“Queer's” Near Absence in Academic and Student Service Websites

Abstract

This essay studies several Websites that deal with mainly U.S. universities' LGBT/Queer student services and/or LGBT/Queer academic programs, and it considers the terminology such programs apply to name themselves. Notably, the term “queer” is almost absent on many of these sites, especially sites that are non-academic and provide student services. Drawing on Annamarie Jagose's Queer Theory, the author suggests that the term “queer” may be too threatening, too ambiguous, and too masculine to be useful in naming these programs and services. While numerous specific university sites have been explored, the essay focuses on the listings of services and programs found on two sites: University of Illinois-Chicago's site “College/University Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Centers/Programs” at http://www.uic.edu/org/lgbt and John Younger's Website “University LGBT Programs: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies in the USA and Canada” at http://www.duke.edu/web/jyounger/lbgtprogrs.html.