Thank you so much for reading. If this is *the* WL Chapkis, I have to say, your work has been hugely influential in my life. <3

Thanks for that feedback. I really appreciate it. I am a queer woman and have had this convo a lot. Others have told me that “non men” still centers men, so… ugh. Not sure where to go from there.

Ok I don’t think that “femmes” is a good fit for what you’re trying to say. On one hand the category of non-men includes tons and tons of queer people who don’t identify as femme, myself included. It also includes straight women, who definitely have no claim to “femme” unless they’re speaking French. In English it’s a queer-specific word. I think it would be better to simply say “non-men”

This is a really great question and the use of the word is something I grapple with myself. I use femme in a lot of my writing to describe all non-male folx. I want to acknowledge that trans and non-binary people are also perceived to be hypersexual.

what exactly does the word “femme” mean to you?
why are you using it rather than “women” in the two spots where you use it?
do you include ronnel’s victim in your use of “femme?”