Chloe O. Davis

A landmark reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community's contributions to the English language--an intersectional, inclusive, playfully illustrated glossary featuring more than 800 terms and fabulous phrases created by and for queer culture. Do you know where "yaaaas queen!" comes from? Do you know the difference between a bear and a wolf? Do you know what all the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for? The Queens' English is a comprehensive guide to modern gay slang, queer theory terms, and playful colloquialisms that define and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture. This modern dictionary provides an in-depth look at queer language, from terms influenced by celebrated lesbian poet Sappho and from New York's underground queer ball culture in the 1980s to today's celebration of RuPaul's Drag Race. The glossary of terms is supported by full-color illustrations and photography throughout, as well as real-life usage examples for those who don't quite know how to use "kiki," "polysexual," or "transmasculine" in a sentence. A series of educational lessons highlight key people and events that shaped queer language; readers will learn the linguistic importance of pronouns, gender identity, Stonewall, the Harlem Renaissance, and more. For every queen in your life--the men, women, gender non-conforming femmes, butches, daddies, and zaddies--The Queens' English is at once an education and a celebration of queer history, identity, and the limitless imagination of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases

The Queens' English

Lina 

Years ago, a close friend asked how l wanted to be perceived. He knew I had been with both men and women, and he was testing me. I told him I was open to identifying however I saw fit and asked him, "Why do I need a label?" He replied, "You don't need a label, I just recommend you live in your truth" His words prompted me to challenge myself. Over time, I gained the courage and confidence to love myself and the many layers that shape me. 

We are all fluid in some ways-a little bit feminine, masculine, androgynous, vanilla, kink, and drawn to cisgender and/or transgender men and/or women and/or gender nonconforming people. We all have a relationship with race, religion, music, books, sex, self-expression, feminism, patriotism, money, power, and culture. The Queens' English is a way for all of us to explore our common bumanity whether or not we jdentify as queer in some way.

Dan Zarrella: "Subcultures often create terms to describe things that mainstream society does not have words for....Sometimes a slang term pops into the culture sphere that is so useful it crawls under the brainskin, no matter the historical stigma implied." Appropriation is a major concern within the LGBTQIA+ community. When our language is subjugated by mainstream culture, its value is minimized

The Queens' English quotes

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