This article was updated at 2:23pm PT on January 29th, 2022 to accurately describe content warnings for the following archive content.
Welcome to OutWrite’s “From the Archive” series! This series is designed to provide an opportunity to interact with our organization’s archives, assess the opinions and relevance of our past content, and bring that content into the present. In doing so, this series will applaud, critique, and put into conversation ideas of the past with present ideologies and dialogues. Overall, we at OutWrite hope this series opens up conversations and helps us reconnect with the past while striving for a better future.
*The following article no longer serves to represent the thoughts of the organization today.*
**Content Warning: extensive use of reclaimed slurs**
TenPercent Fall 2000
Speaking in Tongue
by Sappho Sammy
Ladies, you know you do it, so just own up to it. I do it on a daily basis whether in the car, on campus, with others, or even at work. In fact I am downright shameless. I have been caught doing it . . . more than once at that. Yes, I dyke-spot wherever I go. What did you think I was talking about?
At night, I come home and tell my roomie all about the cute urban hipster I spotted in the vicinity of the Sculpture Garden. She goes on and on about the sporty chick in her Bio lecture, or that Rainbow sticker that eluded her on the 405.
Anyway, National Headquarters called and said that the Regional Membership Drive and Potluck brought in droves of new recruits! Upon the threat of getting my Homo Card revoked and Toaster Oven repossessed, I bring you the underground code used by local Sapphic members of the Pink Mafia in our homes, the clubs, and most importantly out on Bruin Walk.
Sisters, the following dykey dictionary is designed to help you cruise for chicks. It’s not guaranteed to get you a date, but that is what PlanetOut Personals are for, right?
“The ‘Lesbian code’ system is as familiar to Lesbians as it is unknown to non-Lesbians. Our code system is a bonding and empowering mechanism we employ whenever possible, and it amuses us as well.” – Alix Dobkin, Legendary Womyn’s Music Singer NEW YORK FOLKLORE, Vol. XIX Nos. 1-2, 1993.
Lezzie Lexicon 101
| D.D.: Dyke-drama, a rift in the microcosm community usuallycaused by a hook-up, ex-cest, break-up, u-haul, or crush of soap operic magnitude “I can’t the D.D, that happened in one night at the Bar. It’s the “The Gays of Our Lives.” | L.U.G.: Lesbian Until Graduation, a female student who is not necessarily a lesbian, but who experiments with lesbian politics and culture during her undergraduate career until going back to Mommy and Daddy. “Vassar, and Smith are known to have a plethora of L.U.G.s” |
| D.P.: Dyke-potential, usually exhibited in a woman whose sexual orientation is unconfirmed. “My Biochem TA. has definite D.P.” | Muff: 1) “A warm tubular covering for the hand” The Merriam Webster Dictionary, 1994. 2) The pudendum. |
| “Ding”: The noise your gay-dar makes when you hit a suspected target. thus you can just sav it when someone walks by. | Mullet: 1) Any of a family of largely gray chiefly marine, bony fishes including valuable food fishes” The Merriam Webster Dictionary, 1994. 2) Traditional lesbian haircut of the 80s: short on top, long in the back; AKA The Dyke-a-doo, Long Beach Cut, Hockey Cut, or Billy Ray Cyrus. “Did you see the mullet on that one.” |
| Dyke Psych: Psychology 197D, The Psychology of the Lesbian Experience, offered Winter Quarter by the fabulous Prof. Garnets. “The best class I’ve ever taken, Dyke-Psych should be required forevery gay girl, lesbian, bi gal, gay guy, bi guy, and ally at UCLA.” | Newbie: a newly out lesbian who has never had a girlfriend, often leading to many episodes of D.D. “Jamie’s dating another newbie, they’ve gone out four times and still haven’t kissed!” |
| Ex-centric: Somebody’s whose most-recent ex is still the center of the universe, and cause of every emotional crisis. “Gabby is so ex-centric, she just needs to move on and get over Xena.” | P.L.U.: People Like Us! Endearing acronym identifying other family members on the down-low. “I just saw some P.L.U.s over in line for Space Mountain!” |
| Ex-cest: Dating or hooking up with a friend’s ex or your ex’s ex. “Like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, and six degrees of separation, there are also only six degrees of Ex-ceseration, if you’re lucky.” | Recruit: A straight gal who’s dyke-liciously gay, but doesn’t know it yet. “This year’s top recruits are Katie Holmes, Meg Ryan, and the Dixie Chicks.” |
| Freshmeat: A freshman or new girl on campus with high D.P. or high G.G.-ness “I saw some freshmeat moving into Dykstra this weekend, how apropos!” | S.U.V.: Sport-Utility-Vehicle, preferred mode of transportation when in large groups. “Should we take your SUV or mine to the Ani concert?” |
| G.G.: Gay Girl, deep code used to point out a closeted cutie in a potentially homophobic situation. “Hey did you see that G.G. over by the Morgan Center?” | They’re Family: Happy go-lucky way of saying someone’s a big ol’ queer! “Did you know my roommate’s sorority sister is family?” |
| Gay-dar: The inherent sixth-sense that gets a “ding” when she’s a sailor on the dinah shores. “Was my gay-dar dinging more on the court than off the court at the game?” | Toaster Oven: The prize Headquarters (National Lesbian Headquarters) sends for nabbing a newbie or recruit. “Congratulations, I think you got the toaster oven.” |
| Homo card: Special ID used to get into gay bars, denotes membership status: valid, pending renewal or defunct. “I need to see two forms of ID: License and Homo Card.” | U-Haul: Jumping into a committed relationship after one date. “Oh yeah, well Anne and Ellen U-Hauled, and look what happened to them!” |
*Commentary and analysis to come*