The "Imitation" of Gender

In Judith Butler's excerpt, she briefly discusses the misconstrued notion of drag as an imitation of heterosexuality. In the same vein, this dichotomous thinking demonstrates its pervasiveness in lesbian communities as well, where many (but not all) individuals label themselves as "butch" or "femme" – performing traits that would be perceived by the general populace as masculine or feminine. The dynamic of lesbian relationships is not so simple that it can be ignorantly regarded as a mere copy of heterosexuality, and yet the dominant values imposed upon society lead us to believe so until otherwise educated.

It is key to note that regarding lesbianism as an imitation of heterosexuality – like drag – is erroneous and a mechanism of oppression rooted in the dominant ideology, and in conjunction with other race and gender theorists we have studied, that this leads to great complexities than many of us will realize. For instance, how this dichotomous thinking affects lesbian, black communities. Not only is it that studs can only date femmes (a system of oppression and restraint within another existing, overarching system of oppression), but performative factors come into play as well such as the fact that studs are not allowed to become pregnant, nor have a weave instead of dreads. The women in this case are oppressed on the grounds of race, sexuality, and now even gender as the norms of society restrict identity and expression.

Simply put, as we study the perception of lesbianism in mainstream society we cannot forget the devastating effects of racism as well when overlaid in a system of intersectionality. For those who would like to learn more about the black lesbian community that was studied, I recommend Nneka Onuorah's short documentary, "Same Difference" (05:22).

I couldn't agree more with your response, Jaden. Our society setting heterosexuality as the default from which other forms of sexuality are argued to have altered has led many to believe that lesbians are not self-defined and independent individuals but rather the imitators of heterosexuality. Such belief has been reinforced so frequently that the lesbians themselves have internalized this view and identify themselves within the categories of "butch" or "femme" as you insightfully pointed out. In this kind of dichotomous thinking system, it is virtually impossible for lesbian individuals and/or communities to completely free themselves from the oppression. What is crucial in fighting against and eventually abolishing such oppression, I believe, is a shift in paradigm that allows lesbians to define and identify themselves to their liking or allows them to maybe not define themselves at all in terms of sexuality if such fits their individual desire.