“I certainly don’t consider Butch women to be masculine or manly in any way. Butch women are women and my sisters. They are not ‘like men’. The reason Butches are seen as ‘masculine’, is because our society leaves no room for the non-performance of femininity in women. When women refuse to perform femininity, they are labelled masculine because we don’t have a word for non-performance. There is the word ‘androgynous’ but I don’t think it’s applicable in the case of Butch women, or indeed any woman, because androgynous means, “having the characteristics or nature of both male and female.” Butches only have the characteristics and nature of females. Because they are female.”
— Ann Tagonist (via adayinthelesbianlife)


















