My tattoos have all made their way into my subconcious through time; taking years to come to the surface, by then often permeating my thoughts and dreams. It is if they have always been there, under the surface, waiting for me to take notice of them.

My Femme tattoo on my upper back has always been there; just not visible until now. Ever since I became intimate with my first girlfriend when I was 15, 17 + years ago, I knew that my Life had just begun. [Yet, I've always known that I was gay, since I was very little when I peered up at the gorgeous thighs of a drag queen on roller skates in PTown. I knew then, I had somewhere to find my people.]

I have dated all sorts of women and tansmen since I feel in love that first time so long ago. Yet, I always searched and found the most masculine-looking woman in the room. I always found strength in heels, fishnets, corsets, skirts, and dresses. I have been asked to leave gay bars because they thought I was straight, and I have been excluded from straight priviliges once I was found out to be gay.

I have been invisible unless I was with my butch or with my butch friends. I refuse to shave my head and wear masculine-looking clothes to fit in. I now have this tattoo, so that my tribe that appreciates me can find me and know that I am safe.

When asked what it means by straight people, I explain to them what it means to me, despite how uncomfortable it makes them feel. I look them in the eye; I make them see me. I make them acknowledge that women like me exist.

I have been called a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Well, consider this my brand. Consider it a warning, and to those of you who have earned it, consider it an invitation.

Well, I don’t have any tattoos,although I have played with the idea of getting a small, pretty butterfly either over my left breast or on my shoulder blade, but so far I haven’t had the nerve.

I don’t dislike tats on other people, but I have never been the kind of person who wears signs. I never put a bumper sticker on my car or wore a shirt with a political message either, but that’s just who I am.

I’d be happy to tell you what I feel and think about any topic and I’m open about who I am, but only if you ask me. I don’t tell my life story to people who don’t want to hear it.

i don’t necessarily identify as femme, but i’ve been wanting to get some sort of queer identity related tattoo.. problem is, i don’t know what that is yet..

my friend [who is butch] wants to get “Daddy’s Boi” in the old tattoo style block letters in an arc above her belly. i think that’s fun.

I love my femme tattoo. I can’t find a full picture of it right now but it involves a pink cupcake with sprinkles and a Hello Kitty topper, a girly swirl of hearts and stars, a baby blue bird holding a ginkgo leaf and femme in a very perfect, very well searched out font.

Enjoy this partical pic from my artist’s portifolio. She was featured on BME.

I am so excited to go visit her in Austin this fall. I have an amazing idea for my next 'queer' tattoo that I might get when I see her! I can't wait.

Yeah, I’ve never been one to put bumper stickers on my car or wear buttons and patches for this-that-and-the-other. I have thought about several different tattoos that I could get, but I’ve never had the nerve to actually do it. I thought about doing a violin’s f-holes somewhere on my body, since I play. I’d like to do a memorial for my dad. I could go for a femme tattoo as well… but it’s just so dang permanent…

Essin Em’s post about her desire to adopt the spiral as a symbol of queer femme-ininity gave me the final push I needed to get my own spiral tattoo. It’s simple, blue and very visible on my right wrist. Like Melissa, I derive great joy from explaining to people what the tattoo symbolises for me, how it is a strong and visible reminder of my queer femme-ininity in a society that renders me invisible. I love it.

I’m planning my next tattoos, one of which will be the word femme, perhaps on my inner arm below my elbow and a small women’s sign on my right wrist. So many possibilities.

i have a number of tattoos that i’ve been considering for a while…the one that specifically references femme for me will be on my lower belly: “liberation” writ large, with varied type fonts for each letter that i’m slowly mulling over.

because to me, my femme identity is liberation. i like the spiral but would rather incorporate it into jewelry rather than a tattoo.

Hopefully my attempt at web savvy will work and that picture will show up…

Anyway, that is my femme spiral, wholly inspired by reading Essin’ Em’s original blog post about it. I had been hankering for a tattoo for a while, since my first and only tattoo up until that point was self-inflicted and not something I wanted to advertise, and that post was the catalyst that I needed to design something truly meaningful.

In case you can’t tell, the tattoo is of a hurricane, specifically Hurricane Andrew that hit my home only six weeks after my brother was born. So it’s a combination femme spiral, homage to my brother, and commemoration of my ties to Florida.

Argh, looks like my five minutes of internet research may not have given me the result I wanted. The photo is located at http://www.flickr.com/photos/41033756@N03/3819356969/

Thank you, Essin’ Em!