[Jett]

I don't think the terms, identities of butch femme are antiquated... they are as current, relevant and modern as what modern day butches and femmes choose to breathe into them.

I see butch, in it's history, as females against the push of the patriarchy refusing to be what they were supposed to be, refusing to wear the assigned clothing, or act in a feminine "role" when they felt otherwise. Proving that female masculinity is as powerful and valid as a males- that it could be owned it in a way that was new and progressive. I feel like this was a very significant bold forward move.

A lot of butches etc. went through hell and some had their lives stolen for standing up to this policing of sex and gender, the rigid confines surrounding them and the social hierarchies.

That said what was antiquated then (and by far more so today) is that policing of masculinity and femininity, giving more credence to male masculinity over female masculinity and automatically assigning feminine behaviors to the word female or woman... that's whats outdated, not to mention sexist backwards and tired.

That said, ironically I hear a lot of newly "masculine queer females" of all identities rebuke "butch" today because of some of the rigid confines of sex and gender they see exercised in the B-F communities, the emphasis put on male masculinity over female, the policing of masculinity and femininity, male and female, butch and femme- ranking and judging people as to "how" butch/femme or "more or less" or through looks- hair, apparel, or simply and probably most ironically sex ID etc.

I've found I mostly can't even argue much with them about a lot of what they see... except that it's not the majority of B-F community doing that, but right some do and as a friend said to me it only takes one person to shitting in a room to stink up the place.

I agree, but I'm hopeful especially in this new day for the community, this new forum will be a progressive modern example. That we'll see less and less of that type of thinking and more gender and sex equality, respect, and full support for all queer identities (human beings)... than I've seen in other B-F places.

Metropolis