We're Here. We're Queer. What's Next?

There was a time when as a collective group, gay people needed to band together to have our voices heard. We were persecuted, had our bars raided, had our homes taken when our long-term partners passed away and their families didn't approve of our relationships or lifestyles. Our government turned a blind eye when thousands of us started dying from a mysterious disease, so heroic people within our community formed advocacy groups. These groups supported our "families" and gave us a place to turn for help when we needed it since it didn't seem that many others cared. We had medical groups, social groups and, of course, activists. It was this last category that showed America what it had turned its gay community into: angry, frustrated people who weren't going to sit back and be ignored anymore.

One of these groups, Queer Nation, eventually adopted a slogan that many of us have embraced over the last 20 years. "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it" became a rallying cry, a line chanted at parades, outside government buildings, at events. But over time, as gay people became more and more accepted into mainstream society through TV, movies and everyday regular people feeling more comfortable to come out at work, "We're here" became something people used to toss off a joke or just say, "Hey, pay attention to me. I'm talking and I'm gay!"

The line still has an impact but is it necessary today? Yes, we still aren't fully integrated into American culture and, yes, we are fighting for the basic civil right to marry our loved ones. But is telling people that we're gay and around and to basically, well, get used to it, a little aggressive?
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/06/30/pride/
An article written by Christopher Ott on Salon in 1999 had a headline "We're here, we're queer, I'm sick of it," which talked about how the gay "agenda" morphed its focus from a political activist viewpoint to one of partying, when in reality we should've been focusing on obtaining equal rights. It's interesting that we're still talking about this last point today.

That said, maybe it's time to come up with a new slogan that we can all embrace and get behind. Someone jokingly said to me that we should say, "We're gay, we're pretty, please don't beat us up," at which time I told him to shut the hell up. We don't want people to think of us as weak or meager, but as equals. Not every straight man is butch and into sports. Not every straight woman is soft and feminine. Just in the same way that not every gay man or woman can be pigeonholed into stereotypically categories.

So yes, we're here and we are queer and yes, people need to get used to it. But do we need to throw it into their faces? Can't we just live our lives and let people get to know us as people and not as gay people? Of course we need people to know who we are otherwise we will never get our rights. But we've advanced tremendously in the last few decades. So is it time for a new slogan? What do you think? Throw us your ideas. We want to hear from you.

Comments

[Kelly]

I like "The more visible we are, the more invisible we will become." What I mean is, the more 'they' know they know us...the more that Middle America is familiar with 'us'...the less of an oddity 'we' will be to 'them'.

[ANTM Miss J]

"Gay and here to stay."
"Gay and here to stay."
"Gay and here to stay."
"Gay and here to stay."
"Gay and here to stay."

[ANTM Miss J]

"homo hetero N harmony"
"homo hetero N harmony"
"homo hetero N harmony"
"homo hetero N harmony"
"homo hetero N harmony"

[Frankly]

How about this:

STOP KILLING US YOU F&%$@^G BASTARDS!

[trent]

Being gay isn't a Race, but we are winning!

[Rick Bertz]

The kind of action that took place on the coasts two or three decades ago is now happening in the midwest. Larger cities such as Kansas City and St. Louis are developing gay communities that look very similar to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in the 80's. What's next is more integration on the coasts, fewer people moving to the coasts, and a whole new movement in the center of the country which was ignored by activists in decades past.

[Ben]

Based on Miss J's:

Gay Straight Harmony!

[ANTM Miss J]

Gay Straight Unity?
Gay Straight Unity?
Gay Straight Unity?
Gay Straight Unity?
Gay Straight Unity?

[ANTM Miss J]

homo hetero harmony?
homo hetero harmony?
homo hetero harmony?

[ANTM Miss J]

gay straight unity?

[David]

Openly Gay to Stay!

[MSK]

We're hot, you're not, get used to it.

But I like Frankly's the best.

[Rick Sincere]

Franklin Kameny's "Gay Is Good" still stands the test of time, after more than four decades.

[rich oconnor]

how about::: we are gay live with us

[Danny Lankford]

How bout......Come on get happy! lol

[Thug]

Is the sky rainbow colored on your planet?

[blaine a mero]

"Gay is the New Black"

"Gay is Beautiful"

"unity in diversity"

[Emily Knowles]

Pride Is What We Have! Equality Is What We Strive For!

[dron]

"PROUD TO BE A GAY AMERICAN"

[sheryl clyde]

how about: Hey we're out so watch out!

[Joe C]

Gays Belong In Your Family

[Tristan Gaucher]

We're gay! We're straight! It's good! It's great!

We're gay! We're straight! Just love! No hate!

[Daniel]

You can kiss why can't we?
Also, whoever wrote this piece is basically an Arcadian.

[Biff]

Who you calling Gay?

[Alex]

I'm NOT straight...

said with a smile,
I assert myself..
without losing any personal "power"

and it opens the door to dialogue

What do you think?

[Rudy]

One Goal,
One people,
One Country,
One Dream,
Come Together,
America Unite...

[Michael Jeffries]

We're not asking...
We're not asking for equal rights...we're demanding them

[Kay Buie]

It is a brand new day
And it looks very gay!

Out of the closets--
Into the courtrooms!

We're sick all right--
Sick and tired of homophobia!!!!

[Lonn Atwood]

How bout....
I used to be gay
Now I'm only so-so

or
I'm gay
but I ain't too damn happy with thing as they are

or
When I turned gay
The straights turned crabby

[Alan Anderson]

Die you homophobes Die!

[ophelia 'felix' omai]

STOP STOP STOP saying "Gay and lesbian"- lesbians ARE gay. Using this phrase implies we are not. Gay men and women is FINE.
We don't need a catch-phrase label! Use gay, since we've already gone there and try not to use it as an adjective meaning 'lame'!

[Chris VonTanner]

Felix! Felix! Felix! A little 'herstory'...in our recent past, Gay Pride, Gay movement, Gay anything was represented in the media by a gay male. Gay women by every right wanted, needed and deserved to have their own 'lesbian' presence in society and portrayed by the media. I don't understand a community that quivers when anyone should happen to suggest an all inclusive word for our LGBT community...QUEER. Some communities are settling for 'Q', our new lbgt community center is called The 'Q'Center. So blah blah....as a very wise person once told me, "All Lesbians are Gay, but not all Gays are Lesbians!"

As for a saying....how about,

L G B T
that's you and you and you and me!

[Pino]

I like the one David wrote on 6/26 @ 11:00am with a little modification. He wrote "Openly Gay to Stay!"

I like "Openly Gay,HERE to Stay!

I also agree that both men and women are Gay, and the word lesbian should be done away with. It sounds to me something like this: We're Gay and proud of it. Oh, them? They're Lesbians. We let them come to our parties :o(

[Pino]

Or how about this one..."WERE GAY!!! FUCK YOU!!!"

[Stiney]

"hooray for gay"

[Stephan Harcrow]

How about: "THAT IS RIGHT!"
Taken from Material Girl Video, Madonna
where she says, "That's Right!"

ARE YOU GAY? THAT IS RIGHT!

[John]

Naturally Gay and Proud!

[Lorine]

"There is no need to pray, to try and take out my gay. Because who I am is here to stay!" or if you are religious the second sentence could read "...Because who I am, is made in god's way"
lol
And I like the simplicity of "I'm Gay, get over it!"

[Paul]

How about:

We're gay, we can pay, but only if we get our way!

I'm not asking for equality, i demand preferential treatment, dammit!

[Al]

GLBT: Great Love, Big Time

[Jim]

How about: Gay Is Natural Gay is Queer, let me stick this in your ear!

[Jim]

America is Freedom, America is Grand, , because were queers we're taking a Stand!

Or...

Were Gay, We Pray and yes we are we are here to stay!

Equality for you, Equality for me, Now that's equal rights and Liberty.

[From Russia]

IT'S OK 2B GAY!
OR FROM THE US CONSTITUTION:
WE, THE GAY PEOPLE!

[Jonathan]

Don't use queer, it's offensive! None of the following definitions are appealing!

queer
  /kwɪər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kweer] adjective, -er, -est, verb, noun

–adjective
1. strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different; singular: a queer notion of justice.
2. of a questionable nature or character; suspicious; shady: Something queer about the language of the prospectus kept investors away.
3. not feeling physically right or well; giddy, faint, or qualmish: to feel queer.
4. mentally unbalanced or deranged.
5. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
a. homosexual.
b. effeminate; unmanly.
6. Slang. bad, worthless, or counterfeit.
–verb (used with object)
7. to spoil; ruin.
8. to put (a person) in a hopeless or disadvantageous situation as to success, favor, etc.
9. to jeopardize.
–noun
10. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a homosexual, esp. a male homosexual.
11. Slang. counterfeit money.
—Idiom
12. queer the pitch, British Informal. to spoil the chances of success.
Origin:
1500–10; perh. < G quer oblique, cross, adverse

Related forms:
queerly, adverb
queerness, noun

Synonyms:
1. unconventional, curious, freakish, eccentric, weird. See strange.

Antonyms:
1. ordinary.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

[Effy Vassiliou]

these slogans are fun but i just came up with an equally hillarious (i think)new one

Ready?

"one, two i love you"
"three four can i kiss you a billion times more"
"five, six yes you're loving it when we're having sex"
"seven, eight how dare you think my man's STRAIGHT"
"nine, ten let's make love and recite this poem all over again"

:)

[Don]

Say it out loud I'm Gay and Proud

[Don]

Hey Hey we're Gay and we are here to Stay

[Michele C.]

Yes, we still need a in your face slongan for middle America as long as we don't have equal rights in this country. Frankly, I believe that "were queer and were here" is fine. This is becaus it's inclusive of all sexual minorities. The gblt community is NOT just lesbians and gays. Its transgenders and bisexuals as well. We can't forget the discrimmination and ingorance that they too face. Com'on people let's not make this just a gay thing. It's not just about gays and lesbians.

[TVTerror]

"homosexuality: don't knock it til you try it"
"gay is okay"
"you can't spell homosapiens with out the homo."
"and god said let there be love"
"my heart. my life. our world"

[Victor]

Everyone's gay after four beers.