While you might’ve heard the word used as an insult, the term “queer” has actually been reclaimed by the community as an act of empowerment, says certified sex therapist, Amanda Pasciucco, AASECT. If you’re wondering what the actual definition of queer is, the co-founder and executive director of OkaySo, Elise Schuster, MPH, says the simplest way to describe it is “not straight.” For them, ‘queer’ is an identity and/or orientation that doesn’t align with the heteronormative expectation that everyone’s heterosexual and heteroromantic.