Butch Women and Femme-ophobia

Some butch women seem to contradict themselves by sneering at traditional femininity, even as they are railing against society for hating women.

Butch women proudly insist that they were "NEVER feminine" (as if that would be absurd) or that they always preferred "overalls and buzz cuts" over traditionally feminine ways of presenting. The way they talk about femininity insinuates that girly things are silly or inherently less valuable than the traditionally masculine things that they prefer. Which is curious, because they seem to get really angry when the Patriarchy devalues women or feminine things. So which is it? Is it okay to value masculinity over femininity, as long as men don't do it?

Butch women may develop this tough exterior because they spend their lives in a world that is hostile to them based on the way they present. It's kind of like being around an abused animal. An abused animal is snarling and defensive with everyone immediately. They are used to being attacked, are tense and ready to react at any moment, as a defense mechanism to having been hurt in the past. In that situation, it's easy to understand that attitude. That same defensiveness is evident in the way that some butch women interact with people, online and in the world.

To be butch is to present masculinity in a female body. The rejection of feminine things as "silly" and beneath them, is because these women have to constantly assert and re-assert their masculinity to the larger world that either refuses to recognize it, or doesn't take it seriously. They are uncomfortable accepting femininity, because that would bring their fragile presentation of masculinity into question.

A trans-male is also presenting masculinity in a biologically female body. By contrast, however, once a person passes, the world recognizes that masculinity without question. (Passing can be accomplished with hormones or without it.) This fact will make a lot of butch women angry. They will criticize trans-guys for "conforming" or accepting the "gender straight jacket"with righteous indignation. In a way, they are correct. That doesn't change the fact that they are always and will be fighting for acceptance that I, presenting and accepted as male, am granted easily and without question. I value the peace of not having to fight to be who I am over whatever satisfaction they receive from being right.

It wasn't a choice between presenting as butch or presenting as male. Butch women get confused in thinking that trans-guys are just butches who went on testosterone. I have never been butch, or wanted to be.