queer
adj., n. controversial slang, in the main pejorative, referring to gays and lesbians or relating to homosexual orientation. The original and still common use of the word, to describe anything that is odd or strange, was extended to refer to gays in the late 19th and throughout much of the 20th century, when it acquired a predominantly negative connotation. During the late 1960s and onward (see sexual revolution), it was appropriated by some members within the gay community as a term of identification that carried no negative connotation and, indeed, became a label of pride and self-respect. This usage is not embraced, however, by all members of the gay community.