DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

Transcribe
Translate

Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-07-24 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 7

the Sisters
Speak-Out 
[hand drawn woman]

I assured her that I wouldn't touch her and tried to explain that because I was homosexual didn't mean that I went around attacking other women but that I preferred the company of women and when it happened that 2 of us liked the same things, could talk, maybe even enjoyed arguing with each other, just like heterosexual couples - then - and only then - could there be "sex". 
I'll have to grant her this, she tried her best to understand. Once she realized that I wasn't going to rape her she started questioning me about how I felt, and why I was what I was, etc.
It became apparent though, that she didn't understand. Some friends that I had asked to join us for dinner called to say they would be out shortly, and when I mentioned their names, Bobbie and Joe, she very seriously informed me that if they were two girls she was leaving. When a man and a woman showed up she was visibly relieved.
That night she slept in my bed and I slept on the couch knowing that she would sleep fitfully, listening for my step.
In the morning as she was preparing to leave she blurted out the speech she had memorized for my benefit, "If you never mention this again, I won't, and we can still be friends." I assured her that was fine with me and that I would never mention it again. She told me that she would write in about 2 weeks and plan when I could come and visit at her house .... Months have passed without the word that I knew would not come.

Butch to Woman
As a very special person once said to me, "What is this butch business anyway?"
A butch is a gay woman who takes a more dominant role in the lesbian affair. She usually will be wearing men's clothes...sometimes right down to men's shorts. You'll recognize her because she appears to be a woman trying to be a man. She'll sometimes be in competition with men over women. I know because I was a butch. I cut my hair short and combed it as much like a man's haircut as I could. I walked bowlegged-- guess it made me feel tough. I was ready to defend at any moment, sometimes almost looking for a fight just to prove that I was a big butch even though I was scared to death.
I wanted to be a stud--in other words I wanted to please many women, but most of all I wanted one woman to love, support and defend. Of course she had to meet certain qualifications. She had to be tiny, good looking and blonde. She had to be able to cook, wash, iron, and keep house--also handle financial affairs--I hate that! Most of all she had to want only me, jump at my slightest command, and never look at another butch, liable to severe punishment. 
I wasted more smiles at fems and spent more money buying drinks and paying for motel rooms--all or fems that didn't want to settle down, or at least not with me. 
After all the bad things in life that could descend on a person had descended upon me, some friends of mine introduced me to this girl. Ugs--some friends--she was skinny, no make-up, her hair was a mess, flat chested, and not too friendly-looking either. after a long debate (about 5 minutes) I decided she was a little uneasy so I poured my charms and bought her a few drinks. Well, the more beer I had the better she looked, so I decided to see what I could do for this one. I took her for a drive in the country. I kissed her once, then I took her home. What if she liked me? Then I would have to take her out again and there was no way. Oh well, guess I should be nice and ask her out again so I wouldn't totally crush her. Not to mention that I was pissed because she was falling asleep. The date was made for the next night--a birthday party for a dear friend of mine. At least there would be lots of people there, and I wouldn't have to talk to her much. She wouldn't even acknowledge me at the party, just sat in her own little corner and drank. Since I was feeling pretty good I started to move in. Total shut down. I Mean my good intentions and honest feelings were really crushed. Well let me tell you that was the last time I saw her, for a while anyway. My roommate kept seeing her, and I was beginning to feel a little angry and I wasn't going to let it go at that. I tried for another date. This time it would be going to a gay bar just for fun as friends and nothing else--she consented. I picked her up that night and wouldn't you know it out came the cutest little butch I had ever laid eyes on. I swallowed my heart, and drove off. I had an interesting evening- looking for some fems. Well we became pals and one evening under the stars she said to me, "What is this butch business anyway?" I damn near swallowed my tongue. This girl wasn't a butch or anything, she just hadn't been around. So I told her how I felt. She wasn't about to be owned by anyone. I found out later that she was afraid of me because of my masculine, dominant, possessive traits. What she wanted was a woman. I did a lot of hard soul-searching and let a little of the softness in me come out. You know we started out new. She began to be less frightened of me and I began to really fall for her and so our relationship began. 
Well I was still butch, but I was a soft butch still possessive and dominant. She moved in with me and it was time for our relationship to start growing. 
Then I was introduced to WLF and I learned how women were oppressed and how I was oppressed as a woman. You know -- things were beginning to fit into place. I was a chauvanistic bastard. I was guilty of oppressing the woman I loved. After some conscioussness-raising with the gay women in WLF, I started to change.
I guess the thing that really had me tied up inside was feeling guilty about being gay. I felt guilty liking to do the things men do like lift the heavy things, was the car, grease the car, fix the electrical appliances, etc. Then I realized that these were things society has taught the men to do and that if a woman did them she was queer. But these are things that need to be done and anyone who can do them and wants to can and should!
Sure I still wear men's pants and shirts because I fend they are cheaper, built better, and fit better -- not because I want t pass for a man. I am not possessive over the woman I love anymore. She is a woman. She has a ind of her own and can make her own decisions. I have no right to tell her what to do. We share equally in all the work that needs to be done and neither one of us is afraid to show our feelings. We are complimentary to each other. We share and recognize each other's needs. Needless to say, we have grown together. Our love has grown and matured. We have found that there is no reason for the butch and fems--that we are women in love. We feel none of the guilt that society has tried to inflict us with. As a result we can contribute more to society separately and together. 

a Woman? [hand drawn arm]
July 24, 1970     7

Saving...

the Sisters Speak-Out [hand drawn woman] I assured her that I wouldn't touch her and tried to explain that because I was homosexual didn't mean that I went around attacking other women but that I preferred the company of women and when it happened that 2 of us liked the same things, could talk, maybe even enjoyed arguing with each other, just like heterosexual couples - then - and only then - could there be "sex". I'll have to grant her this, she tried her best to understand. Once she realized that I wasn't going to rape her she started questioning me about how I felt, and why I was what I was, etc. It became apparent though, that she didn't understand. Some friends that I had asked to join us for dinner called to say they would be out shortly, and when I mentioned their names, Bobbie and Joe, she very seriously informed me that if they were two girls she was leaving. When a man and a woman showed up she was visibly relieved. That night she slept in my bed and I slept on the couch knowing that she would sleep fitfully, listening for my step. In the morning as she was preparing to leave she blurted out the speech she had memorized for my benefit, "If you never mention this again, I won't, and we can still be friends." I assured her that was fine with me and that I would never mention it again. She told me that she would write in about 2 weeks and plan when I could come and visit at her house .... Months have passed without the word that I knew would not come. Butch to Woman As a very special person once said to me, "What is this butch business anyway?" A butch is a gay woman who takes a more dominant role in the lesbian affair. She usually will be wearing men's clothes...sometimes right down to men's shorts. You'll recognize her because she appears to be a woman trying to be a man. She'll sometimes be in competition with men over women. I know because I was a butch. I cut my hair short and combed it as much like a man's haircut as I could. I walked bowlegged-- guess it made me feel tough. I was ready to defend at any moment, sometimes almost looking for a fight just to prove that I was a big butch even though I was scared to death. I wanted to be a stud--in other words I wanted to please many women, but most of all I wanted one woman to love, support and defend. Of course she had to meet certain qualifications. She had to be tiny, good looking and blonde. She had to be able to cook, wash, iron, and keep house--also handle financial affairs--I hate that! Most of all she had to want only me, jump at my slightest command, and never look at another butch, liable to severe punishment. I wasted more smiles at fems and spent more money buying drinks and paying for motel rooms--all or fems that didn't want to settle down, or at least not with me. After all the bad things in life that could descend on a person had descended upon me, some friends of mine introduced me to this girl. Ugs--some friends--she was skinny, no make-up, her hair was a mess, flat chested, and not too friendly-looking either. after a long debate (about 5 minutes) I decided she was a little uneasy so I poured my charms and bought her a few drinks. Well, the more beer I had the better she looked, so I decided to see what I could do for this one. I took her for a drive in the country. I kissed her once, then I took her home. What if she liked me? Then I would have to take her out again and there was no way. Oh well, guess I should be nice and ask her out again so I wouldn't totally crush her. Not to mention that I was pissed because she was falling asleep. The date was made for the next night--a birthday party for a dear friend of mine. At least there would be lots of people there, and I wouldn't have to talk to her much. She wouldn't even acknowledge me at the party, just sat in her own little corner and drank. Since I was feeling pretty good I started to move in. Total shut down. I Mean my good intentions and honest feelings were really crushed. Well let me tell you that was the last time I saw her, for a while anyway. My roommate kept seeing her, and I was beginning to feel a little angry and I wasn't going to let it go at that. I tried for another date. This time it would be going to a gay bar just for fun as friends and nothing else--she consented. I picked her up that night and wouldn't you know it out came the cutest little butch I had ever laid eyes on. I swallowed my heart, and drove off. I had an interesting evening- looking for some fems. Well we became pals and one evening under the stars she said to me, "What is this butch business anyway?" I damn near swallowed my tongue. This girl wasn't a butch or anything, she just hadn't been around. So I told her how I felt. She wasn't about to be owned by anyone. I found out later that she was afraid of me because of my masculine, dominant, possessive traits. What she wanted was a woman. I did a lot of hard soul-searching and let a little of the softness in me come out. You know we started out new. She began to be less frightened of me and I began to really fall for her and so our relationship began. Well I was still butch, but I was a soft butch still possessive and dominant. She moved in with me and it was time for our relationship to start growing. Then I was introduced to WLF and I learned how women were oppressed and how I was oppressed as a woman. You know -- things were beginning to fit into place. I was a chauvanistic bastard. I was guilty of oppressing the woman I loved. After some conscioussness-raising with the gay women in WLF, I started to change. I guess the thing that really had me tied up inside was feeling guilty about being gay. I felt guilty liking to do the things men do like lift the heavy things, was the car, grease the car, fix the electrical appliances, etc. Then I realized that these were things society has taught the men to do and that if a woman did them she was queer. But these are things that need to be done and anyone who can do them and wants to can and should! Sure I still wear men's pants and shirts because I fend they are cheaper, built better, and fit better -- not because I want t pass for a man. I am not possessive over the woman I love anymore. She is a woman. She has a ind of her own and can make her own decisions. I have no right to tell her what to do. We share equally in all the work that needs to be done and neither one of us is afraid to show our feelings. We are complimentary to each other. We share and recognize each other's needs. Needless to say, we have grown together. Our love has grown and matured. We have found that there is no reason for the butch and fems--that we are women in love. We feel none of the guilt that society has tried to inflict us with. As a result we can contribute more to society separately and together. a Woman? [hand drawn arm] July 24, 1970 7