Abstract
Using conversational interviews (n = 13) to explore definitions of masculinity through the lived experiences of masculine presenting, gay women residing in the rural Inland Northwest, this paper considers how gendered stigma is enculturated, including how non-conforming performances are sanctioned. By analyzing the participants’ interactions with institutions, including family, education, and religion, this project contributes to understanding structural and systemic gendered discrimination and its deleterious impacts on individual lives. Participants discussed challenges with social institutions, illustrated tensions in self-identification coupled with impression management in public spaces, and outlined elements of (self-)acceptance. This project contributes ethnographic data to an often-ignored area of research and gives a platform to underrepresented voices.