Labels

What is butch and femme, and why are they necessary?  Is it not enough that we're either "straight" or "gay" or "bisexual"?  Is this extra bit of marginalization really necessary?  I mean, really?

I've been thinking hard about this concept, and I think I'm entitled to a rant.  

I understand that I'm new to the whole LGBT comm, but I know I am not the only person who rolls their eyes at this extra bit of labelling.  And it's not the fact that there are labels; we're human and we need to tag something in order to be able to better understand it.  But when people start thinking of themselves or others as only a label and can't see outside of the box, that's when the problems begin.

I was reading... something on the web (blog, article, comment?) and the speaker began going on about "butch," "femme"  "soft butch," and "stone butch".  First I laughed out loud, and then began to seethe.  Is it really necessary to 1) box oneself into a particular identity, and 2) categorize everyone else the in the same manner?  Sometime I wish I could give Western society a good shake to weaken the social norms and help make the implementation of more modern ideas easier.

What happened to people just being people and then the attraction following afterward?  And why do some individuals (for example lesbians) seek only a particular type of partner?  Why must the person always be "femme" or "butch"?

But I wonder if that's like another person only preferring redheads or Asians?  Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion.... I do have my moments.

But before I point the finger outward, I must examine my own biases.  I acknowledge that I am a product of my generation, my time period and my culture (Black, American, female, working class, etc.)/  I have prejudices just like everyone else.  I examine them regularly and attempt to break them down to their root. 

However, speaking specifically in terms of attraction and traits I consider to be a desirable in a partner... I don't think ethnicity is really the determining factor.  More like culture.  I've been raised in a certain type of culture, and feel most comfortable within it.  That doesn't mean I'm willing to wander around a bit and explore what other peoples have to offer.....

I got distracted by Facebook and Stars so I'm going to end here. I did think of two topics to blog about for later though!!  Let's see if I can remember them for tomorrow.  :-P