Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2009

Whether identifying as butch, bitch, straight-acting, sissy, bear, muscle queen, clone, or any number of other labels, the subjects in Christopher Hines’s new documentary tackle the idea of masculinity, discussing their own idea of what it means to be a man. Some find comfort in the camaraderie of sports, such as a gay softball or rugby league. Others challenge their own professions, like the rodeo cowboys raising money for charity by dressing in drag or a prison guard who is open about his sexuality.

Through interviews with a cross-section of men, as well as teachers and psychologists, THE BUTCH FACTOR examines how the gay community critiques and reinvents the images of masculinity with the times: from the ‘70s clone and the art of Tom of Finland, to muscle queens, Lazy Bear, and the eventual birth of the metrosexual. Whether it’s the construction worker who never fit in because he didn’t like disco or the self-proclaimed sissy who has to fight every day for his survival, THE BUTCH FACTOR shines a light on gay men finding their place in a community that has ever-changing definitions.