In class we had a discussion about women being "butch" and I remember one person mentioning that women are "supposed" to be a certain way that is "obviously" not butch. Well according to The American Heritage Dictionary, butch is a slang term meaning Exhibiting stereotypically or exaggeratedly masculine traits or appearance. Used especially of lesbians and gay men. This term is offensive and based solely on a person's appearance. Before that class, I also thought of butch as meaning a lesbian woman with short hair. Even though I never use that word because honestly, how often does it come up?; I still associated it with lesbians and a short cropped haircut. I realize now that it is stereotypical and judgmental. However, in class the discussion came up about a woman being called butch because she is competitive, athletic, and strong. It is absurd to consider a female athlete a lesbian because she possesses these qualities. This issue relates directly to the "image problem" we discussed in class about a fear that all women athletes are lesbians. Really? I want to know who sat down one day and decided that in order for a female to be a strong competitor with great talents, she must be a lesbian. This concept is ridiculous and it forces female athletes to believe that they have to use the "feminine apologetic" to convince others of their sexual orientation. Homophobia is an issue in women sports that needs to be addressed. I think it's great that Jen Harris stood up for herself against that kind of discrimination. Also, I found an article that was written by Pat Griffin about the entire Jen Harris/Rene Portland situation. The link is below.
Settling Can Mean Victory
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I agree with you that it's crazy to assume that a woman is a lesbian just because she is strong or she is a great athlete. I think that this stereotype probably came about because stregnth and athletic ability used be considered masculine traits, which feminine women couldn't posess. Today though, that myth has been debunked time and time again by amazing female athletes, and yet the stereotype lives on. It's crazy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article by Pat Griffin. As you may realize, she was the author of the chapter we read about lesbians in sport. I agree that the premise upon which the notion of "butch" is problematic. But I also think that when female athletes set out to prove that not all female athletes are lesbians, they are reinforcing the impression that there is something problematic about being gay or lesbian in the first place.
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