Well into the ’70s, some lesbian activists vocally distanced themselves from butches, presenting themselves as “normal,” respectable taxpayers so they could better integrate into straight culture. Straight people weren’t the only ones who vilified gender non-conforming people. Thanks to archaic masquerade laws, butches, transgender women, and other gender non-conforming patrons were often beaten and arrested for “cross-dressing.” McCarthyism ushered in a heightened moral panic around homosexuality, and police raids of gay bars became increasingly common throughout the ’50s and ’60s. That pride was mostly confined to gay bars, but butches weren’t always safe there. Working-class lesbians who wore men’s clothing claimed the descriptor with pride.
In the 1940s, “butch,” which had previously been used to describe tough or physically fit men, evolved into a disparaging term for “manly” women. Because there’s a place for you at Pride, even if you’re not sure what it looks like yet.īefore “butch,” there were words like “bull dagger” and “bull dyke,” which originated in Black lesbian culture in 1920s Harlem.
In honor of Pride this year, we’re publishing a series of essays that celebrate everyone who’s still figuring it out.
