Femme Lesbian

A femme lesbian is a lesbian with a feminine gender presentation, one half of the butch-femme pairing that took shape in working-class American lesbian bars after World War II. Because feminine presentation is often read as heterosexual, femme lesbians have frequently been made invisible or had their orientation dismissed based on how they look, a pattern sometimes called femme invisibility. Within lesbian and broader queer communities, femme is a reclaimed and honored identity with a deep tradition of writing, art, and community. It is a chosen expression, not a lesser or less authentic way of being a lesbian.