In the LGBTQ community, a stem girl is a lesbian who’s both a stud and femme. She has masculine features, dresses in a more feminine style, and has a tomboy energy.
This term is typically reserved for Black and Latinx queer people. Caucasian LGBTQ people should instead use the term futch or soft butch to describe themselves.
Chapstick Lesbian
A Chapstick Lesbian is a lesbian who is somewhere in between a Butch and Femme. These women might have a more feminine appearance than a butch lesbian, such as wearing dresses or skirts or having short hair. However, they also might have masculine traits like playing sports or having a muscular physique.
Chapstick lesbians are often seen in the media, from fictional characters such as Annabeth Schott on The West Wing to real-life women like tennis player Martina Navratilova. Chapstick lesbians may wear makeup, but they often go for a natural look or minimal makeup. They might have one or more nails painted a different color than the rest or keep their nails short.
The term originated in the LGBTQ community, but it did not catch on in the mainstream until 1997 when an episode of Ellen aired. The episode featured a character who called another woman a lipstick lesbian, and the term quickly gained popularity.
Tomboy Lesbian
Tomboy lesbians are women who prefer a more masculine-leaning style of dress and behavior. These girls are likely to be into sports and outdoor activities and might wear things like ripped jeans and tropical-themed button downs. They can veer into Wildfang lesbian territory, or they might align with chapstick or soft butch lesbians in the venn diagram.
The term tomboy is one of the oldest terms related to gender nonconforming people. It’s sometimes used to describe a girl who is rambunctious and frolicsome, or a girl who likes to play with boys. The word has negative connotations, however, because it implies that women who are tomboyish are not feminine enough.
In some cases, the term is also used to refer to transgender people. This is because many people who identify as tomboy lesbians experience gender dysphoria, a condition where a person’s body and assigned sex are at odds with their gender identity. These people may require medical treatment to help reduce the distress.
STEM Lesbian
A STEM Lesbian is a queer woman who identifies as neither butch nor femme. She may be into both masculine and feminine clothing, and she often wears a mix of styles. For example, she might wear a club dress one day and joggers the next. She might go to the ballet and cheer for her favorite hockey team at the same time.
STEM lesbians are sometimes described as soft butches because they have some of the characteristics of butch but don’t fit into the stereotypical masculine traits that are associated with that label. They can also have some of the characteristics of femmes, which are women who embrace femininity and are into stunning makeup and fashion.
They care about their appearance and want to look their best. They are usually very well-groomed and enjoy dressing up for fun. They tend to use the pronouns she/her and date other women. They may even be interested in men or prefer a non binary gender identity.
Lesbian in the Middle
A lesbian that doesn’t look like a stereotypical butch or flamboyant dyke. They might wear dresses or skirts and a no-touch top. Also goes by chapstick, tomboy or stemme.
When someone identifies as gay or lesbian but doesn’t identify with the whole LGBTQIA+ community. They may still participate in some of the things that queer people do but not all.
The index and middle fingers on one or both hands are painted a different color or style. Some lesbians like to paint their nails as a symbol of femininity, while others prefer masculine-looking fingernails.
A celebrity who is a lesbian, such as Xena, Lady Gaga, P!NK or a more well known drag queen. A big dyke has a confident and powerful energy.
