Butch

Butch is a term use to describe a Lesbian, who expresses masculine features in appearance, behavior, or identity. It is also used by some gay, nonbinary, and other queer individuals to describe a hard or traditional masculine style.^[1][2]

Flag of Butch: consisting red, orange, white and yellow colors.

History

The word "butch" entered mainstream culture in the 1940s with American working-class lesbians, particularly in bars and subcultures that rejected the gender roles.^[3][4] Before this, similar identities were described using terms such as "bull dagger" in Black lesbian subcultures during the 1920s.^[5] Butch culture developed with "femme" identities to form the "butch-femme dynamic", in which butches were often protective in relationships.

During the mid-20th century, butch lesbians were discriminated against, with police raids and brutality against them. Butch lesbians participated in protests such as the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which initiated the contemporary LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Criticism

The word has been criticized. In the 1970s, some feminist communities felt that butch-femme relationships were merely copying straight norms, while others reclaimed it as something powerful.^[6]

Cultural Influence

• Such novels as "Stone Butch Blues" (1993) by Leslie Feinberg have explored butch identity and its intersection with transgender experience.^[7][8]