BUTCH: Not Like the Other Girls

Webpage.

Artist Statement.

Available Summary:

A photographic exploration of the liminal space occupied by female masculinity, BUTCH honours the beauty, power and diversity of women who transgress the gender binary, with subjects reflecting the many sizes, shapes, ethnicities, and styles of Butch. The transversal dialectic of female masculinity is celebrated here — unapologetic and undiluted.

-Official website.

Jack's Summary:

This is one of my favourite books, and I'm very glad to own it. Along with Butch Is Not A Dirty Word, I credit this photography book for opening my eyes to the richness and diversity of butch communities. The author, SD Holman, uses they/them pronouns on their website, and in this video identifies themself as a "butch, genderqueer leatherdyke".

"I love that my gender is recognised and respected by other butches, femmes, and queers," says an interviewee named Wistaria, "I appreciate being seen and accepted for who I am." Rina, fashionably dressed in a suit and tie, says, "We break the boundaries of gender identities." Murphy similarly celebrates transcending society's ideals of man and woman, saying, "I like living according to the gender identity I feel and see myself as." Ela, asked what it means to be butch, says, "It means being a different species of man and woman".

"I think two butches, two bois, two transmasculine individuals together is hot," says Jessie, who also describes not fitting in with butch/femme dynamics.

Benson, photographed standing upright with a firm expression, is quoted as saying, "I wanted to do these pictures to honour my female butch self before I transition." This is just one way in which BUTCH: Not Like the Other Girls highlights the intersection between trans and butch communities.

While this website focuses specifically on gender diversity among people who were assigned female at birth, inevitably including butchness, Holman offers a broader perspective on the people who belong and thrive in butch spaces.

Kay, for example, is quoted as saying, "Growing up, masculinity was something that was (at times) violently forced onto me. So, for the first year or so after I transitioned, I vehemently eschewed any clothing and mannerisms that could be perceived of as butch. Now, as I'm approaching my fifth year of (genderqueer) womanhood, I feel as though I've come full circle and fully embrace my butch clothing, stance, and swagger. Sometimes I don't even think the term male-to-female transsexual woman is accurate. It feels much more appropriate to identify with something like male-to-butch transsexual dyke".