A stone butch is a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
who displays
female butchness or traditional "
masculinity
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...
",
as opposed to a stone femme. Identification with the terms is not necessarily dependent upon the person's physical appearance or
gender expression, or upon the identity of a partner.
Etymology and history
The term "stone butch" was popularized by
Leslie Feinberg's 1993 novel ''
Stone Butch Blues
''Stone Butch Blues'' is a historical fiction novel written by Leslie Feinberg about life as a butch lesbian in 1970s America. While fictional, the work also takes inspiration from Feinberg's own life, and she described it as her "call to action." ...
'', which describes the protagonist's explorations of the lesbian community. A large segment is devoted to the tribulations of being a stone butch person, and the experience of being a lesbian while identifying with masculine traits.
Bonnie Zimmerman
Bonnie Zimmerman is a literary critic and women's studies scholar. Her works looked at women's roles, women's literature, and lesbian criticism. She has received numerous prestigious awards for her work.Susan Resnik and Bonnie Zimmerman“Dr. Bon ...
documents a use of the term to refer to a lesbian who "does not allow herself to be touched during lovemaking", but may experience vicarious sexual pleasure from her partner's enjoyment.
Zimmerman notes that this may have been particularly prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s.
[
]
Social role
The term "stone butch" has also been used in reference to a subculture or set of mannerisms, as opposed to a statement about sexual behaviour. In this context, "stone butch" can describe the opposite of "femme" or "high femme" attributes, although an individual can identify with both categories.
Stone butch identities can overlap with non-binary gender identities and transgender masculine
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...
identities among assigned-female lesbians. The sociologist Sara Crawley has written that, while stone butch and masculine transgender identities may share significant characteristics, the primary distinction between the two is that lesbian self-identification prioritizes communicating one's identity to a specifically lesbian audience, whereas transgender masculine self-identification does not. Similarly, Jack Halberstam
Jack Halberstam (; born December 15, 1961), also known as Judith Halberstam, is an American academic. Since 2017, he has been a professor in the department of English and comparative literature and the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, an ...
has contextualised stone butch identities as one of many distinct female masculinities.
See also
*Butch and femme
''Butch'' and ''femme'' (; ; ) are terms used in the lesbian subculture to ascribe or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme) identity with its associated traits, behaviors, styles, self-perception, and so on. The terms were found ...
* Soft butch
References
Butch and femme
Gender roles in the LGBT community
Lesbian culture
LGBT terminology
Slang terms for women
Women and sexuality
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