Words are weapons.
The phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is a lie, because words are very harmful. Bullying and other forms of abusive relationships often have qualities of verbal bombardment. These take a toll on one's mind after time and time again of the barrage and can even lead to more intense emotional trauma.
Certain words throughout time have become weapons due to their widespread use as such. Specifically, the term Queer. It dates back to around the year 1500 meaning peculiar or odd, but in the late 19th century it became a word for gays and lesbians. With time, it has evolved further into an umbrella term for the whole LGBT community. A significant number of the community see Queer as a slur, due to the negative use of the word throughout the 1900s.
While I respect LGBTQ people's decision to not use the word or not identify as such due to discomfort in it, I feel as though every member of the community should realize what the word has evolved to. If we give words power to harm us, they will. Language changes over time, and queer is not the same slur that it once was. Today, queer is a word that LGBTQ people can be proud of. Queerness is the family that young babygays can turn to when they need it.
In a similar situation, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) and other queer groups have reclaimed the pink triangle as main symbols of their organizations. This symbol was used by Adolf Hitler during World War II to specifically recognize gays within the ghettos and concentration camps.
By using words and symbols in the queer community particularly I believe it can erase stigma and the negative emotions behind them. It is a way to take back a word that is meant to hurt. It shows that by not accepting the insult and throwing it back into the world it proves that the word isn't harmful and that one can feel powerful from using it. I see the reclamation of queer as a big step that more people in the LGBTQ community can take to rid the words and symbols of their connotations and work towards a more positive, queer future.
