"Queer is a slur" has recently become a thing because terfs hate the term, and honestly, 80% of the time, it's a terf dogwhistle.
They have picked up the phrase because queer is inclusive when used by folks who do not see it as a slur. Queer is an umbrella term, and means "anyone who isn't cishet"
(YES, this includes Aro/Ace people)
Terfs hate this inclusivity because it means trans women are included with lesbians, and terfs hate anything that include trans women.
Is queer still used as a slur? Absolutely.
Is it valid for LGBTQIA2SP+ folks to not want people to use that term for them? ABSOLUTELY.
Is it valid to tell folks NOT to use a term that has been largely accepted as a term that was used by us for decades, then reclaimed as our own again?
Absolutely not.
It's fine if you don't want to use that term, but dictating what other people call themselves is bullshit- and when people tell me I can't use queer for myself, I almost always assume they're a terf.
Re: not trying to stir anything
They have picked up the phrase because queer is inclusive when used by folks who do not see it as a slur. Queer is an umbrella term, and means "anyone who isn't cishet"
(YES, this includes Aro/Ace people)
Terfs hate this inclusivity because it means trans women are included with lesbians, and terfs hate anything that include trans women.
Is queer still used as a slur? Absolutely.
Is it valid for LGBTQIA2SP+ folks to not want people to use that term for them? ABSOLUTELY.
Is it valid to tell folks NOT to use a term that has been largely accepted as a term that was used by us for decades, then reclaimed as our own again?
Absolutely not.
It's fine if you don't want to use that term, but dictating what other people call themselves is bullshit- and when people tell me I can't use queer for myself, I almost always assume they're a terf.