Chloe O. Davis
“I like to say that language shapes culture,” writer, dancer and actor Chloe O. Davis says. “Our language comes because we need to articulate an experience that is unique to us, that is unique to a community — and the language hasn’t been created. So therefore we need to create it.”
In her new book, The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases, Davis explores the language (or many languages) that America’s diverse LGBTQIA+ communities have developed over decades as a means of code, communication and celebration.
The book began serendipitously in 2006, when Davis signed on to tour with the Philadelphia-based dance company Philadanco and was soon captivated by the terminology other dancers threw around on the bus. “A lot of men in the company identified as gay, and they also were part of the ballroom scene,” she explains (if you’re unfamiliar with the ballroom scene, check out this link and this link). “Snatched” was the term that sparked her curiosity, and soon the dancers were giving her a vocabulary lesson.
“I think I was so inquisitive and curious as to what these words mean … I would ask word meanings and eventually I would give it this academic or scholarly definition. And we thought that it was hilarious. So it came from a lot of play, like yes, let's define ‘slay.’ Let's define ‘snatched.’ And it was like a game we played. When I got to 100 terms or so I was just like, ‘wait a minute. This is a fully developed language.’ Let's really talk about that — this is a language and why isn't it given the respect and the documentation that it needs?”
Davis spent the next 15 years developing the book in the course of her travels as a touring artist, learning from local scenes and comparing terminology across regions.
“I was collecting more,” she explains. “I got a chance to dive deeper into white, gay male slang, you know, what I mean? Or terms, like identifiers, like bear, and otter, and twink, and twonk, you know, wolf. But I also got a chance to dive into many other cultures like lesbian, non-binary, trans, the leather community … also the the rise of language that's coming from our young queer youth. So it was a way that I just connected with stories. I love that eventually words started to cross-reference themselves. A word I would hear in California would be the same word I would hear in Atlanta, and I thought that was really cool. And I knew that I was on the right track.”
For Davis, this process was deeper than just collecting words. “It was a self-discovery of who I am,” she says. “I identify as being bisexual, and just learning words to help you articulate your evolution and your journey with your own sexuality or expression, gender expression, gender identity, I think is very empowering. This book allowed me to go deeper into myself to really stand firm and have the agency to say, ‘This is who I am. And yes, this experience is articulated through these terms.’ I felt really empowered to advocate for identities and expressions and lifestyles and culture, that's not always celebrated. Because it's marginalized. It's oppressed.”
The book is beautifully designed, inviting and celebratory. But it is also an examination of American LGBT+ history and culture, with illuminating looks at important historical moments, places and people. This includes the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on Black gay culture, the history of the leather scene, queer Asian American communities, people with disabilities and more.
“I want I want it to be engaging and clear and articulate and fun,” she says. “But I also want it to be a resourceful tool to really educate and dive deeper into conversations around inclusivity and sexual orientation. But also, it is a documentation of my growth and experience. Starting it was fun, you know what I mean? It was like, ‘This is fun, this is fun, it's fun connecting, it's fun laughing, kiki-ing.’ Then it got to moments to when I'm able to sit down and research information. A lot of research came from conversation around identity and culture and pride. And sometimes the conversations were hard and difficult and really tapped into trauma, and really tapped into … transphobia, homophobia, racism, misogyny. And I have these terms in there, too, because that's really related to the intersectionality of identity, you know, Black and gay, Black and trans, Latinx and non-binary, API and gay. These are very unique experiences. And so it was important to try to document the language that has come from these experiences.”
Davis is quick to note that, thought she is intentionally inclusive, and though the book’s publishers at Clarkson Potter and Penguin Random House subjected it to multiple sensitivity reads, the book only scratches the surface of LGBT+ identity and language.
“This world and community is so vast and so large, I am sure there are identities and expressions and interpretations that may not be in the dictionary, but they are valid,” she explains. “I am excited to continue the evolution through different additions and volumes. But, I think this is a good first landing, and I love the celebration of it. I am humble and receptive to the feedback of other interpretations … I do hope that people understand the value and the need for this. And we can continue to build on the platform.”
The Queens’ English is a beautiful and fun read that celebrates identity, while reminding us of how far we’ve come and how far we all have to go.
“Go back to the ballroom scene,” Davis says. “Language was created to supplement agency and empowerment of an identity and a community that was hit with racism and homophobia and transphobia. That was ostracized and attacked and victimized. So it's building something that empowers who you are. That is really important … these different communities are empowering what makes them unique, because mainstream culture [and] society has not welcomed that. We're in a new age right now, where more people are starting to want to have more conversations and be inclusive, but we have a long way to go. And so I feel like this dictionary is a tool for everyone. It's not just about those who identify within, you know, the gay and queer spectrum, but also those who do not identify, to understand words and how they empower but also, how words before have have belittled.”
