Dyke
The word dyke or dike commonly refers to a lesbian, particularly one with masculine or butch traits (although femmes can also be dykes[1]). The word is commonly considered a derogatory slur, but has been reclaimed and used positively by some lesbians.[2] Dyke is sometimes also used as an identity for non-lesbians, such as bisexuals.[1]
Notable nonbinary people who call themselves dykes include poet Eileen Myles and entrepreneur Al Sandimirova.
In the 2019 Gender Census, 17 people (0.2% percent of respondents) wrote "dyke" as their identity, and one wrote "bulldyke".[3]
History
The etymology of "dyke" is uncertain. Some hypotheses for its origin include:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 @bigbadbutchh (19 August 2020). "like fr look at this dyke march". Archived from the original on 19 August 2020 – via Twitter.
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dyke
- ↑ Cassian (30 March 2019). "Gender Census 2019 - the public spreadsheet".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Belge, Kathy (14 July 2017). "What is the origin of the word "Dyke"?". LiveAbout. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "dyke (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 15 October 2020.