Queer as what? At the ‘Queer As Folk’ premiere, stars debate the title’s real meaning
Ambitious, inspiring, and defiantly gay, the latest iteration of Queer As Folk—now available to stream on Peacock—finally lives up to its title.With all due respect to Russell T.
Davies’ groundbreaking, turn-of-the-millennium TV drama and its American counterpart of the same name, this reboot, of sorts, depicts a queerness more in line with our modern understanding of the word.
Where those past iterations largely centered on cis, white, gay men, the new Queer As Folk focuses on a much more diverse cross-section of the LGBTQ community, particularly a group of friends in present-day New Orleans who are brought closer together in the wake of an all-too-common tragedy.In other words, the folks in question—this time around—are authentically queer, and the series is all the better because of it.But what does it mean to be “queer as folk?” The title is derived from an old English proverb, “there’s nowt so queer as folk,” which essentially suggests “nothing is as strange as people can be.” Of course, the original phrase has long fallen out of fashion, but it’s remained in the zeitgeist thanks to the series and taken on a life of its own.In that spirit, with the opportunity to cover Queer As Folk‘s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, Queerty decided to pose that question to the stars in attendance: What does the phrase “queer as folk” mean to you?
Unsurprisingly, responses ran the gamut from the hilariously confused to the deeply thoughtful. Below, you’ll find thought-provoking and head-scratching answers from the show’s cast, creatives, and other famous fans—as well as a few of our exclusive snapshots from the carpet.I believe it comes from a British phrase that just means “they’re not like other people.” And it wasn’t.
