you decide that I’m a desperate conformist because I refuse to conform to how YOU would identify me? How dare you decide you know about me, my politics or my views because I won’t let YOU choose the word to identify me.

This is arrogant, sweeping and a desperate attempt to bully people into using your preferred language.

Define yourself. You have no right to define me.

Also: queer is one of my favorite verbs (though I don’t know that too many other people use it as such.)

I really disagree with this statement, and I happen to be queer.
By this statement, you are basically saying that the only reason an LGBTQ person would ever want to have kids or be in the military is to be just like straight people. Which is wholly incorrect.
News flash: I know plenty of queer couples who have kids or want to have/adopt kids, and it doesn’t make them any less queer. And if they want to adopt, then that just makes them more awesome for giving a child a good home, especially since gay/lesbian/queer couples tend to be ones who, on average, adopt more of the special needs and older kids that are often considered “less desirable” for adoption.
And being all “anti-military” is sooo cool and alternative. There are many reasons why people would want to join the military, a major reason for a lot of servicepeople is that it will PAY for them to get a higher education and they know that’s the only way they will be able to go to college.

Except now I don’t which side to pick. Oops.

I am neither of the descriptions in this article. I am a lesbian, and I am political. I want equality, but the fact that my sexual preference differs from my friend’s should not impede my options in life. THAT is what I want, and if that does not fit into what you believe is ‘queer’ then that is alright.

You are using the very blanket terms that you seem to despise.

@Megan – While I disagree on a much broader level, there is a very easy contradiction to your “You CANNOT be straight and queer” assertion – straight trans folks.

You dont have to be a homo to be queer.

Talking about Bash Back! would be pretty sweet, otherwise, it feels like window dressing and lip service.