Thanks to Canva for sponsoring the illusionist. In the 10 years since Canva began, it has

grown to offer services in over 100 languages. And Canva is freemium, so there is plenty available

for zero pounds, including free libraries of video, audio, graphics, and their amazing

tools, magic write, and magic design, which use AI to help you with your first drafts,

get you through the creative block, whew, because it's easier to start from something than

from a blank page. I put in a few writing prompts and, well, if Canva learns to speak, I think

I can just hand over hosting this show to it entirely. Also, if you and your colleagues

are working together, your human colleagues, that is, you can design and collaborate with

Canva for teams. Right now, you can get a free 45 day extended trial when you go to Canva.me-illusionist.

That's C-A-N-V-A.me-slashillusionist for a free 45 day extended trial. Canva.me-illusionist.

This is the illusionist, in which I, Helen Zoltzman, pull language out of cryogenic storage

and leave it thawing on the kitchen counter. Today's episode has been a particularly interesting

one to work on. I spoke to a lot of people about the word in question, and everybody had

very different opinions about it. I'll be interested to hear yours too. There is so

much to say about this word, and this episode is really just scratching the surface.

Content note, this episode contains discussions of sexuality and sexual acts, as well as

some problematic terms, on with the show.

This is about a word that currently means a lot of things to different people.

So I see queer as an umbrella term, as a political call for revolution, as well as unity

across different groups of people. I think of it with definitely positive and loving

energy around it. I don't think of it as an insult at all. I think growing up, I thought

it would have been more of an insult. I think that it was in 2015 when we got marriage

...