Androdyke is a slang term for an androgynous lesbian. It is a portmanteau of the words androgynous and dyke, a common slang term for a homosexual woman.
The term is most commonly used within the queer community. Some lesbians have identified themselves as androdykes since the 1970s, when the term was developed in retaliation to the pervasive femme and butch lesbian representations.
Androdyke is often hyphenated as andro-dyke or written as two words, andro dyke. The term "flannel shirt dyke" is often used interchangeably with androdyke.
More About Androdyke
The term androdyke was developed to bridge the gap between the popular descriptive terms for lesbian: lipstick, meaning overly feminine, and butch, meaning overly masculine. An androdyke has both masculine and feminine characteristics that fall somewhere between lipstick and butch lesbians. Both types of androdykes might express their androgyny through their hairstyles, dress, mannerisms, interests, and more.
Androdykes may identify as women yet feel more comfortable presenting outside their gender norms. Alternatively, they may identify as gender diverse, neither feeling strongly drawn to a male or female gender identity.
Identifying as an androdyke can be meaningful and even empowering for some lesbian women. However, others actively shun labels like this and other identifiers.
