c o v e r s t o r y
Transgendered Butches and FTM's: a uniquely Femme Perspective
by Sonya Bolus

f e a t u r e s
Transgendered Lesbian
by Arlene Istar Lev
Passing as the Pope - the Story of Joan English
by Alison Phipps

c o l u m n s
Health
by Dr. Lipstick
Wealth
by Ms. Moneygrrl
Sex
by SexySuzi
Advice
by Victoria
Femme Perspective
by DeAnna
Butch Perspective
by E.T. Turner

Publisher's Note
Contribute to Femme

Transgendered Lesbian
by Arlene Istar Lev

(Continued, page 2)

This bipolar view of gender assumes that not only are males and females sexually "opposite" but that opposites always and naturally attract, creating an inherent heterosexism that permeates our culture. Even our most compassionate modern medical responses to transsexual people, has involved a "changing sex" paradigm, where one must abandon one sex, and "become" the other and, until very recently, being heterosexual post surgery was a requirement to be approved for sexual reassignment surgery. Sexual reassignment surgery, in other words would take a gender dysphoric homosexual and remake a "fixed" heterosexual.

In western culture and throughout much of modern European thought the relationship between sexual and gender identities has been a confusing issue. In the 19th century, homosexual desire was understood as a kind of gender dysphoria and distinctions were not made between homosexuals and transgendered people; it was assumed that gender variant people were homosexual and they were called "inverts." Inverts were men and women who transgressed the proper societal parameters by crossdressing and behaving as the "other" sex. People who engaged in gay sex, but who did not transgress gender expectations, were actually not considered homosexual. This rendered all "straight appearing" gay people essentially not gay (a theory, by the way, this femme's mother would find appealing!). Homosexuals who did not transgress expected gender expression were considered "perverts", meaning they were somehow seduced by real homosexuals (i.e. inverts). Inverts were definitely considered more pathological than perverts. As we deconstruct our psychological history it becomes unclear whether these "inverts" were people we would today call homosexual or transsexual, or somehow both

Although the term "invert" is clearly imperfect, this word may more adequately define some dykes I have known better than either homosexual or transsexual. Let me try to explain..

I have always known myself to be a femme, even before I had language for myself. In the early days of lesbian feminist liberation, when the word femme was still synonymous with "not a real lesbian," I always knew that I was not like the other dykes. The things that seemed to define my community, -- soft ball and flannel shirts --, just didn't speak to me, though the political tenets of feminism, and a passionate desire for women sexually, most certainly did.

Like most lesbian-feminists I have had an ambivalent relationship to gender expression. On one hand, masculinity was a synonym for patriarchy so all forms of maleness was abhorred. On the other hand, lesbians celebrated sisterhood by taking pride in doing traditionally male tasks. However, I was also always attracted to butches. Or perhaps I should say I was always attracted to gender, and particularly gender transgression. I have always found the extremes of gender fascinating from high high heels, to man tailored shirts. I have a button that says, "I like my men in dresses and my women in combat boots," and frankly that is true. Since feminine clothing was "outlawed" in lesbian nation, most of my friends, and myself, were wearing various versions of men's clothing, and frankly I found this, well, appealing (at least on other women).

continued on page 3