This article is about the slang term. For other uses, see Dyke.

A dyke on a bike at New York City's 2007 LGBT pride parade. Dykes on Bikes (DOB are a loosely affiliated international network of mostly lesbian and dyke Motorcycle clubs including The Sirens in New York City The City of New York LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual

Dyke is a slang term for a lesbian with certain qualities. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Originally it was a derogatory label for a masculine or butch woman, and this usage still exists. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt However, it has also been reappropriated as a positive term implying assertiveness and toughness, or simply as a neutral synonym for lesbian. Reappropriation is the cultural process by which a group reclaims—re- appropriates —terms or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group Assertiveness is a Trait taught by many Personal development experts and psychotherapists and the subject of many popular Self-help books ^[1]

Origins

The origin of the term is obscure, and many theories have been proposed. ^[2][3] The first printed references come from 1920s novels connected with the Harlem Renaissance and suggest that the term was originally bulldyker, with dyke being a shortened form. The Harlem Renaissance was named after the anthology The New Negro, edited by Alain Locke in 1925 ^[2] For example, in the 1928 novel, "Home to Harlem", Claude McKay wrote:"[Lesbians are] what we calls bulldyker in Harlem. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Claude McKay ( September 15, 1889 May 22, 1948) was a Jamaican Writer and Poet. . . . I don't understan' . . . a bulldyking woman. " From the context of the novel, the word was considered crude and pejorative at the time. There are several theories of the origin of "bulldyker". One is that it arose as an abbreviation of "morphadike", a dialect variant of "hermaphrodite", a common term for homosexuals in the early twentieth century. This in turn may be related to the late nineteenth century use of "dyke" (meaning "ditch") as slang for the vulva. [1] "Bull" is also a common expression for "masculine" or "aggressive" (as in "bullish"), so bulldyke may have implied "masculine woman". According to another theory, bulldyker was a term used for bulls whose purpose it was to impregnate cows. Just as the word "stud" was first used for such a purpose and was later used for sexually promiscuous men or for others in reference to a man who was successful with women, the terms "bulldyker" and "bulldagger" were also taken from their original context and used for the same purpose. A man who was a great lover or successful with women was called a "bulldyker. " "Bulldyking woman" and "bulldyker" became terms for women who looked like a "bulldyker", a male stud, and were assumed to perform the role, as well. ^[4]

In Another Mother Tongue, Judy Grahn proposed that the word bulldyke might have arisen from the name of the Celtic queen Boadicea, but this theory is implausible. Judy Rae Grahn (born July 28, 1940, in Chicago) is an American Poet. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d ^[3][1]

Increasing acceptance

Sirens Motorcycle Club leading the New York City Gay Pride Parade. LGBT pride or gay pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that LGBT ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and

In the late 20th and early 21st century, the term was reclaimed by many lesbians. Examples in the culture include the comic strip "Dykes to Watch out For" and the traditional Dykes on Bikes that lead pride parades. Dykes to Watch Out For (sometimes DTWOF) is a Comic strip by Alison Bechdel. Dykes on Bikes (DOB are a loosely affiliated international network of mostly lesbian and dyke Motorcycle clubs including The Sirens in New York City

Matters came to a head when the United States Patent and Trademark Office denied lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes a trademark for its name, on the grounds that "dyke" was an offensive word. The United States Patent and Trademark Office ( PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues Patents to In 2005, after a prolonged court battle involving testimony on the word's changing role in the lesbian community, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board permitted the group to register its name. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (or " TTAB " is a body within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO responsible for hearing and deciding (365gay.com)

"Dyke Marches" have become a popular Pride event nationwide. They are generally non-commercial, often in sharp contrast to corporate-sponsored pride events, and are usually inclusive of lesbian, bi, and trans women.

Variants

The term will sometimes have an adjective added to it, as in:

• Bulldyke or Bull dyke or Bulldiker or Bulldiger (also, earlier, Bulldagger) – more likely to present as butch
• Diesel dyke – more likely to present as butch who most likely drives a truck
• Baby dyke – a young, immature or recently out lesbian. Closeted Coming out (that is " coming out of the closet " describes the voluntary public announcement of one's Sexual orientation and/or Gender identity Sometimes used in a pejorative sense within the LGBT community to refer to a lesbian who attempts to appear butch unsuccessfully. ^[5]
• Femme dyke – a lesbian who presents in an (often stylized) traditionally feminine way.
• Lipstick Dyke variation on the pop-culture term "lipstick lesbian". A lipstick lesbian is a Slang term used to describe Lesbian and Bisexual women who exhibit feminine gender attributes such as wearing Also known as a "doily dyke. "
• Stealth Dyke lesbian who can pass for straight, or does not fit the 'dyke' stereotype.
• Trans dyke Transsexual or Transgender woman who romantically and/or sexually prefers females.

Dyke bars

A dyke bar is a term used to describe any bar or club in which lesbians often attend, but can also indicate a "tougher" establishment (in terms of the patrons or environment). gay bar (also known as a boy bar if the clientele is predominantly male or conversely a girl bar) is a drinking establishment that caters exclusively As with the stand-alone word "dyke," the term is considered not only slang, but a potential slur when used by non-LGBT persons.

See also

• Dyke March
• Gay slang
• Queer
• Terminology of homosexuality

References

• Knadler, Stephen P. (1963), "Sweetback Style: Wallace Thurman and a Queer Harlem Renaissance" MFS Modern Fiction Studies - Volume 48, Number 4, Winter 2002, pp. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 899-936

External links

• Etymology of dyke on the Online Etymology Dictionary