Last week, an anti-transgender lesbian told me I couldnât call myself a âdyke.â Iâm not sure if itâs because Iâm not exclusively attracted to women or if itâs that Iâm a trans woman. Either way, this word is a reclaimed slur for anyone whoâs a woman attracted to women (and usually those who dress along the masculine spectrum). Iâm trans, queer, and attracted to multiple genders. That doesnât negate my womanhood or attraction to women.Â
Hereâs some history for you: âdykeâ emerged as a term in the mid 19th century to describe a well-dressed man. The term took on the original pejorative meaning as âbullydykeâ in the late 1920âs following its coinage. However, by the 1970âs the term was widely reclaimed. Publications like the Womenâs Press Collective encouraged the use of dyke to make it our own. I should also note that most of the members of the WPC supported trans women themselves.Â
By the late 1970âs, the community dropped âbullâ from the term. It quickly gained new popularity with the Alison Bechdel (another lesbian who supports trans women) comic âDykes to Watch Out Forâ in 1983. Finally, âdykeâ entered the mainstream as the first national Dyke March took place in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Held without a permit, it was organized by the Lesbian Avengers, a trans-inclusive group of radical women who loved women. They took part in direct actions around the country for decades. Many of the members did not identify as lesbians but instead as transgender, bisexual, or pansexual among other identities. Dyke is meant to include any woman who is attracted to women. To claim otherwise is not only inaccurate but also ahistorical.
