These names: gay, queer, homosexual are limiting. I would love to finish with them. We’re going to have to decide which terms to use and where we use them. For me to use the word “queer” is a liberation; it was a word that frightened me, but no longer.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that words like "gay," "queer," and "homosexual" can be limiting and don't fully capture the diversity of people's identities. The speaker, British director Derek Jarman, says he wants to move beyond these terms. He believes we need to be more thoughtful about which words we use and how we use them. For Jarman, using the word "queer" is a way of taking back power and finding freedom, even though it used to scare him.
More quotes from Derek Jarman
The preserve of ambition and folly in pursuit of illusion, or delusion.
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These names: gay, queer, homosexual are limiting. I would love to finish with them. We’re going to have to decide which terms to use and where we use them. For me to use the word “queer” is a liberation; it was a word that frightened me, but no longer.
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Pain can be alleviated by morphine but the pain of social ostracism cannot be taken away.
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All men are homosexual, some turn straight. It must be very odd to be a straight man because your sexuality is hopelessly defensive. It’s like an ideal of racial purity.
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I’m not afraid of death but I am afraid of dying.
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Understand that sexuality is as wide as the sea. Understand that your morality is not law. Understand that we are you. Understand that if we decide to have sex whether safe, safer, or unsafe, it is our decision and you have no rights in our lovemaking.
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