I like the word dyke. For some gay or bisexual women, no matter how many times they say the word they will never like it or even become desensitized to such a word. But I have come to love the word dyke. Lesbian sounds, strange and almost cynical. One woman I met, who considers herself a dyke, said that the word Lesbian sounds like a disease. “I am not from Lesbos.” She said, “I only know about Sappho.” And in a way I agree. Dyke was originally meant to be demeaning to women who could be considered butch. I tend not to consider my self butch or femme, because as human being and a woman, I am not that simple an individual but for the sake of making me and my story easier to understand I am femme.
Why do I like the word dyke you may ask? I like that it can sound tough where the word lesbian or queer sounds off, or clinical. It can also have an adorable connation as well. Dyke, dainty, dirty, damn, all words that I say proudly, I am a damn, dirty dyke. For someone who has been called dyke in the negative sense, may not be able to let it just roll off their back. But I say gay, queer, bi, les, non-straight label free women everywhere who love women should embrace the word. Dyke, dyke, dyke, dyke, dyke. The more I say it, and the more I meet women who love the word too, the more sense it makes. It just suits me.
In a perfect world we would not need such labels and it would not be necessary for women who love women, or men who love men, to explain themselves to the rest of the world. So as a woman who loves women, I have found a word the makes sense to me. That makes a statement that represents me, the stronger, sexier, openly dyke me. So my point is not the word you choose but what the word means and what you use it for.
