Expanding the LGBTQ Conversation

June 25 2014 10:00 AM

Ask a Homo: Reclaiming the Q Word

By June Thomas

Welcome back to “Ask a Homo,” Outward's no-judgment answer service for all your questions on LGBTQ politics, culture, etiquette, language, and other queer conundrums. This week June Thomas explains why some gay people have reclaimed words, like queer and dyke, that were long considered derogatory—and still are in many contexts.

If there are questions you’ve been dying to ask a member of the real rainbow coalition, this is your chance. Send your queries—for publication—to slateoutward@gmail.com, and please put “ASK A HOMO” in the subject line. Note that questions may be edited.

Other Questions Asked of Homos:
Are gay weddings different from straight ceremonies?
Why do gay men sometimes call each other she?
What’s the deal with tops and bottoms?
Why do lesbians wear so much flannel?
What's the deal with the gay lisp?
Should a straight person frequent a gay bar?

A Slate Plus Special Feature:

Slate Plus members can listen to Dan Savage and Willa Paskin talk Season 2. Try S+ free for 2 weeks!

News & Politics

Explainer

Oct. 30 2014 3:40 PM When Did Halloween Get So Tawdry? In the 1970s. Juliet Lapidos

Why Mississippi Fails in Almost Every Imaginable Way

Forget the Senate. Republicans Are About to Take Control of State Legislatures Across the Land.

Sonia Sotomayor Pushes Other Supreme Court Justices Past Their Comfort Zones

Maine’s Ebola Nurse Just Left Her House. Will a Court Be Able to Force Her Back Inside?

We Are About to Reach 1 Million U.S. Senate Ads

Will There Be a Republican Wave? A Guide to Reading the Currents.

Business

Moneybox

Oct. 30 2014 3:49 PM How to Scale Your Artisanal Business in Four Easy Steps John Peabody

Microsoft Employees Are “Worn Out” Over So Much Change

Chevy Social Media Turns Botched World Series Presentation Into a Hashtag

The First Years of Your Startup Are Nonstop Work, Nonstop Worry

Apple CEO Tim Cook Comes Out: “I’m Proud to Be Gay”

SodaStream Is Shutting Down Its West Bank Factory

Free Money Comes to an End for Wall Street

Life

Food

Oct. 30 2014 3:46 PM Tricky Treats The newest trend in Halloween sweets? Candy that’s supposed to taste like other candy. Cybele May

Why Are AIDS Activists Protesting Ebola Quarantines?

“Locus of Control” Is a New College Admission Criterion. What Is That?

The Gayest Show on Television Is About Two Straight Men. (Video.)

On This Day in 1961: The Most Powerful Human-Made Explosion Ever

Stop Complaining About Your Professors’ Lack of Classroom Tech. Sit and Think a Little.

"Love Your Government, Or Else." A Civil War-Era Infographic With a Mission

Double X

The XX Factor

Oct. 30 2014 12:48 PM Eight Women Have Now Come Forward With Jian Ghomeshi Allegations Amanda Marcotte

The Problem With That Catcalling Video: They Edited Out the White Guys

Female Republicans, Like Male Republicans, Rely on the Male Vote to Win Elections

The Parody Twitter Account That Gets 21st-Century Progressive Parenting Pretty Right

Woman With Hidden Camera Is Harassed More Than 100 Times in 10 Hours

California Cops Steal Naked Photos of Women in Custody, Send Them to Other Cops, Call It a “Game”

The Gloriously Strange, Kinky, and Feminist History of Wonder Woman

Slate Plus

Behind the Scenes

Oct. 29 2014 3:45 PM The Great Writing Vs. Talking Debate Is it harder to be a good writer or a good talker? Mike Pesca, Julia Turner, and Jacob Weisberg

Slate’s Walking Dead Podcast: Listen to Slate-sters Recap Episode 3

What Members Want, and What’s Next for Slate Plus

Doctor Who Podcast: Phil Plait and Mac Rogers Recap Episode 10

A Spoiler-Filled Podcast on American Horror Story: Freak Show Episode 3

Arts

Brow Beat

Oct. 30 2014 3:48 PM The Best Horror Movie Death Scenes of All Time Aisha Harris

This Is What Christopher Walken as Captain Hook Will Look Like

Why Do Zombies Lumber? A Neuroscientific Analysis.

QUIZ: Can You Match These 18 Horror Movies to Their Corny Taglines?

Sure, Street Harassment Is a Problem. But What About What It’s Like for White Men?

These Machines Might Save Your Life