While we’re getting more sapphic representation on both the big and small screen these days, good butch lesbian characters are still few and far between. Which is a shame!
But over the years, there have been a handful of great butch characters that have helped shine a light on an oft-misunderstood segment of the lesbian population. There are movies like Bound and Love Lies Bleeding and TV shows like Orange is the New Black and A League of Her Own that have complex butch characters that help explore the complexities of sexuality and gender expression.
So whether you’re looking for a character to make you feel seen as a fellow butch or you need a new hot butch to lust after, these shows and movies are worth a watch.
Vazquez in 'Alien'
While the legendary sci-fi horror movie has rightly been criticized for casting a white actress in the role, Vasquez in Alien is one of the earliest and most iconic butch characters. Her sexuality may never have been discussed in the film, but Vasquez radiates butch energy, which is why she was a queer awakening for many Gen X and millennial sapphics.
Where to watch: Hulu
Corky in 'Bound'
One of the earliest Be Gay Do Crimes movies, the Wachowskis’ Neo-noir erotic thriller Bound gifted us with a taut plot line, steamy lesbian sex scenes, and a hot ex-con butch named Corky, played by the endlessly sexy Gina Gershon opposite her femme love interest Violet (Jennifer Tilly). This one is so hot it will have you grabbing for a fan and hoping for a tough butch of your very own.
Where to watch: Pluto.tv or rent on Amazon Prime
Lou in 'Love Lies Bleeding'
Bound walked so Love Lies Bleeding could run. Kristen Stewart’s career trajectory has been a blast to watch, going from Twilight teen girl to the all-grown-up butch lesbian Lou, the erotic thriller, set in the world of crime and professional bodybuilding. Both Katy O’Brian and Stewart are spectacular (and sexy!) in this film, but it’s the way Lou fiercely protects her girl, as well as her collection of sleeveless t-shirts and mullet, that will have you drooling.
Where to watch: Max
Anne Lister in 'Gentleman Jack'
We never knew how much we needed to see a Victorian-era butch lesbian until Gentleman Jack’s Anne Lister took over our screens. “Butch” might not have been a term back then, but between her penchant for wearing masculine clothing at a time when women wore elaborate dresses, her refusal to marry a man, and being the one to collect the rent on her family’s estate, she is the dapper butch dreams are made of.
Where to watch: Max
A League of Their Own was one of the queerest shows on TV with so many lesbian, bisexual, and trans characters, including butch lesbian Max, who spent the season trying to fight her way into baseball as a Black woman and figuring out her own sexuality. Sadly the series was canceled after a single season, but Max’s storyline isn’t one we’ll soon forget
Where to watch: Prime Video
Carrie in 'The L Word: Generation Q'
Rosie O’Donnell played butch lesbian Carrie on The L Word: Generation Q and was formerly engaged to L Word mainstay Tina Kennard. With Carrie we not only got great butch representation, but an older lesbian too, who takes masculine lesbian Finley under her wing.
Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime.
Poussey Washington in 'Orange is the New Black'
Black Masc characters are few and far between, especially on TV, but Poussey Washington, played by Samira Wiley, fit the bill and was adored by fans before she met an untimely end. Poussey wasn’t the only butch character on Orange is the New Black, but audiences connected with her storyline loved her outspoken, strong-willed, and funny personality and were excited to get to see different takes on non-feminine gender expression.
Where to watch: Netflix
Big Boo in 'Orange is the New Black'
Played by real-life but lesbian Lea DeLaria played Big Boo in Orange is the New Black, which although sometimes the show fell back on queer stereotypes, also had a wide range of different sapphic characters. Big Boo is loud, brash, intimidating, and full of bravado but she turned out to be a more complex and nuanced character as the show went along.
Where to watch: Netflix
Cleo in 'Set It Off'
In Set it Off, Queen Latifah plays a butch lesbian who becomes a bank robber alongside Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. It’s uncommon today to have Black butch characters on screen, but this was even more true for the groundbreaking Set it Off which was relapsed way back in 1996. So if you want to see butch rep and get the catharsis of watching poor women striking back against the financial system, this movie is for you!
Where to watch: tubi
Amy in 'If These Walls Could Talk 2'
In If These Walls Could Talk 2, the sequel to the 1996 original, Chloë Sevigny plays a leather-jacket-wearing butch lesbian with a greaser hairstyle in the segment set in 1972. Not only is Sevigny responsible for many a queer awakening both for this role and many others, but her character Amy highlights the complexities of identity and gender expression, especially in the ‘70s.
Where to watch: YouTube