#butch dyke representation

[zozoubbb]

butch characters butch characters butch characters butch characters butch characters butch characters

[abbysthighs]

Freckled, blood spattered butches are my kryptonite.

[whatcouldpossiblyhappen]

Added to my queer book collection again today. There have been a couple times so far where I've found five or six books all at once, glorious stories of people who are like me, or close enough that they feel like family. This time I sit with these books in front of me and I want to absorb them immediately. I feel hungry for the intimacy of understanding. One is essays: "Girls Can Kiss Now," by Jill Gutowitz.

Another: "With Respect to Sex-- Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India," by Gayatri Reddy.

The third: "The Pink Triangle," Richard Plant.

And then: "When Brooklyn Was Queer," Hugh Ryan.

And last, out of curiosity, "The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution," by Shulamith Firestone.

I cradle them like they have just been born, like they need protection. And maybe they do, now. It's why I've asked them to come here, because I want access to my history to be more than what lives on the ever-malleable internet landscape. These can go to other people. They can be touched and cherished. They can travel and hide or sit proudly out in the open. Internal catalysts, if we want them to be. Conversation starters, if we let them be. Every one of these books, any book really, let's me gaze deeply into someone else's world. That's such a beautiful expression of love, I think, to sit with someone's thoughts like that, cradled in your two hands while you think and think about what they have to say.

[yellowjacketslesbian]

Reasons you should be watching Yellowjackets as a lesbian:

Let’s start with the obvious, shall we, the canon lesbian ship (VanTaissa). Which includes a masc/butch lesbian and a lesbian of color! Like we love to see the representation! Their relationship also feels authentic in a way rarely seen in media. Their scenes really shine with the underlying playfulness of young, first love.

Did I mention they’re played by an openly nonbinary lesbian actor and a queer actress in the 1996 timeline and Taissa in 2021 is played by another queer actress! And the cast has been allowed a lot of involvement in making their characters stories even more authentic (though the show runners and writers already do an amazing job).

Speaking of their story, one of my favorite things about the show is that their relationship and queerness isn’t treated as an obstacle to overcome, as it is many times in media. In fact, relationship is really a source of joy and strength for both characters when they’re stranded in the wilderness. Also, it should be noted that both of the lesbian characters have well developed storylines and motivations beyond their relationship.

And in 2021 we learn that Taissa grew up to have a beautiful family with her wife (who isn’t Van) and get to watch her campaign for state senate as an out lesbian. Enter the internal conflict of wanting to root for Taissa’s marriage in 2021 while simultaneously wanting a decades spanning love story for Van and Taissa.

On the topic of Van, she’s one of the best representations of masc/gender nonconforming lesbians I’ve seen in my lifetime. The show allows her to be sweet and soft and emotionally vulnerable in a way that masc/butch lesbians are rarely allowed to be on screen. (I could go on about what that portrayal personally meant to me, but that’s a whole other thread)

However, the show’s overarching queerness and exploration of lesbian identity goes far beyond the canon relationships. Jackie and Shauna are two best friends on the show who have an underlying (and very obvious) romantic tension to their friendship complete with longing glances and homoromantic friendship breakups.

Let me put it this way, if you even remotely liked Jennifer’s Body, you will be head over heals for JackieShauna. And don’t even get me started on the visceral portrayal of Jackie’s comphet in the pilot (or do if you want a dissertation). And there’s also queer coding in so many other characters (stares at Lottie and her purple laced docs and Nat and her everything).

Also, I cannot stress enough how incredible this show is even beyond it’s queer elements! Like from the 90s vibes to the incredible writing to beautiful cinematography, it’s worth the watch. Like it’s a riveting psychological horror mystery that explores the brutalities of girlhood with heart and humor.

Did I mention Showtime renewed through season 3 before we even got a trailer for season 2, so we’re guaranteed at least two more seasons! (Not to mention Showtime has a long history of supporting lesbian and queer narratives)

[thefreckledgymrat]

Here we go; things in my bio will be mentioned on here as well.

All of my posts are okay to reblog; I will turn off the setting if it's not💕

• I’m 30 years old

NO FUCKING MINORS.

• I’m engaged to my forever and monogamous.

• I don't respond to private messages often, I'm awful at holding conversations and I'm not always in the mood for one.

• Dog mom of 2 🐾🐶

• My wife and I are bodybuilders; I train in the Women's Bodybuilding division, and my love is an NPC Figure athlete dabbling in Women's Physique 💕

• I live in Washington State (my love for moss is definitely being fulfilled here).

• She/They

• INFP-T

• ADHD, Echolalia

• Libra Sun, Scorpio Moon, Scorpio Rising, Scorpio Venus

If you want to know more then I guess shoot me a message in my inbox!

*I will block you if you are under 18 and follow me. Ageless blogs will not get a follow back. Empty AND ageless blogs will get blocked.*

***i will gladly help with any questions you may have about weight loss or building muscle but I am not, I repeat, NOT a trainer, a nutritionist, nor a professional bodybuilder.***

Socials:

[hecksupremechips]

Pose is an amazing show with a lot to criticize but honestly the sheer lack of transbians in the show just starts becoming hilarious at a certain point

[doubleboneswithdoctorskelebone]

i’m not butch but sharing this anyway because yes, i am a more masculine/androgynous presenting lesbian but that’s because i’m genderfluid

still, butch lesbians and their presence in media means SO much to me especially unabashedly queer characters in general

seeing proudly butch/masc lesbian characters has helped me become proud of who i am and stop trying to conform to what a “woman” looks like

you guys don’t get it….god i’m crazy about butch lesbians. i have a ring of keys moment every time i look at my phone. seeing butch positivity…butches with style and confidence, butches in love, etc… makes me feel like there is a type of adulthood i could carve out for my life. you know the phrase “I’m going to make a beautiful life for myself, no matter what it takes” yeah 4 me that is intrinsically linked with butchness. I realized I was gay when I was 13 and I couldn’t say the word lesbian for three years. now i call myself a dyke. looking back lesbian masculinity was so demonized in everything i looked at. There is a history in butch, long before i ever found a carabiner on the ground. thank you butch lesbians for existing now & back then & forever!!

[emeldiir]

Here’s some OC’s i’ve created for pride month! (ignore that i’m posting this in july i’m depressed 💔)

1. Meet: Xeon (she/xe/it)

Xeon is a charismatic and intelligent woman who thrives on creating spaces where she can be her true self and explore xer fullest potential. Xeon is an asexual butch lesbian transfem who identifies as a goth punk realist and a peacemaker. It frequents xer local dyke and drag bars and enjoys the nightlife!

2. Meet: Rumi (they/them)

Rumi is a tall, classy and athletic indigenous Peruvian person, who does their best to stay up so date with all things alternative and hipster. Rumi is a nonbinary and agender bisexual dyke, who spends their time cultivating queer and indigenous spaces in their city. they love a cold drink and a fruity treat after a long day of playing volleyball and soccer with their queer sports league.

3. Meet: Haashir (he/him)

Haashir is an Afghan gay trans man, of the Pashtun and Tajiki ethnic groups. He is a an avid drag queen and performer and adores being on stage, alongside his small community comprised of other queer and trans people from South Asia.

A warm and welcoming presence, Haashir makes hospitality a main pillar of his personality and takes pride in upholding his culture and tradition alongside his queerness. the tattoos covering his body are in the same color as Sheen Khaal, traditional tattoos that Pashtun woman have, and honoring his previous life and his culture.

4. This one is a bit different then the others! This character is not an OC, but she is a replica and made in honor of a trusted tumblr mutual of mine @chainmail-butch

this was simply to honor her and her contributions to the queer community and the impact she’s had. she’s is a perfect way to end out pride month!

*These pride month OCs are created specifically for representation, activism, and to honor the identities displayed within these characters, they will not have lore or story plots as they exist to highlight communities who are often left out of mainstream social conversations.*

[peebosss]

finally some good stupid butch representation!! thank you muir for giving goofy dykes a voice

[abbysthighs]

Lumberjack Sick Habit Ellie >

[orkbutch]

i am a butch now but i don’t know whether that’s true or not anymore. i want to take T, but at what point am i actually just a trans man? have you question that line in the sand at all yet?

Oh boy.

I can only talk from my perspective on this, others may differ, and thats because "whats the difference between a butch on T and a trans man" is such a new sociological concept that its basically in the very beginnings of its infancy. its SO new, and neither Butch nor Trans Man nor Trans Masc have secure, well established roots as social identities or concepts. It may seem like they do and it may seem like there are rules or lines that are firm, but when you step back, zoom out, and consider them in the context of broader society (and especially compared to the idea of a Man and Woman), they do not. These are social contructs that are actually very early in their construction, and we are doing the constructing like, right now, within this ask.

That said, I can tell you why I don't identify as a trans man fairly easily: I don't care about men or the idea of a man. "Man" as a static concept is like... I don't know what that is. Its almost alien to me.

Now, to ramble that point out:

I have considered if I'm a man throughout my life. The closest I've been to identifying as a man was when I was in a period in my life when I considered that there was at least an aspect of me that was drawn to Manhood. Also, as I came to be read as a man in my public life, i supposed that in social situations when I was being treated as a man and I didn't correct people because I didn't care to, and I even enjoyed it somewhat and leaned into that role, I was essentially Being a Man (socially). So Man came to be a role I found myself in occasionally, and Manhood came to be a vaguely defined something that was intriguing to me.

But these moments of Man Feeling ended up being more like exceptions that proved the rule. Anyone can feel a bit like a man in the right circumstance, because gender isn't static; its something we can and often do play with, and phase through. I feel like music puts me in some heavily gendered spaces, like Everyone has a part of them thats a woman when they're belting along to "I'm Every Woman", yknow. Anyway.

I didn't feel like a man that much. I didn't feel like a woman that much either. I felt like a butch more frequently, because when I do things that indulged my masculinity, when I'm consumed by my love and attraction to femininity, when I think about the queers that I admire most, I felt butch, and was drawn to butches and interesting queer women. Leslie Feinberg, Frida Kahlo, Nancy Grossman, Patricia Highsmith, leather dykes and femme pro-doms, transgender queens... I've just never been that drawn to the experience of being a man. I've never been interested in men, frankly. Every man I've admired has been very much despite being men. Sufjan Stevens, Clive Barker, David Lynch, David Cronenberg, John Waters... great and usually queer artists whose gender is irrelevant because I like their work. The only man in that list who I have some personal affection for is Sufjan Stevens. He is an angel.

If I'm going to be a gender, its going to be the gender I admire. That I aspire to. I don't aspire to any man. Perhaps I aspire to a kind of body or a kind of masculinity, and sometimes men do that, but thats just a lack of other non-man representations of the thing I like. When I see in butches, it feels like a depiction of Me. Also WOW do I So Not feel like a man when I'm with my lovers. Sometimes I feel a bit like a man when I'm in a certain headspace while domming or if I'm having the rare T4T(masc) dalliance, but I feel very dyky when I'm with femmes. I just don't FEEL manhood. And I don't really care for man. Edit: I will say, there is a kind of Queer Man Masculinity that I definitely admire and aspire to, like that depicted by Tom of Finland or various other usually kinky gay art. But again, I don't see the Man part as important - its the masculinity. Btw, imo, there is no line in the sand as far as transition stuff. I'm very dysphoric about my body and that's never been about how I'm seen by others; it's my comfort in my own skin, and doesn't change my indifference to men or manhood. and that is my butch vs trans man ramble

[yellowjacketslesbian]

Van looks like such a dyke, I love it here!!

[official-lucifers-child]

gonna write a story with a well-rounded and developed character who also happens to be a lesbian but in a very “not important to the plot or anything, barely touched upon because it’s just normal and no one cares” way, and also a character who is the pinnacle of the stereotypical caretaker-butch-dyke-masc-brick-shithouse lesbian so that i can piss off both the “this is queerbaiting because the character didn’t explicitly kiss someone or announce their queerness to the entire world!!” people and the “this is bad representation because it’s just perpetuating stereotypes!!” people

[iinryer]

long post abt women and fandom. good morning

sorry this is a little bit ramble-y, and I don’t normally post stuff like this but bear with me, i am processing gjfhdhffh

first of all: this is NOT directed at anyone in particular. this is not about anyone or anything anyone has done. this is me, a lesbian, having some dialogue with myself about representation and the way people think and talk and engage with fictional lesbians! this is not a blast on anyone, just general mindfulness, and wanting to work through some of my own hesitation abt things.

im having a difficult time engaging w the grander audience turning the boys into dykes, because i can never be sure where they’re coming from, yknow? like why i was hesitant to post before (it took me over a year to post my butch buddie silhouettes) and why im not sure if i want to post some other for-fun doodling ive done…

bc there Are lesbians on the show. there are specifically Black Lesbians, canonically, on the show

and like. idk. i dont want the things i say or post to be fuel for anyone being weird yknow? My Fake Lesbians Are Not Better Than The Real Lesbians Already On The Show

and i know that, and i know my friends know that but. I don’t have control over how people take the things I make. and i don’t want that to inadvertently make someone get enthusiastic in the wrong way that makes like, for example, black fans of the show, or specifically maybe black lesbians who watch, see an influx in people being 10x more delighted by these white boy reduxes than the real actual lesbians on the show. and yeah, sure, we could say “it’s just because they’re like a shiny new toy!” but we all know that isn’t all of it.

LIKE. MAYBE THIS IS IRRATIONAL. but. idk i have a sizable audience, i get a lot of traction, the things i say and post travel sometimes! people see what i post. people engage with and build off of things that i post. and, historically, this fanbase is Really Fucking Weird About Women And People Of Color

for the most part, playing in this sandbox is just a fun exercise for me, a lesbian. don’t get me wrong, i LOVE blasting characters with my Dyke Laser Beam and making them into women who love women. I’ll do it all day every day. i had soooooo much fun drawing butch buddie. i live for that shit. but! idk! im happy kicking around my own funhouse, but i feel like i need to take all of that into account if i make any of that public. yknow? community responsibility or whatever. i know it’s not on me if someone takes it in a bad direction, but! if i was the one who inadvertently facilitated that! i will feel awful! and tbh, there’s no guarantee that I haven’t done that already!

im just having fun, and you should be too! but this stuff makes me nervous! i don’t have any control over other people, and i just don’t want to be the cause of easily avoidable discomfort for others.

this isn’t some great declaration, and I don’t really have a moral or a call to action, there’s not a real solution in this stream of consciousness post—in the grand scheme of things, this is all make believe and for fun! im just. idk. it feels really important to me to acknowledge that this could spiral in a way that’s actually kind of awful for Real Life Fans who have to see the way other fans engage with and talk about lesbians and black women.

this is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and it’s been on my mind recently, but with the influx of chatter about it i just felt like it was maybe worth talking about.

anyway. i love u lesbians. im drawing more henren soon <3

[animefeminist]

Lilies In Transition: The state of trans representation in yuri

Content Warning: Discussion of transphobia, transmisogyny

Spoilers for I Wanna Be Your Girl

Yuri is a growing genre, increasingly depicting more and more varied stories about sapphic love. As yuri continues to get queerer, the existence of trans people in these stories would be one way to provide validation for trans readers in their gender and sexuality while also helping cis people understand and internalize our long standing place in the sapphic community. Yuri works featuring trans characters do exist, though their history is complex and they remain relatively few.

A Slice of Reality 

Trans people are rooted in the sapphic community and have been a core part of it for as long as it could be called a community. Lesbians, by their very sexuality, defy the gender binary which was so strictly defined by heterosexuality, and in many cases they lose access to their conditional womanhood. This is furthered by the very long history of people engaged in the sapphic community who actively defied gender norms by presenting masculine, be that as a Butch, a Stud, lacking a label or some other label. Following from this, there is plenty of evidence of gender-defying companionship between lesbians and trans people in historical documentation, such as the works of Mariette Pathy Allen, who has chronicled transgender people for over 40 years as a photographer and released several books of her work. This is also present in fiction: for example, Alison Bechdel’s classic comic series Dykes To Watch Out For (1983) features a strip talking about the need for cis lesbians to have solidarity with trans women.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[american-dream-novel]

REVIEW: The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend by Maddy Court

Whenever I delve into a new project, I make serious considerations about what research is necessary for it. What areas do I lack knowledge in? What is the project focused on, and can I answer to those themes intelligently? The next step is to start finding books I feel might answer those questions and get reading.

When it comes to American Dream, I knew I would have to delve into gender and sexuality. In particular, lesbian identities and experiences, especially those that dyke/butches, etc. experience. I identify as bisexual, but there is something within the dyke/butch/masc labels that, while I do not feel comfortable taking up as my own, appeal to me and my identity.

Because of this and the centrality of the characters' lesbianism — I knew I had to read up. I checked out The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend without knowing it was actually dating advice for queer folk. Nevertheless, it proved to be informative!

I read all of Maddy Court's (and friends) advice in one sitting. I'm currently going through a weird phase in my own romantic life — breaking up with my partner of 3 years, exploring polyamory & generally what I want out of relationships, discovering I may not be as sex-apathetic as I’d thought — so on a personal level, Court's book was extremely helpful. If you're a queer person, the book covers everything from new love, getting over someone, finding your place in the community, coming out, etc. There's a little something for everyone. It was comforting, even though I've been out for 5ish years, to read something written for you in mind.

What shocked me the most about reading TEGOMEGIMG (lol) is that I forgot straight people get all these resources about love, relationships, etc. and we don't have that same wealth of resources, which is especially frustrating as our love inherently exist outside of what our society deems "normal" or "acceptable" or the "status quo." This book did a phenomenal job of reminding me that I may be queer, but I'm human, too. In that way, I cannot recommend this book enough!

TAKEAWAYS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

On a I'm-researching-for-a-book level, I would not say that this does the job except in a very particular way. This isn't a problem! I'm the dumbass who didn't read the description before checking it out lol. For research purposes, though, these are the things I found most informative:

Transmisogyny is alive and well in the queer community! As a trans masc individual, I'm keenly aware that the experiences of trans femmes/trans women are different from my own, and given Judi is a trans woman (a particularly masc-presenting one at that), the book opened my eyes to some considerations I should have when writing her, what her experiences might be realistically, etc. Central to her character is her feelings of alienation and loneliness. What role would her experiences in queer, sapphic communities have in those feelings? I want things to be nuanced of course, and the question from Ex-Girlfriend that deals specifically with these experiences and frustrations (beautifully answered to by Mey Rude) points to some of those considerations in representation.

The difficulties in finding your queer community, even when you move to a new place or think you've found some great people. Each of the main characters face some level of alienation, both self-imposed but also as a result of their experiences. Eddie really struggles with finding his place, especially in rural Michigan, and I found Maddy's perspective as a midwestern queer illuminating — how her dating life has adapted to the fact that her pool of queer friends and acquaintances isn't terribly large, so she's accepted that LDRs are going to be common in her life.

Compulsive heterosexuality. While I wouldn't call it a central part of Birdie, I do want to explore that part of her. When the story starts, she's with a man — her best friend of 6-8 years, someone she grew to love over time and found attractive. She thinks of him as the one-off guy, even though she's had other partners in the past that were men. Overall, the q's regarding comp het and internalized homophobia were illuminating in this regard, especially as I struggle with both myself.

FINAL REVIEW:

9/10, but not very useful for the purposes of researching queer identities and representation. I would recommend the book to literally anyone — it's such a short read, and you'll walk away with a leveler-head. You'll feel like you're filled up with all this good advice, all this love for yourself, your friends, for the people you will meet. The book soothed a lot of my anxieties, some I hadn't even been able to recognize. For what it is, Maddy Court's The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend does exactly what it set out to do. In that way, there's not much criticism to give.