The Butch Factor

Last night I caught a screening of a very interesting documentary at the LGBT Center, The Butch Factor, presented by Frameline. It explores the issue of masculinity - how it is constructed by society and ourselves - particularly in reference to gay men, who are really left to construct their masculinity - or lack thereof - on their own, since male homosexuality is not generally compatible with "manliness," at least in our society. (Socities in the past, like the Ancient Greeks and Romans, didn't seem to have this problem so much...) The subjects interviewed for the film - a number of whom were on hand for a Q&A afterwards - covered the masculinity spectrum from effeminate sissy and FTM transgendered to a number of brawny, hairy specimens more overtly masculine than most straight guys I know. They all articulated themselves quite well. Jack Malebranche, author of "Androphilia," appeared in an interview segment, asserting his feeling that gay culture is all about trivial shit like fashion and has no place for integrity, a sense of honor, pride in one's accomplishments - a view I still have a problem with and see as rather simplistic: I like clothing and shopping and more on the sissy end than the butch one in the masculinity spectrum I'm sure, yet I like to think of myself as a person of integrity and, dare I say, even HONOR, and I don't see any necessary conflict there. I noticed that, in contrast to Malebranche's obvious antipathy for queeny gay guys, a couple of the other very masculine, Lou Ferrigno-looking guys not only didn't express any dislike for effeminate gay guys, but even complimented them a couple times, saying they were really the tough ones, since they'd had to learn to defend themselves from an early age and "don't take shit from anybody." One of the two "sissy boys" interviewed made a very interesting point about how this very condition has resulted in him developing the BITCH side of his persona, which is unfortunately then carried over into relationships with others WITHIN the GLBT community itself - a reality I've thought about and commented on myself in the past. All in all, an excellent documentary, and I'm looking forward to the spin-offs it may produce - "The Adonis Factor," which director Christopher Hines said will deal with issues of body image, and maybe others that could take the issues touched on in "The Butch Factor" in other directions, such as adding the element of race, and also maybe a flip-side doc dealing with the (de)construction of femininity amongst lesbians. That I want to see, since I've always had a fondness for butch women.