I just get so overwhelmed reading other butch blogs and articles. Their writings speak out to me and I feel like I should respond.
Recently,Sinclair Sexsmith called for fellow bloggers to participate in her new project ButchLab. This is what she said:
The Butch Lab Symposium is meant to be a cross between a blog carnival and a link round-up, where whoever wants to chimes in on a particular topic around butch identity and we all have a conversation.
I strongly urge all the folks who participated in this to: a) re-post this roundup, in whole or part (I can provide the HTML if you’d like, contact me); and b) to comment on as many of the contributions as you can. Seriously, challenge yourself to read every single one and comment. Think about what is different or the same from your definition. Make note of a line that made you go “hmmmm,” or “yeah, that!” and tell them.
So, because this was the first Symposium, I figured we should start out with the basics. To get all of us on the same page, to come up with a common language and definition and structure for talking about this stuff. I’d really like to continue elevating the discussion around butch identity through this project, and this is part of that, to really dig our hands into the deep stuff and see what we come up with.
So the first topic was: What is butch? How do you define butch? What do you love about it? What does it mean to you?
I read many various bloggers' definitions on the word "butch." Many of the definitions were varied and interesting. Somehow, they all rang true for me. I have my own definition which is the basis for this blog. Victoria Oldham wrote at her blog, The Musings of a Lesbian Writer, that being a butch did not mean "passing" as a man, but just being a masculine woman without having to try to appease the social norm of two genders.
The thought of not trying to pass floors me. I guess I've always tried to pass. I thought I had to fit in to one group or another. Honestly, I thought I was trans. Perhaps I am not. I can just be butch, just gender queer, and not have to label myself as male or female. To not be either gender is what I feel more comfortable with.
I love being a butch. I love the masculinity. I don't want to have to part with that, nor do I want to try to make strangers around me comfortable by trying to pass as a man. I don't want to be a man. I want to be myself, free from the constrictions of social norms of gender and society. All I want is to come home to my femme every night and hold her in my arms. What is wrong with that?
