#and Boots of Leather; Slippers of Gold

[moonlightsapphic]

hi! I just wanted to thank you so much for making that post recommending the historical essays on butchfemme identities - they def gave me a new perspective 💕

Ahhh I’m so glad! The LGBTQ+ community has such a rich culture and history and it’s a shame we don’t get to learn about our own culture in school at all. (We get to learn about our nationality, race, and religion—but sadly not about our queer identity which is just as important!) I’m thankful that books have been written to capture this history, and that there are young queer folks creating such wonderful accessible analyses for us to learn more. I also definitely felt a deeper understanding of myself after going through those essays and had to share!

[crimson-femme]

Illustrations by me, text from “The Butch-Fem Image as a Pre-political Form of Resistance,” Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madaline D. Davis

[campgender]

Reggie was not consciously aware of being different until her first trip to Ralph Martin’s with her fiancé. On that night, when an attractive fem asked her to dance, she learned that she was butch.

“I never danced, never, not even at proms. I danced, let’s face it, but I didn’t follow good; so I got out and it was just a natural thing. I grabbed her and I led. She was tiny and cute, and she says, ‘You’re gay.’ I says, ‘Oh yeah, I’m happy,’ and I meant it. It was sincere. She thought I was pulling her leg. And of course you’re always going to try to act older because of where you are. And she said, ‘No,’ she said, ‘I knew you were a butch when you walked in the door. I don’t care if you’ve got long hair or what.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’m engaged to be married.’ She said, ‘I don’t care if you’re engaged, got long hair, I know you’re a gay butch.’ I says, ‘Oh, no, I’m going, Oh God.’ Well we finished our dance and I joined her group.”

from Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis (1994)

[thebutchfemmebar]

“Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold”

Part 1 E. L Kennedy Reflections (p.17-26)

[swordofazrael1992]

i think something people need to talk about more when discussing queer history is that lesbian feminism was really shitty in a lot of ways. a lot of what they pushed was an extension of purity culture. no joke, a huge part of their argument was that lesbians were inherently more pure for being women, aka not sex crazed and therefore abusive monsters. feminine became synonymous with pure. and this dealt a huge blow to pre existing lesbian communities, primarily working class butch-femme bar culture, which was organized around fostering emotional and erotic intimacy between lesbians as well as creating a safe space to do so. lesbian feminism did direct harm to lesbians and lesbian community. lesbian feminism contributed to the suppression of women’s sexuality and created a mentality in which there was one right, pure way to have lesbian sex and if you didn’t conform to that you were no better than an evil dirty aggressive violent animalistic perverted man.

NOT TO MENTION!! the classism and racism inherent to lesbian feminism’s attacks on butch-femme and bar culture. these communities were made primarily of working class women and had a diverse racial makeup. is it any wonder butch-femme community members were looked at as lesser in their own community? movements such as the homophile movement and butch-femme bar communities literally paved the way for gay liberation and women’s rights movements, and yet butch-femme communities were spit on and blamed for the very problems they had been fighting back against for decades.

yes, lesbian feminism and similar movements of the 70s and 80s made a lot of very important steps forward in gay and women’s liberation. but they still did harm, and we are still feeling the effects of that harm today. look at the prevalence of cottagecore in modern lesbian communities, the demonization of masculinity that is still prevalent and still so damaging, the never ending discourse on the “right” way to be a lesbian, the idea that lesbians are inherently better because we’re attracted to pretty soft perfect loving women instead of evil rough monstrous abusive men, and to an extent, the shame around sexuality that is so often felt by lesbians.

we need to look at queer history through a critical lens. we can’t accept the actions of those in the past as good, righteous, and without flaws just because they were also queer. queerness does not absolve you from causing harm, and it doesn’t absolve those that came before us either. if we believe that it does, we create a black and white, us vs. them mentality that will never lead to true liberation because we will still think of ourselves as fundamentally different to those who are queer.

i understand there’s a gut reaction of “but we are different” and i want you to interrogate where that idea comes from. it’s an entirely understandable defensive reaction, one that i have also utilized in the past: “if they’re telling me im different, i should embrace that difference as my identity so they no longer have power over me” but that also becomes “if they’re committing violence against me just for my difference, then i must believe that these violent and discriminatory acts are because they are different than me, and i therefore do not have the capacity to cause harm or enact violence.” recognizing and embracing difference is a good starting point, but we have to realize that our difference is born of sociocultural creations and is ultimately rooted in our oppression. difference was manufactured by those in power to justify their rule and to fracture solidarity among us. yes, it is true that we are different, to a certain extent. we are different because they made us different, and then they made that difference bad.

we cannot truly be liberated until we understand that no one is fundamentally different from the other, because the idea of fundamental difference was created to subjugate us and keep us in check.

tl;dr uh. some of yall need to understand that queerness doesn’t equal goodness because i don’t think you get that. and PLEASE think about queer history critically. think about why societal cotegories were created in the first place. think about who they ultimately benefit. and understand, just because something has relevance right now, that does not mean it needs to be carried into the future or should be used as a framework to build that future

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[mercymornsimpathizer]

a non-exhaustive list of butch literature

a (very ad-hoc) list of butch reading and writing, (mostly) by butch authors. books I've read myself in bold; take the rest with a grain of salt. additions, addendums, and commentary welcome :)

(you can find my list of femme literature here)

general/literary fiction:

mrs s by k patrick

stone butch blues by leslie feinberg

boulder by eva baltasar

running fiercely towards a thin high sounds by judith katz

tipping the velvet by sarah waters

a crystal diary by frankie hucklenbroich

godspeed by lynn breedlove

cha-ching! by ali liebegott

the ihop papers by ali liebegott

greasepaint by hannah levene

lucy and mickey by red jordan arobateau

the bull-jean stories by sharon bridgforth

development by bryher

notes of a crocodile by qiu miaojin

america is not the heart by elaine castillo

the slow fix by ivan coyote

the swashbuckler by lee lynch

old dyke tales by lee lynch

sci-fi, fantasy, and horror:

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir

the unspoken name by ak larkwood

vermilion by molly tanzer

metal from heaven by august clarke

scapegracers by ha clarke

the unbroken by cl clarke

fire logic by laurie marks

the seep by chana porter

these burning stars by bethany jacobs

feast while you can by mikaella clements and onjuli datta

non-fiction, memoir, and autobiography:

hijab butch blues by lamya h

gender failure by ivan coyote and rae spoon

fun home by allison bechdel

butch is a noun by h bear bergman

female masculinity by jack halberstam

burning butch by rb murtz

when we were outlaws by jeanne cordova

leaving isn't the hardest thing by lauren hough

odd girls and twilight lovers by lillian faderman

another mother tongue by judy grahn

boots of leather, slippers of gold by elizabeth lapovsky and madeline davis

the persistent desire ed joan nestle

persistence: all way butch and femme ed ivan coyote and zena sharman

dagger: on butch women ed lily burana

[beansprean]

I always say Guillermo should get more fashionable as a vampire, so i made it happen - here's some of my favorite reds!

ty to @g0sts for being the perfect model~

See all 150+ outfits on Patreon!

(ID in alt and under cut)

Full body of vampire Guillermo taking a mirror selfie and flashing a peace sign. His phone case is a photo of Armand. He is wearing a dark green button shirt with tiny red polka dots and gold capped collar wings, a gold bat bolo tie with red strings, red suspenders with gold fang shaped clasps, tight black pants, black boots with gold toe caps, a red overcoat with gold details and bat wing tails, red bolo earrings, and several gold jade and ruby rings.

Repeat. He is wearing a bright red suit with a darker shawl collar and gold buttons over a black leather corset top laced up to the bottom of his breastbone, red frill at the hem. He has black boots with gold heels, a gold hoop in one ear, and three strings of gold beads around his neck.

Repeat. He is wearing a pale brick red button shirt with darker stripes over a deeper red knit sweater vest with a chevron pattern, brown chinos, brown tassel loafers with a rose pattern, several white gold rings, ruby drop earrings, and a metal rose brooch with a chain pinned to his collar.

Repeat. He is wearing a red button shirt with a low cut collar and a bellflower pattern. The collar and cuffs are black with a red lace pattern and each hem is studded with pearls. He has a black belt with a silver buckle, dark brown striped chinos, brown derby shoes, double pearl earrings, two strings of pearls and a sapphire pendant at his neck, and multiple gold, silver, and sapphire studded rings on nearly every finger.

Repeat. He is wearing a red balloon-sleeved button shirt with a black fishnet and pearl pattern with some darker flowers over a dark blue cropped sweater vest, high waisted red jeans, and dark blue slippers. He has pearl drop earrings and a ring with a large ruby stone.

Repeat. He is wearing a black shirt with red buttons, a pair of ruby collar pins with a chain, a ruby drop earring, a red sweater with a knit heart pattern, plaid blackish blue chinos, black boots with a red rose pattern, and a black overcoat with red buttons and a double breasted collar on only one side, revealing a red silk interior.

Repeat. He is wearing a sheer lace button shirt in a curling flower pattern, a pair of collar pins resembling dripping blood, a red tie with gold studs, a red waistcoat with a darker flower lace pattern, dark green chinos, black combat boots, several gold rings, and gold fang shaped stud earrings.

Repeat. He is wearing a blue striped button shirt, a cropped red velvet waistcoat with gold buttons and pocket chain, a red ascot with a gold spider brooch, a gold drop earring, a dark blue suit jacket and matching trousers, glittery red and gold boots, a long dark red trenchcoat with a wing tip collar, and several gold rings.

Repeat. He is wearing a sheer button shirt with a bright red heart pattern over a black tank top, red jeans, ruby drop earrings, a silver heart shaped ring, and brown oxfords with a heart shaped toe cap. /end ID

[4ngelrealm]

𝘂𝗸𝘆𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗳𝘀

𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲 lipstick prints. summer pop. white dresses. bedazzled microphone. yellow and baby blue. iconic blondie. tanned skin. love letters. lace. raunchy lyrics. block heels. cursive writing. victoria secret collab. electric guitar. cherries and lipgloss. bedazzled platform boots. pearl necklaces. coachella headliner. silk dresses.

𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 late nights. comfy slippers. princess aesthetic. piano. white confetti. ballerina flats and leg warmers. bows. half-up, half-down hair. cinnamon buns. bambi eyes. dark pink lip combo. casual streaming. pearl chrome nails. soft girl. comfy recording studio. layered necklaces. tulip flowers. pink and white. lollipops. glasses.

𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘆 sports jerseys. gold jewelery. iconic hair. dance pop. cheetah print. big f1 fan. waist chain. dancer first. flirty and sexy. bright lights. city girl. light freckles. smiley. paparazzi. tanned skin. star studded. caramel highlights. late night drives. silhouettes. sunglasses. flexibility. camera flashes. tangled headphones. nude lipstick. lace bras.

𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘅𝗼𝗻 lyricist. black and white. hair bows. light feminine. smiley. acoustic guitar. vintage photobooth. long dresses. journaling. minimalism. floral. long sleeves. mirrorball. silver jewelery. curtain bangs. believes in fate and soulmates. candid photos. hazy mornings. brown paper wrapped flowers. blue jeans. t-swifts daughter. baby tees.

𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹 rockstar girlfriend. red lipstick. red and purple. digital camera. leather bodysuits. layered necklaces. winged eyeliner. chunky rings. vienna. combat boots. edgy. lipstick on mirrors. teen angst icon. hair clips. ripped fishnets. chipped nail polish. electric guitar. lovergirl. smudged makeup. empty streets. sparkly eyeshadow.

𝗮𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 alt-popstar. lace dress. tattoos. fallen angel. silver jewelery. white microphone. sexy stage prescence. jet black hair. aesthetic music videos. nirvanna fan. long, sharp nails. sad girl. natural brunette. black outfit, white details. running mascara. melancholy. smudged lipstick. leather car seats. pretty poison. babydoll dresses.

just something simple while I try to get motivated for other things.

[breederbutch]

"The homogeneity of the lesbian bar population makes a striking contrast with gaymale culture, which has a long tradition of explicitly erotic cross-class socializing. In general middle-class women did not go to the bars, because they were afraid of being exposed and losing their jobs. Charlie, a chic and competent white fem, remembers how rarely a gym teacher friend would go to the bars:

'Once in a while she would go. She was very nervous about her job. And I can understand it now because that many years ago, and sometimes even now, people want to make problems. They feel that somebody might attack their children.'

However, upper-class lesbians in Buffalo were more public about their behavior. Working-class lesbians knew about them through gossip— for instance, from a gay man who worked for them, or a friend who sometimes went to their parties— or through newspaper stories, particularly about an older group that had been quite prominent in the social life of the city in the 1920s and 1930s. But the upper-class lesbians did not socialize with working-class lesbians in the bars or any other settings. Joanna, a popular and worldly white fem who socialized in several groups, remembers:

'The people [they'd] hang around with were all like professionals, and [their] families were influential, very affluent, and I don't think that [they] would have considered even hanging around with us, say at the bars... Maybe they did go slumming once in a while, but they sure never came to the bars when I was there. And I used to always think, gee, where do they go? Then I found out... to the Westbrook and the Park Lane... can you imagine? and Beatrice was very butchy looking. Wish I had a picture of her, cause you would have died when you [saw] her. Very very masculine woman, and I mean really masculine looking.... They could get in anywhere, are you kidding. They wouldn't have turned her away. Probably spent a fortune in these places.'

In addition to not [sic] going to working-class bars, the upper-class women did not welcome working-class women into their own parties. Arden remembers going with a friend to one of the parties, and the hostess asked 'Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?' Arden took the question in stride and had a pleasant evening, but did not go back frequently.

All narrators are adamant that these upper-class women had little impact on their lives, and the fact that they were known lesbians did not make it easier for working-class lesbians. They think the difference was greater in the old days between those with money and those without. They were more concerned with making ends meet—working everyday, setting up an apartment—while the upper-class women had the money they needed and could concern themselves with more leisure activities."

- Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community, by Elizabeth L. Kennedy and Madeline Davis (1993)

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

Source: Boots Of Leather , Slippers Of Gold; The History Of A Lesbian Community - by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline D. Davis

[queerliblib]

March is Women’s History Month

and we’ve got booklists for that!

Women’s History Month (feat. titles like Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline Davis, We Walk Alone by Ann Aldrich, To Believe Women by Lillian Faderman, To my Trans Sisters by Charlie Craggs, Drastic Dykes & Accidental Activists by La Shonda Mims, & many more)

Women’s Memoirs (feat. Jeanna Kadlec’s Heratic, Roxanne Gay’s Hunger, Jeanette Winterson’s Why be Happy When You Could be Normal, Lamya H’s Hijab Butch Blues, Carmen Maria Machado’s In The Dream House, Cherrie Morgana’s Native Country of the Heart, & lots more <3)

[crimson-femme]

Excerpts of ‘The Pursuit of Sexual Pleasure in the 1950s’ from, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madaline D. Davis

[campgender]

“You can’t tell butch-fem by people’s dress. You couldn’t even really tell in the ’50s. I knew women with long hair, fem clothes, and found out they were butches. Actually I even knew one who wore men’s clothes, haircuts and ties, who was a fem.”

white butch “Reggie” quoted in Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis (1994)

[thebutchfemmebar]

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold

Ch. 1 : “TO COVER UP THE TRUTH WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME” (p.50-61)

To what extent did the activities of lesbians shape their developing social life and politics?

How does women’s sexuality develop outside of such restraints of male power?

What was the role of community socializing in the development of lesbian sexuality?

How did lesbians balance an interest in sex and a desire for emotional closeness?

What was the impact of community social life on the longevity of lesbian relationships?

Why should the opposition of masculine and feminine be woven into and become a fundamental principle of lesbian culture?

What does it mean to eroticize gender difference in the absence of institutionalized male power?

Is it possible to adopt extremely masculine characteristics and yet not want to be male?

Personal Notes;

Visibility is important.

Our elders had to take on the role of being very visible in their queerness, their divergence from cis heteronormativity, so that we, today, can have greater agency and autonomy in a safer society.

Being heard is important.

While “tolerance” could be had for “underground queerness” as attempted with the 1993 ���Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy for gay and lesbian military personnel, this only served to silence and threaten any expression of queerness. It was particularly effective in pushing the necessity to “pass” as cisgendered persons, and disguised this compromising position of invisibility with two-way “fair” protection against life-threatening violence that was already actively seeking out and making targets of butches.

Not only in America but across the world that looked to America’s sociopolitical trajectory as a beacon of progressiveness. (Ie Australia and Singapore’s replication of America’s policies).

More often than not this has adverse regressive effects on society’s integration of invisible and erased marginalised groups into public life. It maintains civil order at the cost of breeding ignorance amongst the population. This provision of a thin tolerance for queers indemnifies politicians, using the law as a compartment to archive queerness while milking their social capital in demanding sectors.

[sunarots]

bed chem ━━━ iwaizumi hajime

31. 5 YEARS LATER ♡

cw. drinking, vomit mention

“You okay in here?” Your voice lulls Hajime from his daze, lidded eyes drifting to you. His eyes trail over your outfit: the light blue bralette he bought you with a small metal heart in the centre; the pleated black skirt you bought years ago that you can’t live without; the fluffy slippers he bought you when your new boots decided to try sabotage your career. One of your shoulders leans against the doorframe, a glass of prosecco in either hand; one is covered in lipstick stains, the other untouched.

Hajime flicks his gaze back over to the display on the wall of your office, pulling an arm up and resting it between the cool leather of the sofa and the back of his head. A picture of you both at your graduation, hats held high above your heads and toothy grins etched into your features. On either side are two trophies: a silver, from your first competition; a gold, from your final.

“Everyone’s having a great time.” You approach him, perching yourself on the arm by his feet.

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “We’re amazing. Don’t you think?”

His joy is contagious. “Yeah, we are. The best.”

Sliding his legs off the edge of the sofa and planting his feet on the floor, Hajime twists himself slowly to prevent any accidents — a task easier said than done, considering the room was beginning to spin. He takes the glass of prosecco from you with a sly smile. “Our egos aren’t too big, are they?”

You shrug your shoulders and take a sip from your glass. “Maybe, but does it matter?”

Pursing his lips together for a moment of thought, he decides you may be right. A shrug of his shoulders and finishing off his glass, he rises to feet. “I think we kept our guests waiting too long, didn’t we?”

“We?” You cock an eyebrow at him. “You’re the one who disappeared for half an hour. I was making sure you weren’t puking everywhere.”

“It’s usually you doing that, babe.” He gently rubs his hand up and down your back before rising to his feet. “Let’s go mingle.”

You walk alongside him, your arms linked together. “I’ve been mingling. It’s you who needs to do the mingling. What were you even doing in there?”

He pauses his steps, using your intertwined arms to pull you back. “I think we should get married. Officially married. I know we said we would wait until things have settled but… We’re done for another four years. I mean, it’s the perfect time. We can have a small ceremony or a big one and-“

“I’d love that.”

“Yeah?” It’s as though he doesn’t believe you, scanning your brightened expression for any cracks.

“Thank god you brought it up, I was getting nervous. I can show you my wedding binder.” You tug him, continuing towards the music and your friends.

Hajime quirks an eyebrow. “You have a binder?”

“No.” You step inside the room and kiss his cheek. “It’s a Pinterest folder.”

masterlist. previous | emails i can’t send

summary. when an unfortunate incident kicks you out of your university and risks your reputation as one of the top figures skater in the country, you find your place in sendai. but when you discover they only have one rink, designated to their a-league hockey team, your chance at a comeback slips from your grasp. your only in is with the captain of the hockey team. the issue with that? he couldn’t care less who you are.

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