I think I may be simplifying here when I say that we live in a very heterosexist culture. We have media/cultural driven gender roles & behaviors in which masculine women & effeminate men are seen as being lesbian or gay, & feminine women & masculine men are seen as being straight. I think that all of us grow up internalizing that message, to one degree or another. Thus, we see it expressed in our Queer communities when we are not recognized as Queer, ourselves.
As Queer Femmes, we are very diverse in our expression of Femme. I don't believe that there is a right way, or wrong way to go about being Femme. There is only the owning and expressing the vastness of our feminine energy in all of its fabulously powerful and gorgeous forms, as we define it, not as dominant or even Queer culture defines it.
Doesn't matter if we are tops, bottoms, or in between, or whether we sexually engage with other Femmes, masculine of center women, those who are FTM, or any other Queer gender. Femme as gender transcends one's biological sex. That is, regardless of being born into a female or a male body, one can be Femme.
Until the past few months, I've been out of the lesbian/queer public community loop for some time, so if there is some silliness going on regarding a Femme hierarchy, I am blissfully unaware of it. I am High Femme & feminist. I don't see being High Femme as superior to any other type of Femme, it is just one of many forms of Femme expression, IMO. Plus, if the queer haters come knocking, they aren't going to give one rip about the different types of Femme. In their small minds, they just see Queer, period. We need to be each others' allies.
I really enjoyed the article,
Trouble in a Tutu, today.