Hi! Thanks for checking this out! This is an extremely rough draft that is subject to change, so if this seems incomplete there is a reason why

Before I start this: If you are interested in lesbian history or want to educate yourself further on lesboys, I encourage you to do some research for yourself. Small resource infosites like these can only skim the surface of complex subjects like gender and sexuality and make them digestible for the average reader.

A Lesboy is someone who identifies as both as masculine or a male and a lesbian.

There are multiple people who may fall under this label, including:

  • Genderfluid/Multigender people who identify as a lesbian even when their identity is masculine.
  • Butch or GNC lesbians
  • Transmasc individuals who are attracted to women
  • Binary trans men who still feel a connection to lesbianism, womanhood, or generally identify in a way that is disconnected from the world's view of the gender binary and gender centric ideology.
  • And more

If you are in these groups and don't self-classify as a lesboy, that is okay! Everyone's experience with gender identity and sexuality going to be different, and how the two interact can be very intertwined or disconnected.

That being said: Not everyone who identifies as a butch or trans man will feel connected to the lesboy identity, and it is an important distinction to make. To sum it up, it is important not to make assumptions about anyone, especially in regard to gender and sexuality

Common Misconceptions:

  • Lesboys are NOT cis men identifying with a lesbian label
  • If a trans man chooses to use the lesbian label it is not "invalidating their gender identity" as they themselves are self identified lesbians
  • This complex relationship between gender and sexuality is not new, and has been seen as early as the nineteenth century.
  • Lesboys are not men "invading lesbian spaces" as lesbian spaces have Always included the gender diverse. People who identify with this label may have experience with womanhood, may have even identified as a lesbian prior to realising they were transgender, or even just have completely decentralized gender from their lives.
  • This is not an "internet problem", lesboys exist all around us in openly queer spaces and have for an extremely long time.

Influential Figures:

  • One of the most well known figures when talking about lesboys would be Leslie Feinberg, a transgender and LGBTQ+ rights activist. Feinberg is also the writer of the 1993 book, Stone Butch Blues, where ze writes about hir experience in regards to being a transgender, butch lesbian personified into a character named Jess. In this book, Jess takes testosterone and lives his life as a man while retaining a lesbian identity.
  • Another well known figure is Stormé DeLarverie, a black, butch, drag king in the 1960s who used he/him pronouns along with she/they. DeLarverie had a run in with the police, which is said to have sparked the fire under the Stonewall riot, causing others in the crowd to take action. He was a pioneer in genderqueer fashion as they were often seen wearing androgynous clothing in and out of drag.

When discussing these figures, there is often a debate on whether or not they were "actually" men or not. I think it is important not to debate such topics on dead people, as they are not here to clarify. That being said, It is still very apparent that gender was very aligned with their lesbianism, regardless if it was binary or if they even had the correct words to classify themselves.

Important Notes:

  • Constantly acting in interpersonal LGBT conflict is redundant, misunderstanding is Not a basis for hatred.
  • Just like any topic, informing yourself on what you don't understand is critical to beginning to understand other people's experiences.
  • Excluding individuals such as lesboys into so called inclusive spaces is exclusion, whether you disagree with the label or not.

and Finally:

  • Kindness is important, especially with the state of the world right now. Treating other people who fall in our community with respect is vital to maintaining and strengthening the community when turmoil comes. We all have extremely different life experiences, and this may come with labels you dont necessarily understand. Having an open mind and having healthy discussions without negative preconceived notions is vital to even beginning to understand the complex overlap that is gender and sexuality.

Edit

Pub: 21 Oct 2021 05:01 UTC

Edit: 23 Aug 2025 21:00 UTC

Views: 2461