Can you do a post about gay language for straight girls? I’m always afraid I’m going to say something dumb considering that in my hometown “gay” is synonymous with really dumb. Grrr. I don’t have much of a measuring stick to work with. If you could include language that a well-intentioned bumpkin should avoid using, that’d be swell too.
PS: Is there a word for a girl-on-girl-crush, when the crusher is straight?
Anna says: Great question! And thank you for asking. Some straight women think being a queer gal simply means that we have 38 ways to spell wimmin, but there’s so much more to it than that! Below, I present to you the following lezicon*, a queer dictionary of sorts, with relevant examples, celebrities, and everyday usages that you can use to impress your new queer friends at the next folk festival and/or at the next Vagina Monologues production.
*Note of historical relevance: Gay terms obviously vary by time, region, and stereotypes. I can’t get them all, nor do I mean to offend anyone with generalizations. Tongue is firmly in cheek here, but I encourage you to add your own terms in the comments.
Androgyny: Generically speaking, someone who exhibits both masculine or feminine gender traits. Might also go by: gender fluid, genderqueer, or David Bowie. Baby Dyke: A young lesbian, often fresh out of the closet, full of ideals and front row tickets to see Girlyman.
Beersexual: A gurl who will make out or sleep with another grrrl only while under the influence. Found often in reality television shows, in sororities, and in rare cases, Nick Lachey‘s above-ground swimming pool.
Birkenstock-Blocking: When you are trying to hit on a wommon and another lesbian interferes.
Boi: Could mean any of the following, depending on context – a boyish lesbian, a soft butch (aka butch lite), a biological boy who hangs in queer circles, or a member of OutKast. Breeder: A derogatory term for a straight person.
Bulldagger: A really butch woman.
Butch: A masculine-appearing queer wo’moon. Identifying traits may include: chain wallets, Vans, polo shirts with multiple popped collars, cargo pants, carabiners, motorcycle or sports attire. Often found by the pool table or dart board at bars, drinking Miller High Life, and looking hot, yet aloof. Butches are easy to spot since there is often about one butch per twenty femmes in any given bar. Mother Jones and a freelance writer living in San Francisco. Find her at annapulley.com and on Twitter @annapulley. Send her your Hook Up questions at [email protected].
