Alright, so lemme tell ya ’bout this “queer identity” thing, or whatever they call it. Folks these days, they got all sorts of names for things, I tell ya. Back in my day, it was just men and women, plain and simple. But now, they got this “queer” word, and it means… well, it means a whole bunch of things, near as I can figure.
What’s this “Queer” Anyways?
See, some folks, they don’t feel like they fit in them neat little boxes of “man” and “woman.” Maybe they feel like a bit of both, maybe neither. Maybe they like folks the same as them, maybe they like all sorts of folks. It’s all a bit confusing to an old woman like me, but I reckon it’s just how they are. This “queer” thing, it’s like a big ol’ umbrella, coverin’ all sorts of different folks. Not just the gay and lesbian folks, but others too. They got all sorts of letters now, LGBTQ, and I hear tell there’s more letters they keep addin’. That Q, that’s the queer one, and it means, well, it means you ain’t exactly straight, I guess.
NYT Crossword Puzzle and “Queer Identity, for Short”
Now, I hear tell this “queer identity, for short” thing popped up in one of them crossword puzzles, the New York Times one, I think they call it. Folks get all worked up over these puzzles, tryin’ to figure out the answers. And this one, “queer identity, for short,” the answer they was lookin’ for was “ARO.” I ain’t got no clue what that means, but I reckon it’s one of them newfangled words these young folks use. They say it showed up in the puzzle on August 25th and 26th, 2024, so it must be somethin’ important, I guess. And there’s another one, somethin’ about a flag with green, white, gray, and black. Apparently that’s “ARO” too. Lands sakes, so many new things to learn!
Is it “LGBT” or “LGBTQ”?
And then there’s all these letters they use. LGBT, LGBTQ… it’s like alphabet soup, I tell ya. Seems like they keep addin’ more letters all the time. I heard tell that “LGBTQ” is the one most folks like to use now, ‘cause that “Q” covers everyone who don’t fit in the other letters. It means “queer,” like I said before, and it’s like a catch-all for anyone who ain’t straight or who feels different. Some folks say just “LGBT” is okay too, but the “Q” makes sure nobody’s left out, see? It’s like sayin’, “We got room for everyone under this here umbrella.”
What’s It All Mean, Then?
So, if you ask me, this whole “queer identity” thing just means folks are different, and that’s okay. It ain’t always been easy for folks who are different, I know that much. But times are changin’, I guess, and maybe that’s a good thing. If folks want to call themselves “queer” or “LGBTQ” or whatever else, that’s their business. Long as they ain’t hurtin’ nobody, I reckon it don’t matter much what you call yourself or who you love. We’re all just tryin’ to get by in this world, ain’t we? And maybe if we was all a little kinder to each other, things would be a whole lot better.
Back in my Day…
Now, back in my day, we didn’t talk about these things. You was either a man or a woman, and that was that. But things change, and maybe that’s for the best. I still don’t understand all these new words and letters, but I reckon it ain’t my place to judge. People are people, no matter who they love or how they identify. And that’s the long and short of it, as far as I can see.
- Being queer is about being different.
- The word “queer” includes lots of different identities.
- The term LGBTQ is widely accepted now.
- The crossword puzzle answer for “queer identity, for short” is ARO.
So there ya have it, my two cents on this “queer identity” business. Like I said, it’s a lot for an old woman to take in, but I’m tryin’ to keep up. The world keeps changin’, and I guess we gotta change with it, or get left behind. And maybe, just maybe, all this change will lead to a better world for everyone.
Tags: [Queer Identity, LGBTQ, ARO, NYT Crossword, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity]
