Tristan Taormino - loves butch girls

[BullDog]

Originally Posted by June

Like I said before, girl still = less than to many people. It's so fucked up.

There is an entire universe of difference to me in the following:

Some guy says "You, girl. I need some service over here"
My lover says "You're my girl" and has that tone of wonder in her voice
I say to my friend "Girl, you need Jesus"
My friend says "I need to check with the girl first"
Someone says to someone else (consensually) "Girl, you need to drop and stay until I say otherwise"

Girl is not a bad word. Girl is not less than. I never get "Sir'd" ever, but I think I know the difference when people are speaking from their own place of internal hierarchy.

Girl does not default to submissive or weak or helpless. Not all girls are children or childlike any more than a masculine word defaults to strong or Top or capable or adult.

You can get "Sir'd" in a derisive way too. It's all in context.

Ya know when people are using a term like girl it's usually in real life interactions with people they know- like how June describes above.

It isn't about deeply seeded gender identity or whether someone ids as submissive etc. It's just real people having real conversations and the ebb and flow of language.

I don't see how anyone can not read the essay by Tristan Taormino and not see that she is quite familiar with butches and that it was a butch positive piece.

Isn't it all about context and intent?