What is woke and what does it really mean?
by Curated March 7, 2025 · Gay News / Gay Pride / Gay Rights / The Advocate
Author: Ryan Adamczeski
Republican politicians attack it when they can’t define it. Conservative activists claim that it’s inappropriate and indoctrinating youth, when it’s definitionally a call to think for yourself. It’s used against people of color and LGBTQ+ people when it was originally their term.
That’s right — it’s time to talk about “woke.”
What does “woke” mean in slang?
The term “woke” was originally used in Black communities as a warning to be cautious of the potential dangers they face because of their race, such as lynchings or police brutality. Over time, it morphed to become a descriptor for someone who is conscious of social issues in their community, particularly those involving injustice, as defined by Merriam-Webster.
“Woke” is used today as a synonym for “liberal” or “progressive,” though it was never intended to describe a specific political party.
Where does “woke” come from?
The first recorded use of the phrase “stay woke” was in the 1938 song “Scottsboro Boys” by Blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, known by the artist name Lead Belly.
The song, about a group of nine Black boys who were falsely accused of raping two white women in Tennessee in 1931, features Lead Belly warning at the end: “I made this little song about down there. So, I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there — best stay woke, keep their eyes open.”
The term gained prominence during the Civil Rights Movement as it was used in novels and essays throughout the 1960s, becoming a staple in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). It entered the popular lexicon in 2014 during the beginnings of the Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown, an unarmed Black man, was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
What does it mean to be “woke”?
Today, someone who is “woke” is someone who is aware of the social injustices occurring around them. Other advocacy movements co-opted the term after Ferguson, distancing “woke” from its racial origins and aligning it with progressivism broadly.
As more left-leaning people began using the term, conservatives also began using it as an insult. Republican politicians now weaponize “woke” as a nonspecific criticism of progressive policies and activism, despite being unable to define it.
Conservatives denouncing “woke” do not state that they believe it refers to something other than injustice — they incorrectly believe that injustice does not exist, and that any attempts to address it are somehow reverse discrimination.
What is the “woke mind virus”?
The “woke mind virus” is an insult used by conservatives to suggest that progressives have been brainwashed, comparing social justice to indoctrination. The term was popularized by Elon Musk, who also could not define it when asked and only vaguely gestured to “anti-meritocratic” or anti-free speech values.
Musk is currently leading the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” despite not being elected by the public nor confirmed by Congress (anti-meritocratic). The Twitter/X CEO has also been accused of censoring those he does not agree with, including LGBTQ+ accounts and terms (anti-free speech).
Musk infamously used the term during an interview where he claimed the “woke mind virus” killed one of his children, Vivian Wilson. Wilson is not dead — she is just transgender, and has disowned Musk over his “cruel” treatment during childhood.
What does “woke” mean for LGBTQ+ people?
Being “woke” in the LGBTQ+ community means being aware of the challenges people face because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The term has been used in advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights alongside racial justice movements, as people of color — particularly Black trans women — have played an instrumental role in queer activism.
While there is heavy overlap between queer communities and communities of color, LGBTQ+ people have not been as enthusiastic in using the term as conservatives have been in applying it to them. Republicans across the country have used the vague “woke” descriptor to justify censoring content that involves race or LGBTQ+ identities.
Donald Trump recently claimed that the U.S. is “woke no longer” while promoting his executive orders denying the existence of trans people and revoking 1960s civil rights protections. Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, infamously promoted and signed into law two bills, the “Stop WOKE Act” and “don’t say gay” law, which prohibit discussing racism or LGBTQ+ identities in public school classrooms.
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Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Ryan Adamczeski
