She's always a woman: Butch lesbian trans women in the lesbian community

ABSTRACT

While the visibility and acceptance of trans women have grown globally in recent years, this progress has primarily been within a traditional, heteronormative narrative. But a growing number of trans women identify as butch lesbians and challenge this heteronormative narrative. The existence of butch trans women has created a debate on where they fit within queer and lesbian communities and how their gender performance fits within traditional butch/femme understandings of lesbian or queer relationships. This article seeks to explore the intersections of gender identity and sexual orientation that butch trans women experience when they engage with lesbian and trans communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Butch trans women
• gender diversity
• doing gender
• transgender

Note

Notes on contributor

Hannah Rossiter a member of the Auckland, New Zealand trans community, completed a Master of Arts in Sociology in 2014. She is a doctoral candidate in Women's Studies at the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on social interactions within the transgender communities in New Zealand.

Notes

1. The term “tranny chaser” usually refers to cisgender men, but it can also include cis women who have sexual relationships with trans women but do not want to be seen in public with them.