Organizations similar to Queer Nation in communities around the world claim the term queer as part of their heritage. Nowadays, the queer movement focuses on sexual and gender identities that do not fit into the traditional meaning of orientation or gender. It is always best to check with the person about their self-reference and whether the word can be used to describe their identities. To some, LGBT people the word continues to have a hurtful connotation. It was mostly used as a derogatory term against men who were gay but also straight men who had feminine sex characteristics or were suspected of having gay sex with other men.
The term queer indeed has a somewhat questionable background for LGBT people. This means that queer is an umbrella term for LGBTQ+ sexual and gender identities. “A person who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or otherwise not heterosexual”
Many in the LGBT community use it as a noun. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word queer may be an adjective, noun, or even a verb.
