The Butch Manual

by Clark Henley

Offers facetious advice to homosexuals on adopting excessively masculine behavior, including movement, speech patterns, and appearance

Genres: Queer, Gay, Humor

120 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

Reviews

[Can Lejarraga · Rating 3 out of 5]

gracioso ! hacia el final creo que se desinfla un poco pero probablemente se debe a que yo no soy en ningún ángulo el público objetivo de este libro… ahora, todo hay que decirlo ha sido una lectura ligera, cachonda y graciosa !!! muy buena sátira sobre como la misoginia perdura entre hombres cis gays y como algunos se esfuerzan porque perdure !!!

[Zo]

Giggling & sending pics of paragraphs to friends

[Mary Qiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to put something in my mouth so I don’t laugh too loud and wake up the fam

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

my, admittedly young, understanding of the history is that in the 80s among white cis gay men there was an attitude shift toward reclaiming a certain kind of masculinity, partially as a way of gaining social acceptance by distancing oneself from those disgraceful and weird gnc + trans people. (Note the observation in the 'What Not to Call Men' section that "the aspiring Butch must cure himself of gender confusion, even if it means taping his mouth shut several weeks.") Of course this was very silly, and the near universal experience of being insecure about not being masculine enough is always embarrassing. This book is soo funny.

[Connie Staub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished in one sitting. So brilliant and funny. This really rearranged the way I think about labels in sex and gender, and how they stray so far from original meanings. Our societal necessities change, and labels conform to the new needs.
It’s also so important to remember that a whole generation of men that used the label of “butch” to change the way society viewed them died, and their caretakers and friends (lesbians) slowly inherited and kept their memory alive by wearing that badge.
I love that drag can evolve and shift forever. This book really changed my mind about the way I view drag and gender. After all, no one is born Butch. They’re born crying :,)

[Verdant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best queer pieces I have ever read. It documents the culture of butch men and proves that butch men exist and still do. But on top of that? It is one of the funniest things I have ever read. It presents all its information in a lighthearted, hilarious way. Reading it felt like being enlightened on queer culture while having the best laugh of my life.

[Larry Beaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is wild how similar gay culture was over 40 years ago. Besides a few brand/movie references it’s like someone wrote it yesterday. The author has a really funny writing style and the visuals were great. I would have given five stars if it had a little more story as it got a bit repetitive just being similar jokes.

[Brian Kovesci · Rating 5 out of 5]

1982. This is a wonderful book, but a little hard to read right after And The Band Played On. It’s perfect, but it’s also a slice of a wonderful peak right before / at the beginning stages of AIDS.

We all need to read this book.

[6655321 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the only "humor" i've read in a LONG time and it had me in stitches, 10/10 would read again

[alba olea · Rating 4 out of 5]

es como un tweet constante
algunas cosillas se me escapaban porque no entiendo tanto inglés y algunas referencias que hacían pero bueh

[ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

el libro más divertido que he leído en mi vida bufff me he reído mucho

[Scarlet Quiñonez · Rating 5 out of 5]

gay people having fun in the 80s. Oh everyone died.