"What's in a name?" Juliet wonders in the famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, as she ponders why a mere linguistic quirk should be an obstacle to her love. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," she decides, settling the issue in her mind once and for all.

But for many groups at Harvard today, Juliet's question remains unanswered. Since the beginnings of language, individuals have used names to define their identities, measuring themselves against others who fit--or don't fit--into particular categories.

Student groups here often rely on an array of labels to describe themselves that is sometimes bewildering. Outsiders often find the distinctions between words difficult to comprehend, but within these groups, emotions over names still runs high.

Take the use of the word "queer," for example.

Many students would immediately reject "queer" as a term of denigration, opting instead for the term "homosexual." But most members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community tend to disagree.

For these students, "queer" is a term of pride, and "homosexual" an offensive clinical term with an unpleasant history.

"Homosexual," explains Sheila C. Allen '92, co-chair of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students Association (BGLSA), was first used to describe people who needed treatment for what was thought to be a disease or a psychological disorder. Because the term implies a disorder, she says, gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals do not use it often.

"Queer," on the other hand, is a word that now carries intense political connotations, and is often favored by groups seeking to counter discrimination, she says. The term has gained in popularity recently, with the rise of Queer Nation, one of the country's most vocal gay rights organizations.

"Queer nationals"--as the group's members describe themselves--make good use of the word in their trademark chant, "We're here. We're queer. We're fabulous. Get used to it."

"Queer Nation is pretty powerful," Allen says. Their anthem is a strong message that can "deal with people who are not willing to acknowledge gays and lesbians," she says.

"`Homosexuality' originally described a behavior," Allen says. "It wasn't a full identity or culture. Now, there is an entire culture [with] a political movement."

The words generally endorsed by the community are "gay" for males and "lesbian" for females. But "queer" also has its adherents, who argue that their term is more inclusive because it can desribe either sex.

Use of the word queer also implies a difference between gays and lesbians and "straight" individuals. "`Queer national' is a term of pride and recognition of full moral and spiritual equality with heterosexuals," says Thomas B. Watson '91, president of the Arts Organization for the Advancement of Sexual Minorities (ORGASM).

But because "queer" acknowledges a difference, some members of the gay and lesbian community shy away from it. BGLSA co-chair Charles R. Flatt '92 says that people who are coming to terms with their sexuality are often put off by the activist political connotations the word carries.

"People who are just coming out are not ready to hear the word queer. They have to come out in a community where they don't have to change the world," Flatt says.