[Q] The butch in your story, "Karla," is the steadfast good soldier; the femme is a dangerous minx. What is it about the masculine character who's a mensch, yet who is lied to every step of the way?
[A] A few months ago I started performing as a drag king after being high femme for several years. And all of the sudden I was getting these femmes who wanted me to carry their bags, or do their dirty work. I was, like, "Don't try and pull that shit with me, I used to be a femme!"
Femmes sometimes manipulate butches through sex appeal, and the same pattern exists in hetero relationships as well. The femme in my story exploits class differences to take advantage of Karla.