I think i missed a memo

[La Lioness Priyanka]

so today i was told (during a lab meeting) that Butch is an insulting term and AG is the appropriate term

I think AG is a term younger lesbians of color often use but since when is Butch insulting? A lot of women i know are butch identified.

Readmoreoften i would really like your input on this.

[soleft]

1. I need to get out more

I've never heard that butch was insulting, and I've never even heard of AG

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. i have heard of AG but mostly on logo and when i look at craigslists

to mock people and their ridiculous adds.

[Orrex]

3. Not that my opinion carries a lot of weight in the national zeitgeist, but

I don't think that I've ever heard the term "butch" without a negative connotation, so this is all news to me.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. i think people do use butch negatively as they do the word gay

doesnt really make gay or butch inherently insulting

[Orrex]

5. Good point

Certainly they're not inherently insulting, but my perception (which I am now happy to revise) was that the term "butch" was so overwhelmingly negative that a non-insulting connotation was sufficiently rare to keep anyone from self-identifying that way.

[Jamastiene]

6. It all depends on context.

If someone identifies themselves as "butch," then obviously, it is not offensive to them.

If someone refers to someone else as "butch," it would come down to whether they meant that as an insult or not. I don't think I've ever really seen it used as an insult, though.

I've never even heard of AG. What does that stand for?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. agressive. i think its very very new and have only seen teens, early 20's use it

i feel old

like realy really old

[Tektonik]

8. I haven't heard it, and I'm 22

idk, maybe it's a young NY thing?

[Jamastiene]

21. I've been feeling that way lately too.

I felt the slap of it recently when I checked out what was hot in mainstream music nowadays. Ick. I miss the 90s definitely. After seeing today's music, I kinda miss the 80s now too, even though I didn't particularly enjoy them the first time around. At least they were vaguely familiar to me. :hide:

[The Brethren]

23. Thanks for clarifying.

I wasn't sure what "AG" meant either. I agree with Jamastiene, I think the attitude toward the word "butch" depends on who is using it. At least that's what I've seen. Every woman I've met who identified as butch seemed positive about it. However, others who used it to describe gay women usually have said it as an insult.

I don't think it's an insulting word. It isn't a word that I feel fits me, but I know women who enjoy the word for themselves and take pride in it. The people who try and ridicule lesbians with the word butch are letting their ignorance and insecurity show through.

[closeupready]

9. This means, no offense, you're getting old. lol

"Homophobia" used to be a term that got a "huh?" from people; more used in schools and by scholars.

Then, at some point, it became this highly loaded, inflammatory word. WTF? :shrug: And suddenly everyone was saying "anti-gay" instead of "homophobic" :eyes: which is the same thing.

I eventually realized that popular vocabulary had changed from beneath my feet as I was busy aging. Shrug.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. i agree.

[readmoreoften]

11. Well, my partner is BUTCH, not AG. Butch may be offensive to AGs, but it ain't to butches.

The fact that butch-identified is a concept, that there is a website called butch-femme.com, that there is a book written in the past few years called BUTCH is a noun... all these things point to the fact that butch is hardly an insulting term. (Unless you're high femme and someone says "Gosh, I thought you were butch.")

Tell them that they are WRONG and that I am INSULTED by their attempt to commandeer LGBT culture. I'll be there slapping them in spirit.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. thank you. i felt very insulted and a bit shocked

[readmoreoften]

14. Me too.

[readmoreoften]

13. One more thing: college-age kids don't get to define the entire LGBT community.

Yes, butch is an offensive term to AGs, partially because it means you're "corny" to urban/hip-hop culture. But corny or not: BUTCHES EXIST.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. yeah i cant imagine lisa describing herself as AG. that would be something

i agree that age is an important variable here

[readmoreoften]

17. If my gf called herself an AG in NYC, I think she might've gotten punched.

She's a Texan. Definitely corny. :)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. besides not all butch girls are aggressive. lisa for instance isnt and it would

be weird for her to have an aggro lable.

butches can be gentlemanly and is far more appropriate for her

[Fearless]

16. Terms such as those are generational ones...

Each generation uses its own (not only in the GLBTQ community). Many times conflicts over words have happened. There's no right or wrong. There's only perception and meaning. Words are verbal stand-ins for feelings. If the feelings are good or well-intentioned, there's no need to delineate between one word or another for the same feeling. Think of the words queer, dyke, and fag for example. We store different de facto meanings for many words in our minds and sometimes, without seeing the context of the word, can overreact or misjudge one's intentions when using it.

[Rhythm]

19. I think it makes me old that i had to look it up to find out what "AG" meant...

[Jamastiene]

20. I didn't know either.

Don't feel bad. :hug:

[dropkickpa]

22. Wow, me too!

I always call myself butch!

[unsavedtrash]

24. Please help an old bean- what is AG?

I'm so behind and I never get the agenda.

[Book Lover]

25. Aggressive lesbian

and I had to look it up too. These kids and their loud rock music, hula hoops, and funny names!

[unsavedtrash]

26. thank you and btw

today I held a first edition copy of The Descent of Man.
A kid checked it in this evening and I could not believe we have it circulating.
It is in horrible shape and I am sending it over to Special Collections tomorrow to see if it can be rebound or at least saved. I considered taking it home, petting it, and calling it my very own.

[Book Lover]

27. Holy cats!

Circulating?! Amazing... Well, you know, it occurs to me that sometimes, maybe it's not a bad idea to have such old volumes in circulation - it may teach the kids some respect for the physical book.

[unsavedtrash]

28. my biggest worry is that it will end up on ebay or completely trashed.

I sent a circulating copy of the Codex Seraphinianus over to special collections because someone said they would happily pay the $65.00 lost book fee for what they could get for it on ebay or amazon.
I'm all about students learning to value these books but there is something in me that calls out to preserve.

[Book Lover]

29. That hadn't even occured to me

Stealing and then reselling books on ebay... can one sink any lower?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

30. i am glad to see its not just me and the butch girls are still butch~

thank gods