Gay Big Brother star Philip makes his feelings very clear on the term ‘queer’

Big Brother star Philip Regan, who is gay, has made it clear he’s not a fan of the term “queer”, after Lucinda “Twinks” Burnett used it.

Twinks, 36, who has spoke about being bisexual and a trans ally, which also caused division in the house, spoke in Thursday’s episode (8 October) to Rochelle Rackham, 57, about the LGBTQ+ community.

“One of my friends is in a queer punk band,” she said, as Rochelle replied: “I didn’t think you were allowed to say that word.”

Twinks replied: “We love queer, we can say queer, we love it, it’s reclaimed.”

Philip, 53, cut in, saying: “I don’t like that word. I know people say it, but it’s all history, and I don’t like it.”

Later, speaking to Lynx Noumey, Philip said: “I walked in, she was talking ‘queer’. These people that fought, got murdered, got spit at… I was called ‘queer’ by police and I just don’t f****** like that name.”

He went on: “All the young ones, ’90s, are coming, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, we’re taking it back?’ What are you f****** taking back? You weren’t there, you weren’t f****** born. What you taking queer back for?

“Sorry, no, no, no. Queer is a f****** horrible word. Queer’s someone who’s strange, weird, everything. I don’t agree with it, that’s very offensive.”

Big Brother viewers divided

Philip’s comments fall into a wider debate about the word “queer” in recent years. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community use it as a more umbrella term for identities that are not strictly heterosexual or cisgender, and it is the Q in the acronym. However others are not fans, and, like Philip, cannot or will not reclaim it given the word’s history as being used as a slur, or due to its all-encompassing definition.

Viewers were similarly split. One said: “Completely agree with Philip’s view on the word ‘queer’ and nor do I ever remember there being a big gay referendum on ‘reclaiming it’.” Another agreed: “I get why Philip finds queer offensive, just because some people reclaim a word doesn’t mean everyone has to be ok with it,” adding: “But he also knew she wasn’t saying it in a negative way or to be offensive so I don’t think he needed to be as irate about it.”

Other defended Philip, saying: “I hope people are gentle with Philip over this queer thing. For men his age, it was often the word they heard as they were being kicked out of their house or battered. It’s easy for young people to reclaim a word that wasn’t weaponised institutionally by their generation.”

However others took issue with Philip’s comments. One said: “I really wish older gays who still treat ‘queer’ as a slur, would recognise that for us growing up in the ’00s ‘gay’ was a slur too. If we can say gay, we can say queer.” Another, referencing Philip’s previous conversation about people wanting to identify as “a fridge”, said: “Older people who use offensive terms get to say ‘oh we’re from a different time’ but when today’s generation use words like queer they get all irate. P***** me off actually.”

Queer talk in the Big Brother house

As part of her initial conversation with Rochelle, Twinks explained queer “means LGBTQIA and anything in between”, which prompted more questions.

“What the hell’s… I know gay,” Rochelle said. Twinks went on: “So lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, then intersex…”

Rochelle cut in: “What the f*** is intersex…. they’re alopecia… not alopecia, when they’ve got both…”

Twinks then explained what it meant, before also having to explain what asexual meant.

“What am I, then?” Rochelle asked, with Twinks explaining that she guessed she was straight, even though “you can have a husband and identify as bi”.

She explained: “I have a longterm male partner who I love very much. I’m with someone, but we have an ethically non-monogamous relationship, which means I can explore other people if I want to.”

Rochelle soon switched the conversation to feminism, asking: “Who is the feminist that ran in the streets, Betty Boop or something? She ran on the racecourse and got ran over by a horse.”

The other housemates corrected her, and she said later in a conversation with Rhianna Collins that she “doesn’t give a f***” about feminism, adding of her husband: “What’s mine is mine, and what’s his is mine.”

Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

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