Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Gay Wedding Glossary

Queer: Traditionally a degrading term, it has been appropriated by some LGBT people to describe themselves. This term can be used by males or females.  Some use the term to defy its original degrading usage.  Queer can be used to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community and as a synonym for LGBT, without specifically referring to a lesbian, gay man, etc, i.e. "the queer community."

Nevertheless, queer is not universally accepted even within the LGBT community and should be avoided unless quoting someone who self-identifies that way. The usage of queer is much more common among younger generations and those who identify with its emphasis on fluidity of sexualities and genders but 59% of gay men and 41% of lesbians find the term offensive.

You may encounter a couple who identify as queer and find the labels of "gay" or "lesbian" to be too confining, or who use the term "queer community."  If that's the case, respect the couple's choice and use that term only internally.  It could be seen as offensive if you meet with a different same-sex couple and refer to the first couple as queer.