Stone Butch Blues

The first section of the book is written in italicized letter form. The audience is unknown, at least by name, but it is clear that the person being addressed is the speaker’s ex-lover. The narrator describes the many times they were arrested and harassed, just for being openly gay and frequenting bars where women dance with women and men dance with men. A happy evening spent together would come to a screeching and violent halt when the cops arrived, hauling patrons away without even charging them. The narrator recounts being burned with cigarettes, punched, kicked,and raped. From these experiences, she would always return home to gentle loving care offered by the former lover being addressed. Over time, they drifted apart, with the narrator passing for a male in order to find a job. The narrator wonders now what this unnamed lover’s life is like at present, if she’s married with children and following society’s script. The narrator has no way to mail this letter but hopes against hope that this ex-lover might still read it just the same.