Representation, loneliness and identity: In conversation with Liverpool’s Butch Society

Are you a butch and feel underrepresented in the local queer scene? Well, you should keep your eye on the society making waves across campus, the University of Liverpool’s own Butch Society. Made by butch lesbians, for butches and their appreciators, this group is dedicated to creating a judgement-free community for masculine presenting sapphics. 

In the past, organisations such as the LGBTQ+ society have been doing an incredible job of creating a queer space on campus, but sometimes direct representation is necessary. When a group incorporates so many sexualities and identities, it’s nice to think you have a chance for direct connection with people like you. 

Making queer friends, getting involved in arts and crafts, and finding the hidden gems of the local lesbian scene sound good to you? Then you’re in the right place.

The Liverpool Tab spoke directly to Butch Soc’s amazing founding committee: society president Eleanor, treasurer Penny and Jess, the social secretary, about all things representation, loneliness and identity.

Here’s what they had to say about about the society and why you should join – and how it feels to be one of only two butch societies in the country.

Your society is inclusive of all lesbians, why was it important to you to call it the Butch Society?

Social secretary and second year English student Jess told The Liverpool Tab: “Well, the society is really about the butch identity… it’s a very different experience being butch, we wanted have somewhere we could avoid judgement”.

The society was formed so that masculine presenting lesbians can meet and connect with each other.

Most Read

Right, here’s how popstar priest Reverend Richard Coles made his secretly whopping fortune

From £60k to £1.5million: How much the I’m A Celeb 2024 campmates are being paid

Tulisa ‘raging’ about I’m A Celeb axe and has wiped all evidence of the show from her Insta

Even within the sapphic community, there are misunderstandings of what being butch means. The committee spoke of being treated like they’re men when dating – presenting differently is also generally socially stigmatized, despite the longstanding existence of this identity.

These unique feelings of isolation led the group to take the plunge and introduce a much-needed butch scene on the university campus.

Penny, the society’s treasurer, is a second year Biological Sciences student at the University of Liverpool. She shared an emotional insight into her life inside and outside of the society: “there’s lesbian loneliness, and then there’s butch loneliness.” 

Although they are called Butch Soc, the founders wanted to keep it open to everyone who wants to learn about butches, and lesbian history. A lot of the queer experience can be learnt through, well, experience, but thinking the work stops there is a discredit to the long history of queers who fought to get to where we are today.

The group have done reading groups of gender theorists like Judith Butler, and plan to talk about some of the identities encapsulated within the butch identity, such as stems and trans mascs. Whilst lesbians are one community, discrimination affects everyone differently. It’s important to have the sense of dialogue that this society is creating.  

Eleanor, now in her third year, shared how she had wanted to make Butch Soc happen since she first began studying Philosophy and Politics at UoL, but faced the challenge of finding enough members for the committee. Last year, she, Penny and Jess met on a night out in Liverpool’s pride quarter, and the rest is history. Some things are just meant to be.

And call them pioneers, because they are one of just two Butch Socs in the country!

This year, they secured a stand at the University of Liverpool societies fair, and have since been holding regular socials, which are shared on their Instagram page.

Do you think younger people are losing motivation to search for and create queer spaces?

“I’d say it’s more normalised [to be queer] in social groups but not on a larger scale where we need representation the most” the society’s president told The Liverpool Tab.

Eleanor spoke about how in friend groups and casual social settings, being queer is becoming more the norm. But settling for acceptance and not building connections with other queer people is likely what’s leading to phenomena like “lesbian loneliness”.

“In 18+ settings there is definitely more representation” said Eleanor, it’s just a matter of searching for them. The committee have been hard at work compiling a list of some of the UK’s best and most accepting venues.

However, queer and lesbian specific sober social events are much rarer to come by.

In a generation of young people that is increasingly sober curious, gatherings and socials reliant on alcohol can be a turn-off for many people. Jess explained to us that most of the queer book clubs and sober social events they had been interested in were often over an hour drive away from the city.

The committee has made sober socials a big focal point of their community. So far, they have hosted a patch-making night, made some great clay creations and hosted a book club and board games night, which hailed them praise and success from all over Liverpool. Jess told The Liverpool Tab that “doing more non-alcoholic socials has meant people have made more genuine connections.” 

Whilst the lesbian scene is growing with fresh events popping up all the time, finding them can be hard. The Butch Soc have been doing the heavy lifting for you, as well as providing a comfortable space to actually make friends – not just black out on Jägerbombs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that though of course…

The society is hosting a Switch Social this Saturday to combat the lack of queer spaces in the city, and tickets are sure to fly out.

What events have you been most proud of so far?

Penny and Jess were in agreement over their best society event so far – “Butler, for sure” they said. 

The pair shared how they thought the committee’s reading group for Judith Butler’s post-structuralist work Gender Trouble was a moment of “productive discussion” within their community.

Speaking to The Liverpool Tab, Eleanor discussed how the theory was quite complicated, so it was good to break it down as a group.  

For her as the society’s president, it was the first social, patch making, that she was most proud of.

“I looked around and thought so many people are here, people care about this!”  

If you fancy everything ranging from crafts to wild nights outs, make sure to get a membership on the Liverpool Guild of Students website. The more official members they, have the more support they can garner from the university itself. 

As the founders, what are your hopes for the legacy of Butch Society?

“It would be nice to see it continue after we graduate” said Eleanor.  

The group all stressed that they didn’t want the work to stop with them. The community they’re building isn’t just so they have that space exclusively for them, but for everyone now and in the future to feel they have that space to be themselves.  

They’ve been working hard building connections within the local queer scene such as night out legends Switch, as well as being in touch with the Manchester group Butch Revival.

Strengthening their relationships with these events means more opportunities for students to be aware of the lesbian scene in the North West.  

For the future of the society, the committee said it would be great to get some guest speakers involved. They want to use the group as an opportunity for activism by attending protests to feel they’re making a difference in the city and beyond. Not just fun, they’ve got layers too…

If you’re queer, you are simply missing out if you don’t join the Butch Soc. The committee have consistently been putting on socials almost weekly, so there’s always something to sink your teeth into.

With opportunities to get discounted tickets at the best queer nights in Liverpool, and to make lesbian friends you can do crafts with; the time is now and it’s golden.

Everybody say thank you Butch Soc, we love you Butch Soc!