Recovering lesbian genealogies: an interview with Olivia Whitelaw, editor-in-chief for Butch-Femme Press

Words by Elena Savvas and Olivia Whitelaw

Front page of Butch-Femme Press Issue 1, including cover image by Alu Liberati and featuring Leila Merhi and Madeline Fields.

In the lead up to the opening of “Make Space: Subverting Tradition Through Art”, I had the pleasure of getting to know Olivia Whitelaw, the editor-in-chief at Butch Femme Press, which we were lucky to have in the gallery for the exhibition. This exhibition explores how art has been used to create safer spaces of expression, examining the cultural climates that have inspired artists. As a lesbian, dare I say dyke, myself, it felt imperative to speak to Olivia and learn more about the publication and local subcultural spaces which it comes from.

On the face of the publication is Olivia and her partner Kirsten, who read and assess every submission and select their personal favourites. Submissions are also reviewed by co-editors Rosaleen and Val, a butch-femme couple themselves. Olivia recounted to me the importance of input from Butches and Femmes throughout the whole process, in order for the publication to be as wide-ranging and inclusive as possible. Behind Issue 1 was a very small team, all very new to the scene, which makes us both even more proud to be here discussing its weight and impact.

Elena: Could you tell me a little about yourself and the publication? I am obviously a big fan but it would be nice to hear it in your own words! Why did you decide to start it? I’d love to hear more about the idea of tracing a queer and lesbian genealogy!

Olivia: I’m a postgraduate research student at the University of Edinburgh. I completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature in 2023. I had the idea for Butch-Femme Press when I was writing my undergraduate dissertation on transcending the “Apparitional Lesbian” in nineteenth century literature. Researching the dissertation gave me the opportunity to deep-dive into a lot of historical aspects of lesbian culture, including the long tradition of Butch-Femme identities, which can be traced (informally) back to the nineteenth century, and likely earlier, in various forms of gender nonconformity. As I progressed into my postgraduate degree, I shifted my focus toward lesbian literature of the twentieth century, which saw the advancement of the formal use of ‘Butch’ and ‘Femme’ as distinct identity categories.

When chatting with Olivia, I found out that the research behind the publication largely looks towards the archive; a “recovery” project of lost Butch/Femme traditions—specifically sexual traditions—which might help reframe our contemporary understanding of lesbian sexual orientation and gender identity as interlinked experiences. Butch-Femme Press is heavily inspired by the lesbian periodicals and zines of the mid-to-late twentieth century, including The Lesbian Tide (1971—1980) and The Lesbian Outlook (1993), among others. As we both identify as femme lesbians, we share a desire to keep such a rich literary tradition alive.

The Lesbian Tide, from Houston LGBT History.

Lesbian identities occasionally get lost amid twenty-first century conceptualisations of sexuality and gender, which have seen a shift toward more generalising, fluid language, such as the popularised use of “queer”. This is not to say that “queer” is an unproductive or unnecessary term - of course, many find it extremely useful in their self-definition - but, rather, to say that space should also be kept for more separatist identities, such as Butch and Femme. It was lovely to see so many people resonating with this on the opening night of Make Space: various visitors recounted that they couldn’t believe they were seeing a publication platforming what is often hidden or ridiculed, even in ‘queer’ spaces.

Elena: Did you have any influences behind the style of the publication? I love the use of lavender colouring, of course, and I know the importance of having a physical publication for a place in the archive, so I’d love to hear your take on this!

Olivia: The style of the publication is very much influenced by the aforementioned mid-twentieth century zines. I wanted some of the fonts to look super modern and Butch, and some vintage and Femme, and also for some to mimic the impression of physical printed ink. It is also inspired by the typography of activist materials of the same period; for example, buttons and badges featuring lesbian slogans, and banners and signage held in protest at events such as the annual Dyke March. Lavender was an obvious choice for the first issue, both because of our partnership with the Lavender Menace Queer Archive, and because of the long tradition which the colour has with the LGBTQ+ community.

Elena: Long live the Lavender Menace!

Olivia and I had the chance to discuss our favourite works in Issue 1 before deciding on which works to exhibit above the physical publication in the gallery space. We both shared a love for Stanca Radulescu’s poem ‘butchness in winter’ – especially the last few lines: “the mist clears and blizzard undresses leatherdykes fed on the carcasses of Men”. We eventually settled on Frankie Drew’s ‘Butch’ and Livia Zeno’s portraits ‘Alice’ and ‘Frankie’, which I had gravitated towards without realising the model of the second was Frankie Drew! Livia and Frankie both speak of being inspired by Roman Manfredi’s “WE/US” exhibition, which focuses on working-class stud and butch aesthetics.

‘Alice’

Olivia: The cover image, too, by Alu Liberati and featuring Leila Merhi and Madeline Fields is incredible, as is their whole collection ‘Three’s a Slumber Party’ – I definitely want more of that energy going into Issue 2: ‘Butch-Femme Desires’!

Elena: Speaking of, tell me about issue 2! Is there anything you’re looking for or inspired by?

Olivia: I just want pure, unadulterated eroticism. Obviously, there are many ways to interpret “desire” and I don’t expect every submission to posit something explicitly sexual, but this is definitely the most interesting interpretation of the prompt for me. I suppose because my academic niche is erotic lesbian literature - for example, my current research project concerns the feminist politics of sadomasochism and fetishistic sex between women - my interest definitely overlaps with my creative tastes too. And, I’m a dyke, so of course my interest is uniquely piqued by lesbian erotica.

Elena: Your poetry itself is in the first publication - you are so talented! Could you tell me a little about your writing process? Do you have any inspirations and/or setbacks?

Olivia: Thank you, that is very sweet! My writing process is fairly incoherent; I write whenever I feel called to and whatever feels urgent to me. My poems and prose pieces generally begin as little snippets I’ve noted down here and there in moments of inspiration. For example, The Butch at the Bar is quite heavily inspired by The Jazz Bar here in Edinburgh, a place I go semi-regularly to daydream about an alternate life in 1960s/70s America where I am cruised by a Butch while we listen to live jazz music and sip martinis.

Who wouldn’t?

Edinburgh is clearly very important for Olivia, and for the publication generally, which recently held a launch party at The Towpath Café. Additionally, 50% of BFP’s proceeds go to Edinburgh’s Lavender Menace Queer Archive, who play a foundational part in preserving queer history in Edinburgh and globally, as well as often holding creative workshops, socials, and conferences for queer people to connect. They recently published their entire catalogue of archived works online, which is a huge gain for anyone interested in queer history - it is available on their website!

Lavender Menace Queer Archive website.

Elena: How would you say that the works included in Butch-Femme Press, and the publication as a whole, are ‘making space’?

Olivia: I’d like to think that Butch-Femme Press is making space for the creative expression of queer women and non-binary people, and anyone who feels personally aligned with or situated on the Butch-Femme spectrum. It’s great to be able to provide a separatist space just for this community (and, crucially, a trans-inclusive space, which are sadly few and far between these days) and the comments from those who have read Issue 1, or contributed to it, have been so heart-warming and make me so proud to be a lesbian.

Elena: And me too.

Frankie Drew and Livia Zeno’s works will be up in the Norman Rea Gallery for “Make Space” until December 8th.