At orientation on one of our first days in Amsterdam, where we students from schools all across the United States were meeting for the first time, I saw more butch lesbians than I had ever seen before—–and I thought they were all trans guys. I knew what butch lesbian meant, but I had never met someone who identified that way before, especially not someone my age. I had a vague idea of the stereotypical middle-aged butch with a crew cut, wearing a white tank top and motorcycle boots—but these women at orientation had faux hawks and wore stylish sweaters and fitted jeans. I envied their
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