Stud
A masculine-presenting Black lesbian: a word made in, and belonging to, Black lesbian culture.
Stud describes a Black lesbian whose gender expression is masculine. It is a word Black lesbians made for themselves, and it carries that history. PFLAG's glossary defines it as a term for Black lesbians and says plainly that it is not appropriate for non-Black lesbians to use.
Its documented history goes back at least to the 1960s. The first known sociological study of a Black lesbian community in the United States, a 1965 thesis by Ethel Sawyer at Washington University in St. Louis, records women in that community calling themselves studs. Where the word itself came from is not clear.
Stud is not simply butch with a different label. The researcher Bianca D. M. Wilson called it a racially specific term in a 2009 paper, and changed a question in her study of Black lesbians to ask about studs rather than butches, because stud was the word participants actually used. The writer Kris Chesson describes stud masculinity as shaped by Black community life itself: family reunions, church, the club.
Not every masculine Black lesbian uses it. Some are [[butch|butch]], some are [[masc|masc]], some use no label. PFLAG lists AG, short for aggressive, as a related term.
Who else may use it is argued about. Many Black lesbian writers, at Autostraddle and TAGG Magazine among others, say stud is for Black lesbians only, and pushed back hard as white lesbians on TikTok took it up as a style label. Some sources describe it as used by both Black and Latinx lesbians, and a 2024 Pride.com explainer notes more non-Black Latina women using it, while saying it usually refers to Black women. On one point the sources agree: white lesbians are not studs.
If you are not Black, the respectful move is simple. Use the word about people who use it for themselves, and find another word for yourself: butch, masc and [[futch|futch]] are all there.
Stud is not a trendier word for butch
On social media stud sometimes circulates as the current name for any masculine lesbian, the way slang turns over. It is not a replacement for butch. It comes from a specific community with its own history, and using it as a style label strips that history out.
The opposite error happens too: assuming every masculine Black lesbian must be a stud. The word is there for the people it fits, not a box everyone is filed into.
Saying it well
Say this
- I am a stud.
- Black, lesbian, stud.
- My girlfriend is a stud.
- I am Black and butch, not a stud.
Not this
- Calling yourself a stud as a white lesbian
- Using stud as a fashion label
- Assuming every masculine Black lesbian is a stud
- So which one of you is the man?
Questions people actually ask
What does stud mean in lesbian culture?
A Black lesbian with a masculine gender expression. The word was made by and belongs to Black lesbian communities.
Where does the term stud come from?
Its documented history goes back at least to the 1960s: a 1965 study of a Black lesbian community in St. Louis records women calling themselves studs. The word's exact origin is not clear.
Can white lesbians call themselves studs?
No. Black lesbian writers, PFLAG and explainers on the term agree on this. Butch, masc and futch are available instead.
Can Latina lesbians be studs?
Afro-Latina lesbians are Black, and the word is theirs too. Whether non-Black Latina lesbians should use it is debated: some sources describe stud as used in Black and Latinx communities, while many Black writers say it is for Black lesbians only.
What is the difference between stud and butch?
Both describe masculine lesbians. Stud is racially specific and grew out of Black lesbian culture; butch comes from a broader lesbian history. Some Black lesbians are butch rather than studs.