Dyke





The words dyke, dike, bulldyke or similar, commonly refer to a lesbian, particularly one with masculine or butch traits (although femmes can also be dykes ). The word is commonly considered a derogatory slur, but has been reclaimed and used positively by some lesbians. Dyke is sometimes also used as an identity for non-lesbians, such as bisexuals or pansexuals.

Dyke is not a label exclusive to binary women. Notable nonbinary or genderqueer people who call themselves dykes include poet Eileen Myles, entrepreneur Al Sandimirova , and author Rivers Solomon.

Gender Census
In the 2019 Gender Census, 17 people (0.2% percent of respondents) wrote "dyke" as their identity, and one wrote "bulldyke".

In the 2020 Gender Census, 89 respondents identified as a dyke, with an additional six people identifying as "dyke (in relation to gender)"/"dykegender"/"dyke-gender"/"dyke is my gender tbh", and several more as variants such as "dykeish", "dykefag", "boi dyke", "non-binary dyke", etc.

Etymology
The etymology of "dyke" is uncertain. Some hypotheses for its origin include:
 * A shortening of hermaphrodite.
 * Boudicca (Bou-dyke-ah), a Celtic queen who organized a revolt against the Roman Empire in 67 AD.
 * From the slang term "get diked out" meaning "dress up".
 * In the 19th century, "dike" was a slang term for the vulva.
 * From the terms "bulldicker"/"bulldick", meaning "fake penis" or "fake man", describing the idea of "a woman with a clitoris extended enough to serve as a penis in lesbian relationships".

Dyke Marches
A "Dyke March" is a visibility and protest march, much like a Pride parade. The concept began in the early 1980s, with a "Dykes in the Streets" march taking place in Toronto, Ontario in October 1981. It was organized by the now-defunct organization Lesbians Against the Right, and drew 350 participants.

The first Dyke March named as such took place in Washington, DC, USA, on April 24, 1993, during the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. It was organized by the Lesbian Avengers, and had over 20,000 marchers.

Nowadays, Dyke Marches take place during Pride Month in many cities across Canada, the USA, and Europe.

Flags
A dyke pride flag was created in August 2018 or possibly earlier, by a deviantart user named ari-the-demigod. This flag has seven horizontal stripes: the top three in shades of blue (hex codes #071164, #313b87, and #8089c9), the middle stripe in chatelle grey (#c5b7c8), and the bottom three stripes in shades of red (#e07361, #b43620, and #940600).

Another dyke pride flag was created in February 2020 by a tumblr user named Jace (urls disastergay, frostwitch, agenderwitch, and plantbutch). The black background stands for the "power, strength, and freedom that comes with reclaiming dyke", as well as representing "any and all black wlw and black nonbinary sapphics who identify as dyke, as they have always been the backbone of this community." The purple stripe stands for reclaiming "dyke" from a violent slur into a positive identity label. The magenta stripe stands for unapologetic love of women. The pink stripe stands for acceptance of trans women, as well as inner peace. The white labrys axe represents "empowerment, justice, and intolerance of bigotry".

In October 2020, a person going by the online handle Catastrfy created another dyke flag. This flag has five horizontal stripes, which are blue (hex code #3e6aa9), white (#fefeff), golden brown (#c9a156), silver-gray (#c0c0c0), and black (#010100). The middle (golden brown) stripe is much narrower than the other four. Catastrfy said this about the flag's meaning: "There are all sorts of Dykes, of course, but the ones I've crushed on and loved have been the black leather, blue jeans, white tshirts, silver keyrings, and gold jewelry type. The first four inspired the two top and two bottom stripes, while the narrow band of gold reminds me of a gold ring."

Another dyke pride flag was created in 2021 by a disabled Latine xenogender dyke named Sol Diaz. Fae wrote that "This flag refers to dyke as a reclaimed slur as well as a multi faceted identity, encompassing orientation, gender (ie dykegender), and culture."

Sol's flag has four horizontal stripes, which are black (hex code #000000), purple (#6d19a9), hot pink (#ff00ff), and gray (#6d6d6d). Fae gave the color meanings as follows:

"Black: Alienation, rebellion, lack of gender, the aro/ace spectrums, stone dykes, and butches Purple: Mixed or masculine gender, masculinity and femininity, nonbinary & trans dykes, mspec dykes, and futches Pink: Queerness, feminine gender, femininity (including non-female femininity), womanood, love, WLW, and femmes Grey: Confusion, blurred identity, disconnect, greyro/grey ace spectrums, and those who identify with no or multiple gender presentations"