Being Young and Butch
 

I didn't see anything on here like this so I thought I would start a new thread. My apologies if there is already a thread....

I wanted to start to talk about what it meant to be butch as a kid... elementary, middle, and high school years...

I came accross this powerful story of a young butch in the South....

http://jezebel.com/5693696/a-butch-l...ells-her-story


Comments on Audri or sharing your own experiences is welcome!

Great article City!

It is very interesting to hear from young people and what they are going through these days. I always knew I liked girls from the time I could practically lift my head, but I didn't know much about sex or sexuality until I was in my late teens and certainly wouldn't have known about "identifying" as anything at the age of 15. I hope kids still get to be kids.

Tip of my cap to all of our young people. You are all very brave to come out and be true to yourselves.

Thanks for posting BullDog!

I knew I was a little different when I was 8... I actually had three girlfriends at that age... I had no idea what I was doing but it sure was fun to play...

As I was sitting here reflecting on the article I started to think about the violence against young butches. I was beaten up once in my early 20's outside a lesbian bar in Boston (Somewhere Else... anyone remember it??).

As an adult butch I haven't faced anything in the form of violence like that. It amazes me the level of violence young butches face... I wonder if, as we age, we modify our behaviour (i.e. we are less cocky in "unsafe" places) or if the world around us actually treats us with a little more respect because THEY have matured. Certainly bullying is a phenomenon that is more prevalent amoung our youth... (or perhaps not)...

Thoughts?

I am still young a butch, and to this day that still means a great deal to me. I always knew i was butch, I knew i never did fit into the femme spectrum. I'd always act and look like a man. Even as far back as grade school. It wasn't easy for me to do, because I would get bullied really bad and sometimes I was bashed. But, to me, it was worth it to let the world see i was different. I followed with that through the rest of my school years. I remember coming out to my entire high school, and how everyone downgraded me and bashed me for being butch, but yet, I fought on. And, now, in college, I'm still young and butch, but I'm never afraid to show who I am or what i am. I'm me. i won't change for anyone.