Lesbian Terminology Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A femme lesbian says people repeatedly assume she is straight because of her feminine presentation. Which concept most directly describes her experience?
Compulsory masculinity
Gender fluidity
Stud erasure
Femme invisibility
2. What does “pillow princess” commonly refer to in sapphic slang?
Someone who dates only femmes
Someone who tends to prefer receiving sexual attention rather than reciprocating it in the same ways
Someone who keeps her orientation private at home
Someone who wants to move in immediately after a first date
3. Someone says she spent years interpreting social approval and expectations around dating men as evidence that she must be attracted to them. Which term most directly describes the pressure she is discussing?
Femme invisibility
Compulsory heterosexuality, often shortened to “comphet”
Heteroflexibility
Lesbian erasure
4. Without permission, a classmate tells other people that someone is a lesbian. What term best describes this action?
Coming out
Being visibly queer
Outing
Lesbian erasure
5. At an LGBTQ+ book club, an event is described as “sapphic.” What does that usually signal?
It relates broadly to attraction or relationships among women, potentially including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and some nonbinary people
It is intended only for people who identify exclusively as lesbians
It focuses specifically on masculine lesbian identities
It is limited to historical writing from the island of Lesbos
6. A dating partner identifies as a stone butch and explains that certain kinds of touch are outside her boundaries. Which interpretation is most consistent with the term’s common usage?
Her identity may include preferring to give rather than receive certain sexual touch, though her individual boundaries are what matter
She expects to control every decision in the relationship
She is indicating that all butch people share the same preferences
She is declaring that she never wants emotional intimacy
7. Which statement most accurately describes “butch” and “femme”?
They are clinical categories based on levels of masculinity and femininity
They are fixed opposites, so every lesbian relationship must include one of each
They refer only to clothing choices and have no cultural or identity significance
They can be meaningful identities or forms of expression and do not automatically determine personality, sexual boundaries, or relationship roles
8. Which description best reflects the common contemporary meaning of “lesbian”?
Any person who experiences attraction regardless of gender
An identity commonly used by women, and by some nonbinary people, whose romantic or sexual attraction centers on women
A woman who has close friendships primarily with other women
A person whose gender expression is masculine but whose attractions may be of any kind
9. A person casually calls every masculine-presenting lesbian a “stud.” What is the most accurate clarification?
Stud is simply the universal modern replacement for butch
Stud is an outdated legal term for a same-gender spouse
Stud identifies the more dominant partner in any lesbian relationship
Stud is a culturally specific identity rooted in Black lesbian communities and should not automatically be applied to everyone masculine-presenting
10. What does the acronym “WLW” most commonly mean?
Women who love women
Women learning about womanhood
Women living without partners
Women with lesbian wives
11. In common community usage, what does “stem” most often describe?
A lesbian who works in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
Someone who has recently begun questioning her sexual orientation
An identity or presentation combining elements associated with stud and femme, often used within culturally specific communities
A person whose gender identity changes according to her relationship
12. What is usually meant by the phrase “gold star lesbian,” and why is it sometimes criticized?
It means a highly visible lesbian activist, but it can create pressure to be politically active
It means a lesbian who came out in adolescence, but it excludes people without supportive families
It generally refers to a lesbian who has never had sex with a man, but it can imply an invalid hierarchy based on sexual history
It refers to a celebrity who is openly lesbian, but it can encourage unwanted outing
13. Someone adopts a lesbian identity in her forties after years of questioning, dating men, or lacking language for her attraction. Which informal term might she choose for this experience?
Gold star lesbian
Baby gay
Lavender partner
Late-blooming lesbian
14. Two women joke about renting a moving truck after only a few dates. Which cultural reference are they invoking?
The idea of a lavender marriage
The “U-Haul lesbian” stereotype about relationships becoming serious or involving cohabitation quickly
The process of building a chosen family
The practice of taking a relationship public through a joint announcement
15. After rejection from relatives, a lesbian describes trusted friends and supportive elders as the people she considers family. Which term best fits this network?
Chosen family
Lavender family
Sapphic circle
Domestic partnership
16. A television recap repeatedly calls two clearly romantic female partners “close friends” and minimizes their relationship. Which term best describes this pattern?
Queerbaiting
Femme invisibility
Lesbian erasure
Compulsory heterosexuality