A Fine Study   July 20, 2004

Thank you, ladies.   March 3, 2004

- The degree of hostility or acceptance lesbians received from their families.
- The process of initiation into the lesbian bar community.
- Formation of butch/femme roles, including butch modeling or modification of self-expression in imitation of older butches, male relatives, and popular male celebrities.
- Butches' physical fights with antagonistic heterosexual men to defend themselves, their femmes, and lesbian bars; the unending, intense fear and risk lesbians faced.
- Police brutality (particularly against black butches) and other societal hatred, contempt, misunderstanding, and occasional support of lesbians.
- Problems generated by employment (examples: the effects of a femme prostitute's job on her relationship with her butch; a butch's severely restricted employment options resulting from her unconventional clothing and masculine attitude).
- Incidence and specific causes of lesbian (particularly butch) self-hatred resulting from internalization of societal values.
- The sexually untouchable butch (and an unusual type of "orgasm").
- Casual versus committed relationships, cruising, courtship, romance, sexual practices, and nonmonogamy.
- The ways in which lesbian relationships did not simply mirror heterosexual relationships but instead were consciously structured according to the values and needs of this community.
- The function of the butch/femme dichotomy and attitudes toward lesbians who fell outside of strict butch/femme personas.
- How femmes viewed butches and vice versa; butches' emotional reliance on femme validation of butch self-expression; butch suspicion and resentment of femmes' ability to mingle within heterosexual circles; subsequent physical abuse of femmes by butches.
- Lesbian attitudes toward and history with straight women, straight men, gay men, motherhood, heterosexual marriage, rape, religion, alcoholism, military service, the formal homophile movement, and lesbianism itself.
- The effect of race and class on lesbian social networks.
- The degree and significance of uncloseted versus closeted status.
- Butch and femme physical presentation (clothing, hair style, attitude).
- Butch solidarity, competition, and social etiquette.
- Sexual conservatism versus sexual experimentation among lesbians and the degree of social openness or silence surrounding sexual issues and practices.
- The fun they had.


Comprehensive and comprehensible   March 14, 2001
  2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Kennedy and Davis have written an excellent ethnography on lesbian culture in Buffalo in the 1940's and 50's! The authors take great care to give first hand accounts, interpret them, explain their interpretations, as well as place them in the broader context of what was occuring socially at the time. They are careful to point out differences in opinion of the various women from whom the information was gathered; moreover, they attempt to rationalize these differences. The books is also well organized in its chapters with headings and subheadings. Information on specific topics is easily found in the book (despite its 400 pages!), and the juxtaposition of topics discussed is chronological and understandable in its progression. At the ends of the chapters, the authors recap the concluded discussion, as well as place it in a broader context to facilitate its relevance to the broader text. I highly suggest that anyone interested in the history of lesbian identity development read this book.


boots of leather, slippers of gold   May 6, 2000
Elizabeth Kennedy and Madeline Davis' book Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold does everything right! Though the book focuses on the history of one lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the 30s to the 60s, many of the themes and ideas are more generalizeable. The book is comprehensive and inclusive of every imaginable theme. From societal attitudes and politics to sexual practices and relationship patterns including butch/fem culture and psychology, this book covers it all. My favorite aspect of this book is the way the stories of lesbians of color and lesbians of low socio-economic status flow prominently and smoothly throughout the entire book. In addition, it includes a section just for an even more in-depth analysis and comparison of these cross-sections of the lesbian community. Also the authors find an excellent balance and combination of using the actual words of the women they write about and summary explanation of relevant concepts. This book is a must read!


boots of leather, slippers of gold   May 5, 2000
  2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Elizabeth Kennedy and Madeline Davis' book Boots of Leather,Slippers of Gold does everything right! Though the book focuses on thehistory of one lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the 30s to the 60s, many of the themes and ideas are more generalizeable. The book is comprehensive and inclusive of every imaginable theme. From societal attitudes and politics to sexual practices and relationship patterns including butch/fem culture and psychology, this book covers it all. My favorite aspect of this book is the way the stories of lesbians of color and lesbians of low socio-economic status flow prominently and smoothly throughout the entire book. In addition, it includes a section just for an even more in-depth analysis and comparison of these cross-sections of the lesbian community. Also the authors find an excellent balance and combination of using the actual words of the women they write about and summary explanation of relevant concepts. This book is a must read!