The Strong Butch Female/Woman in a Patriarchal World

[Jett]

Originally Posted by beau4afemme

Of course it makes sense -- "butch" identified female -- so, no worries there. That said, it would be lovely if we could all be "just butch", but that's sort of the point isn't it? In this arena, there are categories and categories within categories, and so on. And this arena is where we're all posting.



You're an ally to all who know you, Met. However, though the system is flawed, it seems to matter in a world that now encompasses the categories aforementioned. And yes, hell yes, it is counterproductive for many of us, myself included. But, I have concerns, Met. I worry that if there is an abdication of claiming female/woman proudly, it sends the wrong message to those who've yet to discover or evolve into an identity that is best for them. If they don't see some of us (not saying you have to) stand up and proclaim, I'm a woman, and it's okay to be a big, badass butch and be a woman - even if that doesn't match what society (any society) defines as woman - then they may not view it as being perceived as accepted or admired. It seems to play into the notion of male = superior and female = doesn't matter.

:: shrug :: I'm not sure what the answer is then for those of us who'd love to be viewed as "just butch" among our own.




Now, you know that'll never be true, you heartthrob.

Here's the short answer: "Just Butch" to me is and always was butch and female and/or woman... it's what I lived as my life as and it never stopped me from speaking, being, taking pride in myself as a female, a woman, a butch.

And it won't now. Same Stone Butch BullDyke here, just on my own terms and terminology and not an added ID created for online politics... and I have absolutely no intention of losing any visibility in being seen as a proud butch female... just in living the same life I have in the real world here. And just to be sure it's clear, I'm speaking about dropping the word "ID'ing"- as in the term Female and/or Women ID'd... not about not claiming or speaking as a, or with butch female and/or women when and where I please.

I just feel like I'm playing into the very (online) politics that I don't support.

Here's the long answer: (just to make things overly complicated )

If a online ID system is flawed and were using it, we're upholding it. I know the reason we're using it, to be seen, visible, but I feel like I can easily achieve that without it (we already have/do in R/L). I believe it works well for Male ID butches, and it's necessary for them. But I think it works against butches who identify with being female just in the fact alone it inadvertently draws away from the fact that most butches, real world and here are and are already recognized as female without having to qualify the word butch with an added ID to express it.

And honestly an ID system used to categorize butches, that seems to inadvertently backfire when used on the female end isn't all that productive... especially if you can express being butch and female w/o turning the female part into looking as a qualifier or maybe better said modifier of the word butch by making it an "ID"... it's just plain getting misread a lot as that.

There's a hundred ways to say I'm a proud, I'm butch, I'm female without needing to use a qualifier ID... I like this one:
"stand up and proclaim, I'm a woman, and it's okay to be a big, badass butch and be a woman - even if that doesn't match what society (any society) defines as woman" (my friend Lonnie said that)

Last... it just plain feels backwards (to me) to have to ID myself as a female because I'm a butch... and again it just feels like playing into the same online politics I don't support.

I hope you get what I'm saying... I know many won't agree but it feels like the right thing.

Oh and I'll leave my dance card right here, in case you, well you know...

Metropolis