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It’s October! Time to Write Stories about LGBTQ History!
‘Why Not Just Date A Man?’ What Feminism Has Done To Butch-Femme Dynamics
Isn’t it kind of the same thing anyway?
The effects of feminism on butch-femme lesbian culture have been complex and transformative over the course of history.
At times the two have been in direct opposition of each other — a connection marred by hostility and scorn. At others, they have been each others’ lifeblood — incapable of existing to their full potential independent of the other.
Thanks to an ever-changing social landscape, butch-femme lesbian subculture has metamorphosed over time.
Given the risks associated with officially documenting LGBTQ+ history, many accounts of our culture have been committed to the minds and memories of those who lived it on the front line. The gaps in our historical tapestry are filled by oral storytelling.
In honour of Queer History Month, I — a 32-year old femme who exclusively dates masculine or butch women — wanted to share my experience of a dynamic that is still largely misunderstood both from within and outside the LGBTQ+ community.
