Breeder (slang)
Encyclopedia
"Breeder" is a denigrating term for heterosexuals
used in LGBT slang. It is often used pejorative
ly.
The use in homosexual groups is drawn from the fact that their sexual activity
cannot lead to reproduction, where as heterosexual sexual intercourse
can, with implicit mocking by connotation of animal husbandry
, the original usage of the word. Along these lines a particularly fecund woman may be referred to as a 'brood sow', implying low ethical standards and an absence of due diligence in the reproductive process.
"Breeder" may also be used as a derogatory term by childfree
people of any sexual orientation
, to refer to parents who focus on their children and abandon their previous friends and lifestyle, or to women who give birth to many children. The phrases "breeder, not parent" (BNP) or "parent, not breeder" (PNB) are used by some childfree communities to differentiate between what they regard as positive and negative parenting
.
The use of "breeder" in this way is not new. It appears, for example, in Jonathan Swift
's A Modest Proposal
, in which Swift repeatedly uses "breeder" to refer to human breeding:
Swift's piece was meant as black humor, and refers to the breeding of children for cannibalism
. Some parents resent being referred to as "breeders", and feel that the word unduly reduces the process of child-raising to animal husbandry.
The term was part of a 2006 controversy in the heavily gay resort town of Provincetown, Massachusetts
, when petitioners against same-sex marriage
whose identity was published complained of having been called "breeders".
Similarly, the term "welfare breeder" is colloquially
and pejoratively used to refer to a person who is suspected of having children in order to obtain government resources, similar to the term welfare queen
.
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
used in LGBT slang. It is often used pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
ly.
The use in homosexual groups is drawn from the fact that their sexual activity
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
cannot lead to reproduction, where as heterosexual sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
can, with implicit mocking by connotation of animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
, the original usage of the word. Along these lines a particularly fecund woman may be referred to as a 'brood sow', implying low ethical standards and an absence of due diligence in the reproductive process.
"Breeder" may also be used as a derogatory term by childfree
Childfree
Childfree also known as "voluntary childlessness" is a form of childlessness. The term was coined in the English language late in the 20th century and is used to describe people who have made a personal decision not to have children. The term childfree also describes domestic and urban...
people of any sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, to refer to parents who focus on their children and abandon their previous friends and lifestyle, or to women who give birth to many children. The phrases "breeder, not parent" (BNP) or "parent, not breeder" (PNB) are used by some childfree communities to differentiate between what they regard as positive and negative parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
.
The use of "breeder" in this way is not new. It appears, for example, in Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
's A Modest Proposal
A Modest Proposal
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in...
, in which Swift repeatedly uses "breeder" to refer to human breeding:
Swift's piece was meant as black humor, and refers to the breeding of children for cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. Some parents resent being referred to as "breeders", and feel that the word unduly reduces the process of child-raising to animal husbandry.
The term was part of a 2006 controversy in the heavily gay resort town of Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
, when petitioners against same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
whose identity was published complained of having been called "breeders".
Similarly, the term "welfare breeder" is colloquially
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
and pejoratively used to refer to a person who is suspected of having children in order to obtain government resources, similar to the term welfare queen
Welfare queen
A welfare queen is a pejorative phrase used in the United States to describe people who are accused of collecting excessive welfare payments through fraud or manipulation. Reporting on welfare fraud began during the early 1960s, appearing in general interest magazines such as Readers Digest...
.