The Queens’’ English: The Lgbtqia+ Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial Expressions

A landmark reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community’s contributions to the English language--an intersectional, inclusive, playfully illustrated glossary featuring more than 800 terms and fabulous phrases created by and for queer culture.

Do you know where ＂yaaaas queen!＂ comes from? Do you know the difference between a bear and a wolf? Do you know what all the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for?

The Queens’ English is a comprehensive guide to modern gay slang, queer theory terms, and playful colloquialisms that define and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture. This modern dictionary provides an in-depth look at queer language, from terms influenced by celebrated lesbian poet Sappho and from New York’s underground queer ball culture in the 1980s to today’s celebration of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The glossary of terms is supported by full-color illustrations and photography throughout, as well as real-life usage examples for those who don’t quite know how to use ＂kiki,＂ ＂polysexual,＂ or ＂transmasculine＂ in a sentence. A series of educational lessons highlight key people and events that shaped queer language; readers will learn the linguistic importance of pronouns, gender identity, Stonewall, the Harlem Renaissance, and more.

For every queen in your life--the men, women, gender non-conforming femmes, butches, daddies, and zaddies--The Queens’ English is at once an education and a celebration of queer history, identity, and the limitless imagination of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Chloe O. Davis is a proud bisexual black woman and debut author who works in the entertainment industry in New York. Her work as a dancer and actor has allowed her to travel to all fifty states and thirty-five countries. She has appeared in the first national tour of The Addams Family, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC, Hello Dolly! at the Riverside Theatre, Black Girl: Linguistic Play at The Kennedy Center, and The Wiz at The Muny.