Perhaps you remember: about two summers ago Esther D. Rothblum, Ph.D., who is a Professor of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University, was conducting an extensive survey about butch and femme identities, both independently and in relation to each other.
I put the call up here and she let me know that many of the participants interviewed were from having announced it here.
The article is finalized and now out, published in Psychology of Sexualities Review, Vol. 1, No. 1.
Dr. Rothblum sent me a PDF copy and said it was fine to reproduce here, so in case you’d like to read it, here it is: The complexity of Butch and Femme among sexual minority women in the 21st century.
…!!! This is something I’ve been investigating, as a minority woman who feels the current ideas of butch/femme are restrictive.
I actually wrote up a list of how butch & femme would look like had they come from a culture like mine (South Asian): http://blog.themerchgirl.net/post/1113676704/if-b…
Favorite line so far: “Few women divided housework or childcare according to butch/femme roles.” Makes me smile.
Sometimes I take butch/femme for granted and stop thinking about how complex it can be. Then I remember that I identify as femme and also constantly rage against the binary. And that I can explain that stance, but it’s complicated. :)