Tomboy, butch, lesbyana, obit, tivoli or byaning?

Lesbians go by a lot of names and different generations of lesbians identify with different names.

Here are 22 names that are synonymous to the lesbian Filipina (take note of the spelling! It’s Filipina, not Philippina).

Know the different lesbian labels

• Tomboy
• Tibam
• Tibamers, tibamchi, tibs – derivatives of the word tibam
• Jomboy – a modern derivative of the word tomboy. In gay lingo, the first letter of the word is replaced with letter j. Hence jomboy from tomboy.
• Quiomboy – Another derivative of the word tomboy
• Tibo – Short for tomboy
• Obit – Reversed for tibo
• Thunderbird – refers to masculine lesbians. In the Cordillera region, a well-organized group of friendly and accommodating lesbians call themselves Thunderbirds. We met them during Baguio City’s Pride March 2009 and all we can say is that the experience is nothing short of being an honor and pleasure.
• T-bird - Short for thunderbird
• Tivoli – Originally an ice cream brand, tivoli came to mean lesbians since it’s close to the word tibo. Tivoli refers to masculine lesbians.
• Butch – Butch refers to masculine lesbians. There are different types of butches: the hard butch or masculine lesbian who usually plays the male role in a relationship and/or in sex; soft butch who is  less masculine than a hard butch.
• Byaning
• Lesbiani
• Lesbiyana / lesbyana – from the English word lesbian
• Tungril
• Lulu / lala –
• Lebanese – not to be confused with natives of Lebanon
• Lezbo
• Lipstick lesbian
• Lez
• Dyke
• Magic - Lesbians can be classified into magic 1, 2 and 3. Butch lesbians are referred to as magic 1; femmes as magic 2; and those who are neither femme nor butch are Magic 3.
• Pink, blue and purple – These are code names used at a well-known exclusive school for girls. Pink lesbians are the same as magic 2; blue lesbians are magic 1; and purple lesbians are magic 3.

Keep in mind that not all lesbians and lesbian relationships subscribe to hetero-normative standards or play the male and female roles. The same goes with gays and bisexuals.

There are more names used out there and it may be hard to list down out all of them since some are used by groups to keep outsiders away. But with your help, we can make a comprehensive lists of lesbian labels!

Do you know other lesbian names or meanings of the ones posted here? Tell us about it! Just leave a comment and we’ll update the post.

Copyright © 2008 by Weeqender.com | Maica L. All Rights Reserved. *Get to know the tomboy, the Filipina lesbian, and the names we go by* was first published on www.weeqender.com. For crossposting, please leave a comment, credit the article to Weeqender: LGBT Travel & Lifestyle Magazine Blog and link the article to www.weeqender.com.

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