I am outraged by the use of the word "queer" as a synomym for "gay". Many militant groups insist that they have embraced this ugly word in defiance to show they it has no strength. Bullshit. It is still an ugly and powerful word used everywhere by homophobics to vilify and diminish gay people. I has no place in respectful conversation regardless of what thousands of supposedly free-thinking gays think. The idea that Harvard would have a Queer Studies Program is wildly irrational and insulting. The most frequent abuser I know is the Huffington Post, who even label a column "Queer News". The word queer has many uses, none of them complimentary, many odious. Yes, there are sects of gay people who are very proud to address themselves by this degrading term. I think you will find that their peculiarities have very little to do with their sexuality. After the tragic event in Orlando, I think it's more important than ever to rid our society of hateful terms like queer no matter how many supposedly liberated gays have embraced it. Imagine if HuffPost, who so adores this word, had written a headline that said "More than 50 Queers Slaughtered in Orlando." How creepy would that have made you feel? We don't say the N word and the Q word is just as offensive.