Dear My Sweet Queer Family: Let's Combat Femmephobia July Westhale HuffPost (originally The Establishment)
About This Post
A personal essay from a fierce femme-identified queer writer exploring how femmephobia operates within LGBTQ+ communities. Westhale draws on femme history and the Femme Shark Manifesto to highlight how feminine-presenting people are marginalized even in queer spaces, and offers concrete dos and don'ts for being a better ally to femmes.
Key Takeaways
- Femme ≠feminine-presenting: Femme identity is a deeply layered political and gender identity — not defined by heels, makeup, or who you date
- Femmephobia shows up in queer spaces as sexualization, fetishization, exclusion, and trivialization of feminine identities
- The essay provides a practical Do / Don't list for being an ally to femmes and feminine-presenting people
- Femme identity has a rich activist history — from pre-Stonewall resistance to community organizing and survival
- For parents: Understanding femmephobia within LGBTQ+ communities can help parents better support children who may face these dynamics as they explore their identities
Read the Full Post
Dear My Sweet Queer Family: Let's Combat Femmephobia — HuffPost
###