Our current social climate suggests that there is greater tolerance and acceptance of lesbians than ever before. There is evidence to suggest that gays and lesbians are becoming fully integrated into mainstream culture. Gay and lesbian characters are now regular media features with entire television shows such as The L-Word constructed around “lesbian” characters. Social acceptance of same sex sexual behavior has become such that celebrities such as Madonna and Britney Spears can kiss each other on national television to the titillation and amused delight of straight viewers. Perhaps the biggest indicator of increased acceptability of gays and lesbians is Canada’s 2005 change in marriage laws, now granting marriage licenses to same sex couples. Despite these seeming advances to gay and lesbian equality, I contend that rather than cause for celebration, these developments are simply a modern spin on an old tactic – a reformulated method of assimilating and “normalizing” lesbians. The greater acceptance afforded to lesbians today is at least in part, a result of media images that commodify lesbians as reproductions of Hollywood straight women. Within this context it seems that few lesbians today, and even fewer young lesbians self identify as butch. My hypothesis is that if lesbian feminism was the old threat to butch identity, the shunning of identity and the appeal of inclusivity within the neo-liberal, capitalist paradigm is perhaps the new. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis and a feminist methodology, this thesis analyses historical and contemporary discourses related to lesbian subjectivity to explicate how butch identity is being made to disappear within North American lesbian communities. / Graduate

This thesis focuses on perceptions of butch privilege in the undergraduate student body at Georgia State University. Butch privilege is similar to traditional definitions of privilege, whether male, white or heterosexual. I define it as the unearned and unacknowledged privilege experienced by a butch lesbian (perceived or self-identified) due to her occupation of masculinity. In order to investigate this topic, an exploratory quantitative analysis of how perceptions of masculinity and status are associated with butch privilege was conducted. A survey consisting of questions regarding participants’ perceptions of how differential privileges are extended to masculine and feminine looking women were presented to undergraduate students during introductory sociology classes. I found that the privileges traditionally reserved for white males in society are perceived to be extended to white butch lesbians due to their occupation of masculinity.

<p>The following text is a study of non-normative gender positions and sexualities in the architecture of the senses proposing and encouraging a new way of thinking about the built environment in terms of gender. My assumption is that a change in the way that we think about gender in the theory, practice and education of architecture also will affect the way we think about gender in relation to bodies. By showing that what we usually take for granted as a symbol for male masculinity in the expression of architectural space due to essentialist ideas about gender, can just as well be interpreted as a form of female masculinity, or an expression of butchness, my aim is to disrupt, dislocate and resignify patriarchal and heterosexist norms. I also touch briefly upon the construction of gender and racialization of sexuality within female masculinity in terms other than sex, such as class, race and ethnicity.</p><p>In an architectural analysis of Peter Zumthor’s bathhouse in Vals, Switzerland, I apply a newly constructed methodology, what I call non-essential phenomenology, joining aspects of both phenomenological ideas and post-structural thought based on texts by Juhani Pallasmaa and Judith Butler. Within this methodology, I devise several new concepts such as transmateria, material performativity, and sexual material performativity which are necessary for analyzing both the performative aspects of matter and the materialization of gender in bodies. By showing that more than one interpretation exists in the way we create and inhabit space, I present the possibility of shifting and resignifying earlier assumptions about sex/gender, dismantling essentialist thinking and disrupting heteronormative trends, while retaining the materiality of matter and body to create spaces which benefit all bodies, genders and sexualities.</p>

The following text is a study of non-normative gender positions and sexualities in the architecture of the senses proposing and encouraging a new way of thinking about the built environment in terms of gender. My assumption is that a change in the way that we think about gender in the theory, practice and education of architecture also will affect the way we think about gender in relation to bodies. By showing that what we usually take for granted as a symbol for male masculinity in the expression of architectural space due to essentialist ideas about gender, can just as well be interpreted as a form of female masculinity, or an expression of butchness, my aim is to disrupt, dislocate and resignify patriarchal and heterosexist norms. I also touch briefly upon the construction of gender and racialization of sexuality within female masculinity in terms other than sex, such as class, race and ethnicity. In an architectural analysis of Peter Zumthor’s bathhouse in Vals, Switzerland, I apply a newly constructed methodology, what I call non-essential phenomenology, joining aspects of both phenomenological ideas and post-structural thought based on texts by Juhani Pallasmaa and Judith Butler. Within this methodology, I devise several new concepts such as transmateria, material performativity, and sexual material performativity which are necessary for analyzing both the performative aspects of matter and the materialization of gender in bodies. By showing that more than one interpretation exists in the way we create and inhabit space, I present the possibility of shifting and resignifying earlier assumptions about sex/gender, dismantling essentialist thinking and disrupting heteronormative trends, while retaining the materiality of matter and body to create spaces which benefit all bodies, genders and sexualities.

In previous research biological sex and gender are defined as the same thing, which has lead to a misconception of Gender. However, the notion of stereotypes being connected to a sex is inevitable. While this may not be true in each and every game, drastic underrepresentation becomes a problem. It is a self-perpetuating cycle; designing for a target group that is constructed from a stereotype, that stereotype then dictates the norm for the target group and society adapts to fit that norm. This cycle has to break, as people are not stereotypes. Our hypothesis is that a queer perspective could provide a more nuanced spectrum of gender thus making games more inclusive for a broader audience. We will test this by using a queer theoretical approach to discourse analysis of segments from the game: Dragon Age: Origins ™ (2009). We chose this game for the chance to explore the possibilities for self-expression and sexuality in an environment which allows a more complex relationship between characters.

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The following project serves to question the effects of capitalism upon modes of eroticism, misogyny and sexism by focusing upon the black masculine female (butch/stud) within Street Lit. Chapter one defines Street Lit, its importance, and Trick(Ster)ing as a concept. Chapter 2 is a close analysis of two primary texts utilizing Trick(Ster)ing as a method of survival and resistance in a capitalist society. The final chapter discusses the relationship between black female masculinity and misogyny. / text

Despite an increased awareness of the diversity of gender identities, butch and femme roles continue to be viewed as lesbian stereotypes that reinforce rather than challenge heteronormativity. This study explores how self-identified butch and femme lesbian women define themselves and how their identities influence their sexual/romantic relationships. Interviews were conducted with 20 lesbians who identified as butch, femme, or neither to learn what these identities meant to them. While the interviewees saw their identities as unique, a number of similarities emerged. This thesis analyzes the themes of conflict with a gender binary model, stereotypes of butch and femme, replication of heterosexuality, labeling stigma, family support, and finally romantic/sexual relationships. Women identifying as butch and femme attempt to defy the societal norms of what gender identity and relationship behavior should look like, yet they may unintentionally reinforce heteronormative gender roles.

This study was designed to examine the effects of identifying as a butch, androgynous, or femme lesbian on self-esteem, internalized homophobia, and passing behaviors. It was hypothesized that butch lesbians would have higher self-esteem, lower internalized homophobia, and fewer passing behaviors than femme lesbians, with androgynous lesbians falling between the butch and femme groups. Self-esteem was measuring using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Internalized homophobia was assessed by the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale. Passing behaviors were addressed through questions in the demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by conducting an ANOVA analysis. Results indicated that butch lesbians have the lowest internalized homophobia and the lowest amount of passing behaviors; androgynous lesbians have a highest self esteem. Implications of this study for research and practice are discussed.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

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