Where Have All The Masc Lesbians Gone?

Hosts Karbin and Em explore the "mask shortage" narrative with guests Dr. Tori Smith and Rhea Carey, defining butch, stud, and mask identities while debunking the idea that butches are disappearing. The episode examines the intertwined histories of lesbian and trans communities, highlighting how butch culture was historically criminalized and how modern transphobic panic is often fueled by external fascist agendas rather than internal community conflict.

Topics discussed

Sponsor: Progressive Insurance Introduction and guest introductions Defining butch and stud identities Trans masculine, lesbian, and queer labels The history and reclamation of the word dyke Navigating label conversations without conflict Generational shifts in butch aesthetics and visibility Safety, accessibility, and passing in public spaces Sponsor: Field Dating App The 'Butch Flight' narrative and trans men in history Celebrity transitions and the fear of loss Fascism, Project 2025, and community division Defining sapphic and the sociological approach to labels Inclusion in organizations and historical foremothers Inclusivity in lesbian spaces and events The disappearance of lesbian bars and pop-up culture Intertwined lesbian and trans histories Class, criminalization, and butch culture Butch-femme sexual dynamics and myths Sponsor: Beducated Sponsor: TomboyX Underwear Leslie Feinberg, Sandy Stone, and community division Gender nonconformity and historical figures like Pauli Murray Butch invisibility and global violence against butches Masculinity in crisis and heteronormative assumptions Global lesbophobia, forced marriage, and land rights Intersectionality and the Western concept of coming out Invisibility as a function of lesbophobia Sexualization by men and the 'othering' of butches Navigating PDA and assumptions in public Survival strategies: De-escalation and corporate spaces Visibility as protest and using privilege for safety The paradox of butch invisibility and changing styles Sponsor: PlayWell Representation of butches in media and film Softening butchness in American television Lesbians as allies to the trans community and bathroom policing Conclusion and where to find the guests

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Where Have All The Masc Lesbians Gone?

Summary

Topics discussed