Stud

**Stud** is a culture-specific identity that is often defined as a black masculine lesbian. As such, it is meant to be an identity label that is exclusively used by black people. It is also sometimes used to refer to masculine Latinx lesbians, though this is more uncommon compared to it being used as an exclusively black label.

## Etymology

Stud as an identity can be traced back to its first usages in the 1960s. However, the specific reasoning for using the word "stud" for this identity is unknown.

## Community

### History

The word stud as a label originates from the latter part of the 20th century, specifically to the 1960s. At that point, working-class black lesbians created stud and other identities for themselves. This is believed to be a reaction to how lesbian feminism at the time was mostly represented by and focused on white women at the expense of lesbians of color. Hence the creation of labels like stud and fish as similar but separate labels from butch and femme respectively.

In particular, one of the earliest published mentions of stud was in a 1965 thesis published by Washington University. During the 2000s, it was noted that stud was more widely used in the black community instead of butch.

### Distinction

#### Butch

Main article: Butch
Stud is similar to butch, since both terms are often summarized as being for masculine lesbians. However, stud is not intended to be interchangeable with butch. This is mostly due to stud being made exclusively for black lesbians, and is still considered an exclusive identity.

#### Boi

Main article: Boi
Both stud and boi are culture-specific identities intended for women of color. While stud is specifically meant for black lesbians, boi is a label for women of color in general. Boi is often used by women of color who are young, masculine, and queer to some degree.

### Controversy

Most controversies related to stud involve its appropriation by white lesbians. As mentioned previously, stud is an identity that is meant to be exclusively used by black lesbians. While it is similar to butch, it is meant to be a separate label that is not equivalent or interchangeable with butch. As a result, there has been backlash and criticism against white butches who attempt to label themselves as studs, especially on social media websites such as TikTok.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Origin of The Stud: Black Queer History" (05-11-2020). shadesofnoir.org.uk. Shades of Noir. (Archived on March 29, 2022).
2. ↑ Laura Lane-Steele: "Studs and Protest-Hypermasculinity: The Tomboyism within Black Lesbian Female Masculinity" (05-10-2011). tandfonline.com. Journal of Lesbian Studies. (Archived on March 8, 2021).
3. ↑ Siobhan Brooks: "Staying in the Hood: Black Lesbian and Transgender Women and Identity Management in North Philadelphia" (20-04-2016). tandfonline.com. Journal of Homosexuality. (Archived on June 22, 2022).
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Meilin Miller: "The Impact of Patriarchy on Stud Lesbians" (2021). digitalcommons.hollins.edu. Hollins University. (Archived on May 15, 2021).
5. ↑ Mignon R. Moore: "Lipstick or Timberlands? Meanings of Gender Presentation in Black Lesbian Communities" (2006). journals.uchicago.edu. University of California. (Archived on June 22, 2022).
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kris Chesson: "Stud Lesbians, Explained" (18-08-2021). autostraddle.com. Autostraddle. (Archived on December 9, 2021).
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Robyn Exton: "Stud Lesbian Meaning" (29-02-2020). weareher.com. HER. (Archived on June 3, 2022).
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Sarah Prager: "Dear White Lesbians: You Are Not Studs" (10-03-2020). taggmagazine.com. Tagg Magazine. (Archived on May 27, 2022).
9. ↑ "LGBTQ+ Terminology / Vocabulary Prime". nyp.org. NewYork-Presbyterian. (Archived on March 21, 2022).
10. ↑ Evan Urquhart: "Boi definition: How the once queer term is going mainstream" (21-10-2020). slate.com. Slate. (Archived on April 11, 2022).