Nov 18th, 2007
“Queerspawn” etymology revisited.
Since writing Families Like Mine, I have been occasionally schooled by individuals who point out that I did not coin the phrase “queerspawn.” I can’t argue with them: I did not, nor have I ever claimed that I did.
The person who did come up with it is Stefan Lynch. I say so in Families Like Mine on page 11, and I also wrote about the history of the word in an article published in 2001.
So why I am still being “reminded” that I should stop taking credit for inventing this word? Sigh. I’m not taking credit for it. And unfortunately, I can’t really control if other people imply that I am.
For a while last year, an entry on Wikipedia credited me with the term. I, not being a Wiki-head, sent out some emails with a plea to correct that, and someone fixed it. The entry for the word was later taken down altogether. Now, the Wikipedia entry about me (which I have nothing to do with) credits me with “popularizing” the term. I would say, yes, that’s fair, since Families Like Mine was, to the best of my knowledge, the first book to print the word.
Although the Wikipedia entry was changed from “coined” to “popularized,” the perception that Abigail claims the term as “hers” continues. Where is this coming from? Perhaps glbtq.com, a site that aims to be an online encyclopedia for all things queer.
Here’s what the entry says about queerspawn:
Oddly, my kindred-queerspawn Stefan is mentioned directly above me in the entry. Just a few moments of fact-checking beyond Wikipedia (for example, the index in my book) could have prevented this misinformation from gaining additional momentum by what many people look to as an authoritative source for LGBT communities.
I will contact lgbtq.com, and I am sure they will correct it ASAP.
[Update 11/19/07: I emailed Editor Claude Summers who fixed it instantly. It now says: "The term, coined by Stefan Lynch and employed by Garner..."]
I will keep this post up even after it is corrected, however, because documenting how the queerspawn movement is documented — correctly or otherwise — is in itself a necessary part of building an effective queerspawn movement.