The only place that all lesbians are “pretty” and “feminine” and only date other femmes is television. Maybe you are standing up for those fictional femmes. Which brings us full circle to Ms. Bishop’s point. Maybe if there were more roles for butches, you would not be so ignorant.
Perhaps before you stand up for all the acceptable pretty lesbians, you should talk to some of them & who THEY would like to see on stage.

Hi theatergirl, thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate someone who stands up for her friends.

Perhaps you think I’m saying “butch” as shorthand for “lesbian” or “more credibly lesbian”. I see an absence of lesbian-generated images of women who proudly claim a more masculine identity. Maybe it’s an effort to avoid the mannish-woman stereotype, or to make lesbian lives translate more easily for the straight world, but lesbian representations I see on screen and stage too often just erase the existence of butch women altogether. While it’s important to be free of the notion that all lesbians look any certain way, I’d like to imagine (or pretend, maybe) that we’re beyond that assumption now.

When I was coming out (hello, 1993, how ya doin’?), there was a gay guy with a weekly radio show who chronicled ANY mention of LGBT in mainstream media. Every gay character was celebrated, no matter how offensive or buffoonish, because there were just so few images of queer people anywhere. A generation later, we are treated to more and more queer characters every year (though cisgender gay men still far outnumber women and transfolks). In seeing more numerous images of lesbians, I am disappointed that the whole spectrum of our community is still not represented.

Butch women have a revolutionary history, a rich culture, and a sacred place in the dyke world. Those powerful women must not be left out of the literal spotlight because they might confirm a stereotype for those with limited vision. I want to see my friends, all of them! I also want to intentionally create roles that allow masculine women to get work in theater without having to disappear behind a gender identity that feels absolutely foreign. I have the enormous privilege and responsibility of holding an audience’s attention for 90 minutes. Better believe I’m gonna make it count for me and my people. It’s long past time.