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''Dyke'' is a
slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...
term, used as a noun meaning
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
and as an adjective describing things associated with lesbians. It originated as a homophobic slur for masculine, butch, or
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...
girls or women. Pejorative use of the word still exists, but the term ''dyke'' has been reappropriated by many lesbians to imply assertiveness and toughness.


Origins and historical usage

The origin of the term ''dyke'' is obscure and many theories have been proposed. Most
etymologies Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words a ...
assert that ''dyke'' is derived from ''bulldyke'', which has a similar meaning. The term first appears in an August 1921 article in the journal ''Medical Review of Reviews'' titled "The 'Fairy' and the Lady Lover". In this article, Perry M. Lichtenstein, a prison physician in New York City, reports on the case of a female prisoner he examined: "She stated that she had indulged in the practice of 'bull diking,' as she termed it. She was a prisoner in one of the reformatories, and there a certain young woman fell in love with her." The forms ''bulldyker'' and ''bulldyking'' also appear later on in the
Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...
novels of the late 1920s, including
Eric D. Walrond Eric Derwent Walrond (18 December 1898 – 8 August 1966) was an Afro-Caribbean Harlem Renaissance writer and journalist. Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, the son of a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese father, Walrond was well-travelled, mo ...
's 1926 ''Tropic Death'', Carl van Vechten's 1926 ''
Nigger Heaven ''Nigger Heaven'' is a novel written by Carl Van Vechten, and published in October 1926. The book is set during the Harlem Renaissance in the United States in the 1920s. The book and its title have been controversial since its publication. The ...
'', and
Claude McKay Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay Order of Jamaica, OJ (September 15, 1890See Wayne F. Cooper, ''Claude McKay, Rebel Sojourner In The Harlem Renaissance (New York, Schocken, 1987) p. 377 n. 19. As Cooper's authoritative biography explains, McKay's ...
's 1928 ''Home to Harlem''. The ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'' notes the first attestation as Berrey and Van den Bark's 1942 ''American Thesaurus of Slang'', which lists ''bulldiker'' as a synonym for ''lesbian''.. The etymology of ''bulldyke'' is also obscure. It may be related to the late-19th-century slang use of ''dike'' ("ditch") for the
vulva The vulva (plural: vulvas or vulvae; derived from Latin for wrapper or covering) consists of the external female sex organs. The vulva includes the mons pubis (or mons veneris), labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vestibular bulbs, vulv ...
. ''Bull'' ("male cattle") being used in the sense of "masculine" and "aggressive" (e.g., in ''bullish''), a ''bulldyke'' would have implied (with similar levels of offensiveness) a "masculine
cunt ''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United St ...
". Other theories include that ''bulldyke'' derived from ''morphodite'', a variant of ''
hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have ...
''; that it was a term for stud bulls and originally applied to sexually successful men;. or that it was a dialectical corruption of the name of the rebel Celtic queen
Boadicea Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...
. From the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, ''dike'' had been American slang for a well-dressed man, with "diked out" and "out on a dike" indicating a young man was in his best clothes and ready for a night on the town. The etymology of that term is also obscure, but may have originated as a
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
n variant of ''deck'' and ''decked out''. In the 1950s, the word ''dyke'' was used as a derogatory term for lesbians by straight people, but was also used by lesbians of higher social status to identify crude, rough-bar lesbians. In a 1970 study, Julia Stanley theorized that the source of these varying definitions stems from gender-determined sub-dialects. Homosexuality in America is a “subculture with its own language.” As such, a special vocabulary is developed by its members. Previously, male homosexuals defined ''dyke'' as lesbian without derogation. A ''bull dyke'' was also defined as a lesbian without further distinction. For female homosexuals of the community, however, a dyke is an extremely masculine, easily identified lesbian, given to indiscretion. ''Bull dyke'' is an extension of this term, with the addition of this person described as nasty, obnoxiously aggressive, and overly demonstrative of her hatred of men. In 1995, Susan Krantz discussed the etymology of ''bulldyke'', with derivations of the Middle English "falsehood" for ''bull'' and ''dick'' for ''dyke'' (Farmer and Henley 1891). Therefore, a possible origin for a masculine lesbian comes from ''bulldicker'' that could specifically mean "fake penis", denoting a "false man". Further speculation talks of the synonymous term ''bulldagger.'' Here, dagger also alludes to the male genitalia and bull referring to "false" rather than "man".


Increasing acceptance

In 1969, people in the gay community began to march in the streets to demand
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
. Terms such as ''dyke'' and ''faggot'' were used to identify people as political activists for the gay community. During this time, ''dyke'' referred to a woman committed to revolution, the most radical position. A surge of feminism in the lesbian community led to " dyke separatism", which emphasized that lesbian women should consider themselves to be separate from men, their ideas and movements. In 1971, the poem ''The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke'' by
Judy Grahn Judy Grahn (born July 28, 1940) is an American poet and author. Inspired by her experiences of disenfranchisement as a butch lesbian, she became a feminist poet, highly-regarded in underground circles before achieving public fame. A major influe ...
was published by the Women's Press Collective. This use of ''dyke'' empowered the lesbian community because heretofore it had only been employed as a condemnation. Because of the exposure of the word to the public, the term ''dyke'' was reclaimed by the lesbian community in the 1970s. The meaning of ''dyke'' has positively changed over time. Most members of the community have dropped ''bull'' from the term to use it as a positive identifier of one who displays toughness, or as a simple, generic term for all lesbians. This abbreviation does not carry the negative connotations of the full phrase as it previously did. Scholar Paula Blank, in a 2011 article on lesbian etymology, called for taking ownership of ''lesbian'' and similar words. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the term ''dyke'' was claimed by many lesbians as a term of pride and empowerment.
Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...
, author of comic strip '' Dykes to Watch Out For'' (1983–2008), said use of the term was "linguistic activism". The strip depicts the lives of a lesbian community and is one of the earliest representations of lesbians in popular culture. It has been described "as important to new generations of lesbians as landmark novels like
Rita Mae Brown Rita Mae Brown (born November 28, 1944) is an American feminist writer, best known for her coming-of-age autobiographical novel, ''Rubyfruit Jungle''. Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of le ...
's ''
Rubyfruit Jungle ''Rubyfruit Jungle'' is the first novel by Rita Mae Brown. Published in 1973, it was remarkable in its day for its explicit portrayal of lesbianism. The novel is a coming-of-age autobiographical account of Brown's youth and emergence as a lesb ...
'' (1973) and
Lisa Alther Lisa Alther (born July 23, 1944) is an American author and novelist. Personal life Alther was born in Kingsport, Tennessee in 1944. Her father was a surgeon, while her mother was a homemaker. She has 3 brothers and a sister. She graduated from W ...
's '' Kinflicks'' (1976) were to an earlier one." In her 2011 article ''The Only Dykey One'', Lucy Jones argues that consideration of lesbian culture is core to an understanding of lesbian identity construction. Matters came to a head when the
United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...
denied the lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes a trademark for its name, on the grounds ''dyke'' was offensive, derogatory and disparaging to lesbians. However, the office reversed itself and permitted the group to register its name after attorneys appealed and submitted hundreds of pages to show the slang word does not disparage lesbians in the way it once did. On December 8, 2005, Dykes on Bikes won the trademark case, and the organization has since gained international recognition for leading gay pride parades from
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
to
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
.


Facebook controversy

In June 2017,
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
censored the use of the word "dyke" on its website as "abusive content". This decision resulted in a Change.org protest petition created by the ''Listening 2 Lesbians'' collective that was signed by 7,247 supporters.


Dyke March

Dyke Marches have become popular gay pride events nationwide in the United States and Canada. They are generally non-commercial, in sharp contrast to corporate-sponsored pride events, and some are participated in by
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...
and
trans women A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and s ...
. The stated mission of the Boston Dyke March, for example, is "to provide a dynamic and welcoming space for participants of all sexualities, genders, races, ages, ethnicities, sizes, economic backgrounds, and physical abilities." Marches also take place in several European cities. The United Kingdom's first Dyke March was held in London in 2012. In Germany, the annual Dyke March Berlin was established in 2013. In Mexico, the Marcha Lésbica (Lesbian March) was founded in March 2003 and is held biannually in Mexico City.


Dyke bar

A dyke bar is any bar or club frequented by lesbians, and is considered as slang in the vocabulary of the
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
community. The existence of official dyke bars, or lesbian bars, in the United States has decreased tremendously in the past 40 years. In the 1980s there were around 200 lesbian bars, in 2021 the number is thought to be at 16. The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
contributed to the closing of dyke bars, with the lack of business preventing bar owners from paying rent, exacerbating an already existing decline in lesbian spaces. While gay bars and gender inclusive LGBT bars exist across the United States, spaces specifically for lesbians/sapphics are much less common, and their presence is steadily decreasing.


Gallery

File:Alison Bechdel at Politics and Prose.jpg,
Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...
, author, '' Dykes to Watch Out For'' File:A Dyke on a Bike by David Shankbone.jpg, Dyke on bike at
New York City Pride March The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. Among the largest Pride events in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each J ...
(2007) File:DC DYKE MARCH IMG 0323 (48041539136).jpg, Dyke March, Washington, D.C. (2019)


See also

* LGBT slang *
Queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the l ...
*
Terminology of homosexuality Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, ...
* Van Dykes


References


Further reading

* * * (article about the Van Dykes collective) * * ;Books and journals * * * * *


External links


Dyke
at Online Etymology Dictionary
Dyke
at Wordorigins.org
''Dyke, A Quarterly''
published 1975–1979 (annotated archive, live website)
''Dykes to Watch Out For''
comic strip by
Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dyke Lesbian culture Lesbianism Lesbian slang Lesbophobia Homophobic slurs Pejorative terms for women English words hu:Dyke