In a heteronormative society, women of any and all identities are often shamed and stigmatized for a minimally or dominantly masculine gender expression. Often dubbed 'butch,' women who receive this label are rarely given it with positive intentions. Normally, it's used to separate them and treat them as some sort of anomaly to womanhood, as if there is only one correct way to be a woman (the "correct" way being feminine).
Butch Is Not A Dirty Word is a publication that seeks to erase the stigma facing butch women, by collecting essays, stories, and photography intended to celebrate butch identity and culture. It is curated by Esther Godoy, who, like many, had little to no positive experiences related to the queer community. Let's come together and support Esther and butch culture, because beauty isn't limited to the ways of expression that we're taught, and everyone should feel loved and accepted by more than just people who look and act exactly like them. That's the whole point of community.
The first issue of Butch Is Not A Dirty Word can be downloaded on their official website.
All photos courtesy of Butch Is Not A Dirty Word
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