Welcome to Rainbow District, the queer oral history podcast based in Washington, DC. In each episode, Beth shares an interview with a queer activist in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia area) about their experiences with queer identity, finding community, and activism.

The interviews are in the style of oral histories, meaning that they are intended to be open-ended, letting the interviewee steer the direction of the conversation and tell their story in whatever capacity feels comfortable for them. 

In this context, "queer" is an umbrella term that refers to all sexual and gender identities outside of heterosexual and cisgender. This includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, pansexual, two-spirit, aromantic...and the list goes on! Instead of using an acronym like LGBTQ2IA+, "queer" can be used to encompass all of these identities. 

Brief History of "Queer"
The original meaning of "queer" referred to people or things that were strange or outside social norms. By the twentieth century, it had become an offensive term mainly used to describe sexual or gender nonconformity.

During the gay rights movement in the 1960's, activists rejected "queer" and even "homosexual," instead embracing and preferring terms such as "gay" and "lesbian." In the 1990's, however, many scholars and activists began to reclaim "queer" as the umbrella term it is commonly used as today. 

It is important to note that some people are uncomfortable using "queer" to describe themselves because for many years it was a slur used to perpetuate homophobic oppression and violence. If someone voices that they are uncomfortable with this word, please be respectful and refrain from using it around them.

Click here for more information on the history of the word "queer."