neuroqueer
/ˈnjʊə.ɹəʊˈkwɪə/
neuroqueer means belonging to, characteristic of, or related to the intersection of neurodivergence and queerness, particularly autism and LGBT identities. It carries an Arena rating of 1191, earned across 112 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, neuroqueer ranks #1,887 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #3,335 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #6,539 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #7,329 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
neuroqueer is pronounced /ˈnjʊə.ɹəʊˈkwɪə/.
Why “neuroqueer” is a great word
NEUROQUEER — [Adjective] Relating to an integrated identity that consciously challenges neuronormative and heteronormative structures through the lived intersection of neurodivergence and queerness. From the combining form neuro- (relating to nerves or the nervous system, here specifically to neurodivergence) + queer (originally meaning "strange," now chiefly denoting non-normative gender and sexual identities). Unlike "neurodivergent," which denotes a neurological difference, or "queer," which denotes a non-normative gender or sexual identity, neuroqueer describes their deliberate synthesis into a political and experiential whole. It is the autistic body moving in a non-binary cadence, the ADHD mind perceiving time and attraction in parallel, and the defiant comfort of a sensory-friendly outfit that flouts both fashion and gender binaries—a lived argument against the tyranny of separate, normative boxes.
Etymology
From neuro- + queer.
adj
- Belonging to, characteristic of, or related to the intersection of neurodivergence and queerness, particularly autism and LGBT identities.e.g.“Whether discussed in clinical journals or in media accounts, ABA purports to change neural pathways, rewire neuroqueer brains, and ford synapses.” — 2018, M. Remi Yergeau, Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neurological Queerness, page 123:
noun
- The state or quality of being neuroqueer.e.g.“Neuroqueer is a queer/crip response to normative discussions about gender, sexuality, and disability as pathology.” — 2019 February, Justine E. Enger, “'The Disability Rights Community Was Never Mine': Neuroqueer Disidentification”, in Gender & Society, volume 33, number 1, page 124:
- One who belongs to the neuroqueer community.e.g.“In this regard, the potential of a prosthetic, specialized environment is the always-now —any change could result in neuroqueers backsliding into neuroqueerity.” — 2018, M. Remi Yergeau, Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neurological Queerness, unnumbered page:
verb
- To make or become neuroqueer.e.g.“I believe in the potentialities of autistic stories and gestures, of neuroqueering what we've come to understand as language and being.” — 2018, M. Remi Yergeau, Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neurological Queerness, unnumbered page:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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