I've been surprised to meet several butches that refer to themselves as "he" online but as "she" in real life, even among the femme-butch community locally.
As it was explained to me by one couple, "he" was used online to express her bonafides of butchness, while "she" was used in real life because she did not consider herself transgender and in real life she was a "proud dyke" and that online is just bullshit anyway.
I don't really judge what people feel they need to do.. okay wait, I guess truthfully I thought that was really weak.
It's so much easier to conform I guess, especially if that's the only way to be respected. At least that's how it was explained to me.
Long story short, my experience parallels June's and whoever else mentioned it.
I agree that holding butch women responsible for their own oppression is a ridiculous meme; however the acquiescence and conformity of women- even butch women- to their own oppression is not a new idea. It's pretty hard to stand up to a tidal wave when letting it pass by seemingly harmlessly may be effortless. Really, people are here not to battle tidal waves but to have fun.
The most disturbing thing to me is the number of people posting to this thread- the small number (and please don't take that as an insult because I have appreciated everyone who posted whether I shared their view or not).
I guess it's a time commitment to read every post in a thread and respond coherently. I would enjoy seeing more voices on this topic, whatever their view.
So many of you "oldsters" have bemoaned the "never-endingness" of the topic of the devaluation of the woman in "butch" but to me this is not a repetitive boring unresolvable conversation but one so relevant and interesting that it requires continued examination.
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