Yallah Y’All: The Development and Acceptance of Queer Jewish Language in Seattle

Abstract

This study investigates how queer Jewish language develops among LGBTQ Jewish people themselves and the processes by which it is learned and adopted by cis-heterosexual people in shared Jewish spaces, focusing on the influence and perceptions of Seattle as a liberal and queer-accepting city. The authors analyze virtual ethnographic interviews with queer and cis-heterosexual individuals involved in Seattle Jewish life, which discuss participants’ experiences and observations surrounding queer Jewish language, emphasizing experiences in learning and adopting queer linguistic features and attitudes toward the acceptance of queer Jewish language in Seattle. It finds that communal awareness and acceptance of queer language in Jewish spaces is largely driven by the presence of queer individuals, particularly in leadership roles.