Femme: Feminists, Lesbians and Bad Girls by Laura Harris; Elizabeth Crocker

For many homosexuals the images of the nelly queen or the butch and femme dykes generated anxiety because they too closely resembled negative stereotypes held by heterosexuals. But over the past three decades the lesbian and gay movement has made great strides in accepting a wide diversity of sexual identities and behaviors within its own ranks. Self expression became valued over perceived acceptability. In Femme, Laura Harris and Elizabeth Crocker continue this project of exploring diversity. These 18 essays, interviews, and true-life testimonies--from writers such as Joan Nestle and Jewelle Gome--look at what it has meant to be a femme lesbian living during the 20th century. At times academic, yet always accessible and readable, Femme blends political analysis, history, and stirring manifesto to give the lipstick and high-heel-wearing femme her due.