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[[File:Butch Femme Society by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|350px|Lesbian Butch/Femme Society march in New York City's Gay Pride Parade (2007).]]
[[File:Butch Femme Society by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|350px|Lesbian Butch/Femme Society march in New York City's Gay Pride Parade (2007).]]
'''Butch''' is a lesbian only masculine [[gender expression]] While many people who identify as butch use the term in reference to their gender expression. Butch is an identity that emerged in [[lesbian]] and bisexual culture in the 1940s, before there was a stark distinction in the community between types of women who were attracted to other women. Stereotypically, butches take the dominant role in relationships with [[Femme|femmes]]. Many lesbians have complicated relationships with gender, and may identify as simply butch. Butch is an identity that can be held by only lesbians and can belong to both cisgender and trans individuals.  
'''Butch''' is an [[LGBTQ|LGBTQ+]] masculine [[gender expression]] or [[gender identity]]. While many people who identify as butch use the term in reference to their gender expression, others claim it as a [[nonbinary]] identity in itself, notably [[Leslie Feinberg]], who defined butch as a gender neither male nor female. Butch is an identity that emerged in [[lesbian]] and bisexual culture in the 1940s, before there was a stark distinction in the community between types of women who were attracted to other women. Stereotypically, butches take the dominant role in relationships with [[Femme|femmes]]. Many lesbians have complicated relationships with gender, and may identify as simply butch. Butch is an identity that can be held by people of various queer sexual orientations and can belong to both cisgender and trans individuals.  


Depending on the community in question, butch lesbians may call themselves by different terms. In LGBT communities of people of color, there may be a preference for the words '''aggressive''' ('''ag''' for short) or '''stud''', with much the same meaning as butch.  
Depending on the community in question, butch people may call themselves by different terms. In LGBT communities of people of color, there may be a preference for the words '''aggressive''' ('''ag''' for short) or '''stud''', with much the same meaning as butch.  


International Butch Appreciation Day is celebrated on August 18 annually.<ref name="ButchDay">{{Cite web |title=Happy Butch Appreciation Day – here's to all the butches! |author= |work=Stonewall |date=16 August 2019 |access-date=22 June 2020 |url= https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/happy-butch-appreciation-day-%E2%80%93-heres-all-butches}}</ref><ref name="QE">{{Cite web |title=Lesbian Culture & Visibility |author= |work=QueerEvents.ca |date= |access-date=22 June 2020 |url= https://queerevents.ca/queer-culture/lesbian-visibility}}</ref>
International Butch Appreciation Day is celebrated on August 18 annually.<ref name="ButchDay">{{Cite web |title=Happy Butch Appreciation Day – here's to all the butches! |author= |work=Stonewall |date=16 August 2019 |access-date=22 June 2020 |url= https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/happy-butch-appreciation-day-%E2%80%93-heres-all-butches}}</ref><ref name="QE">{{Cite web |title=Lesbian Culture & Visibility |author= |work=QueerEvents.ca |date= |access-date=22 June 2020 |url= https://queerevents.ca/queer-culture/lesbian-visibility}}</ref>
'''Only lesbians can identify as Butch, any nonwoman/nonlesbian identifying as Butch is stealing lesbian culture and contributing to its erasure'''


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
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The origin of the word "butch" is uncertain. The word ''butch'', meaning "masculine", may have been coined by abbreviating the word ''butcher'', as first noted in George Cassidy's nickname, ''Butch Cassidy''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Walker|first=Ja'nina|date=March 2012|title=Butch Bottom–Femme Top? An Exploration of Lesbian Stereotypes.|journal=Journal of Lesbian Studies|volume=16|issue=1|pages=90–107|doi=10.1080/10894160.2011.557646|pmid=22239455}}</ref>  
The origin of the word "butch" is uncertain. The word ''butch'', meaning "masculine", may have been coined by abbreviating the word ''butcher'', as first noted in George Cassidy's nickname, ''Butch Cassidy''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Walker|first=Ja'nina|date=March 2012|title=Butch Bottom–Femme Top? An Exploration of Lesbian Stereotypes.|journal=Journal of Lesbian Studies|volume=16|issue=1|pages=90–107|doi=10.1080/10894160.2011.557646|pmid=22239455}}</ref>  


"Butch" can be used as an adjective or a noun<ref name="Bergman 2006">{{cite book|last=Bergman|first=S. Bear|title=Butch is a noun|year=2006|publisher=Suspect Thoughts Press|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-9771582-5-6|url=https://books.google.com/?id=jmyfdmsWjiEC&dq=butch+is+a+noun}}</ref> to describe an individual's [[gender]] or gender performance. <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Christine A.|last2=Konik|first2=Julie A.|last3= Tuve|first3=Melanie V.|title=In Search of Looks, Status, or Something Else? Partner Preferences Among Butch and Femme Lesbians and Heterosexual Men and Women|date=2011|volume=64|issue=9–10|pages=658–668|journal=[[Sex Roles (journal)|Sex Roles]]|doi=10.1007/s11199-010-9861-8|issn=0360-0025|accessdate=May 1, 2016|url=http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=2bc637f5-dab5-4003-a000-13cf76217d23%40sessionmgr4003&vid=0&hid=4114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d&preview=false#AN=60686417&db=a9h}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The term butch tends to denote a degree of masculinity displayed by a female individual beyond what would be considered typical of a tomboy. It is not uncommon for women with a butch appearance to face harassment or violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/|title=2014 National Street Harassment Report - Stop Street Harassment|author=|date=|website=stopstreetharassment.org|accessdate=31 March 2018}}</ref> A 1990s survey of butches showed that 50% were primarily attracted to femmes, while 25% reported being usually attracted to other butches.<ref>{{cite book|last=Caramagno|first=Thomas C.|title=Irreconcilable Differences? Intellectual Stalemate in the Gay Rights Debate|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0275977214|pages=138|url=https://books.google.com/?id=IIHQH001Bc8C&dq=faggot+butch}}</ref>
"Butch" can be used as an adjective or a noun<ref name="Bergman 2006">{{cite book|last=Bergman|first=S. Bear|title=Butch is a noun|year=2006|publisher=Suspect Thoughts Press|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-9771582-5-6|url=https://books.google.com/?id=jmyfdmsWjiEC&dq=butch+is+a+noun}}</ref> to describe an individual's [[gender]] or gender performance. A masculine person of any gender can be described as butch, even though it is more common to use the term towards females with more masculine traits.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Christine A.|last2=Konik|first2=Julie A.|last3= Tuve|first3=Melanie V.|title=In Search of Looks, Status, or Something Else? Partner Preferences Among Butch and Femme Lesbians and Heterosexual Men and Women|date=2011|volume=64|issue=9–10|pages=658–668|journal=[[Sex Roles (journal)|Sex Roles]]|doi=10.1007/s11199-010-9861-8|issn=0360-0025|accessdate=May 1, 2016|url=http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=2bc637f5-dab5-4003-a000-13cf76217d23%40sessionmgr4003&vid=0&hid=4114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d&preview=false#AN=60686417&db=a9h}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The term butch tends to denote a degree of masculinity displayed by a female individual beyond what would be considered typical of a tomboy. It is not uncommon for women with a butch appearance to face harassment or violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/|title=2014 National Street Harassment Report - Stop Street Harassment|author=|date=|website=stopstreetharassment.org|accessdate=31 March 2018}}</ref> A 1990s survey of butches showed that 50% were primarily attracted to femmes, while 25% reported being usually attracted to other butches.<ref>{{cite book|last=Caramagno|first=Thomas C.|title=Irreconcilable Differences? Intellectual Stalemate in the Gay Rights Debate|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0275977214|pages=138|url=https://books.google.com/?id=IIHQH001Bc8C&dq=faggot+butch}}</ref>


BUTCH Voices, a national conference for "individuals who are masculine of center", including [[gender variant]], was founded in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=About|url=https://www.butchvoices.com/about/|website=BUTCH Voices|date=April 9, 2009|accessdate=11 September 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219140900/http://www.butchvoices.com/about/|archivedate=December 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=BUTCH Voices Conference Makes Masculine Of Center Womyn Heard|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Events/BUTCH-Voices-Conference-Makes-Masculine-Of-Center-Womyn-Heard-1874/|website=[[Curve (magazine)|Curve]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=11 September 2019}}</ref>
BUTCH Voices, a national conference for "individuals who are masculine of center", including [[gender variant]], was founded in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=About|url=https://www.butchvoices.com/about/|website=BUTCH Voices|date=April 9, 2009|accessdate=11 September 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219140900/http://www.butchvoices.com/about/|archivedate=December 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=BUTCH Voices Conference Makes Masculine Of Center Womyn Heard|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Events/BUTCH-Voices-Conference-Makes-Masculine-Of-Center-Womyn-Heard-1874/|website=[[Curve (magazine)|Curve]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=11 September 2019}}</ref>
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