June is LGBTQ Pride Month, a time when queer people across the country celebrate their identities and honor the sacrifices it took to gain the rights they have today. With those rights have come more acceptance and understanding of each acronym letter. Still, many might have questions about the word “queer.” If you “‘re you’re what “queer” means” or are looking for a queer definition, we’ve covered it.

Queer Definition

Generally, “queer” is an”umbrella term that encompasses any identity that isn’t isn’t. Previously, “queer” was a”pejorative term used to degrade LGBTQ people. However, after reclaiming the word, “queer”” has b”come both a catchall term and a way for people to express an identity that doesn’tdoesn’tfit labels like “lesbia”,” “gay,” “r to” ers.

Identifying as queer is a way to describe one’s honesty without limitations or strict definitions. The beauty of being queer is that there there’s a definition; it can mean something different for everyone.

To celebrate Pride Month, Teen Vogue asked 11 young people what their queer identity means to them. Here are their responses:

Katie, 23

“It means”I can feel like an alien, and it’s okay. Don’t don’t be one thing or another because someone else says so. I can live up to my desires.”

Sarah” 22

“It means”s waking up with daily content in my body. Accepting I’ll defy societal norms makes me feel super powerful.”

Noah ,”23

“Being “ay to me means being different — in all the best ways. It means being myself unapologetically. It takes incredible strength to live authentically without worrying about the opinions of others.”

Nikhil”, 20

“My cue” redness has little to do with those I’m sexually attracted to, ironically enough, and everything to do with the way I move through this world with grace, music, culture, and power that exists in fundamental contradiction to the white supremacist cis heteropatriarchy.”

Viole” Venus, 22

“I often” say that being trans is antithetical to being anxious. I exist to excise myself of all of those anxieties [that] plagued me from the closet. It’s the poet’s compelling people towards acceptance (I’m not I’m argument or a tricky bit of grammar: I am). Sculpting a new me from bioidentical hormones and Pinterest boards is essential. Being queer on top of that means living a life with the people who can understand and love all this about me, even if I don’t out for them so explicitly.”

Grace” 16

“I thin” means accepting yourself and genuinely being who you are. It’s a part of my identity that I love, but [am] also conflicted against because of society it, especially since I am young.”

Kais “other, 25

“To me, “queerness means standing for inclusivity and celebrating members of your community as they are. I grew up in the small town of Gafsa in Tunisia, where it is illegal to be gay. I had to choose between a life where I could be myself or giving up my country, friends, loved ones, and a bright future. I would’ve my own country if I had been born straight. I chose a life where I was free to be me and claim asylum in the U.S. It was tough leaving my mother; she is the most important person to me in this world. My goal is to fight so that the next generation won’t won’t make this decision.”

Wedne “day Holmes, 28

“My ill” strategies seek to spread kindness, empathy, and support to anyone who needs it. No matter how you identify or where you are in your journey, I want people to know that someone sees them and stands with them. For me, being queer means being a friend.”

Lesli”

“I thin” that one quote from bell hooks says it so well – ‘queer ‘ot as being about who you are having sex with, which can be a dimension of it, but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.'”

Gabr’ “la, 24

“Being “user, to me, means I don’t don’t be straight, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual; I can not know and be queer. I mean, as a girl and liking girls, at the least, I know I’m not right. I’ve stI’veled with the above terms throughout early adulthood and still haven’thaven’tmy ‘label’’but I’ve reI’veed I don’t ndon’to and I don’t cdon’to.”

Lando”, 19

“Being “ueer means that I can continue with the day-to-day routines and be thankful to be part of such a warm, welcoming community known as the LGBTQ+. I never really knew what queer completely meant until I came out in 2019.”

These”personal definitions highlight that being queer is a multifaceted experience, deeply personal and unique to each individual. It celebrates the freedom to define oneself beyond societal constraints, embracing a community that values inclusivity and diversity.