USA 2016, 54 min, documentary
Director: Lisa Plourde
Contrary to popular myth, butch lesbians are not trying to be feminine and failing. They are not going through a rebellious stage. They are not imitating men or just toying with gender roles. Rather, butches identify as women and while being true to their most authentic selves, they look and behave in some ways that society has decided is appropriate only for men.
This film is not about surface issues such as clothing or a butch aesthetic. It is about the dilemma of trying to be true to oneself and the challenge of not fitting in. The women in this film have all had to deal with judgment and rejection because they are obviously gay and unmistakably butch.
While lesbians and gay men are enjoying more acceptance from society in general, this tolerance is often limited to those individuals who seem most like their heterosexual counterparts: feminine women and masculine men. There is much less comfort with and approval of those who do not conform to gender expectations such as effeminate men and butch women. This discomfort exists, surprisingly, sometimes even within queer communities.
The women portrayed in this film thoughtfully examine and challenge society’s assumptions about what it means to be masculine or feminine. They reveal how they have learned to cope and thrive in a world that often does not honor them. Their struggles to be their true selves reveal how everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, is pressured to conform and measure up to useless and constricting standards.
This story is universal in that we all struggle with fitting in and belonging. We worry that we are not good enough just as we are. We strive to embrace our true selves. But no matter what messages we receive from the outside world, ultimately we come to realize that the one opinion that matters most, is our own. These women are examples of the challenges and victories that come with leaning to accept ourselves as we are.