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Queer women reclaim the word ‘girlfriend’ on National Girlfriends Day

‘I do wish hetero women would stop referring to platonic friends as ‘girlfriends.”

Photo of Siobhan Ball

Siobhan Ball

national girlfriend day on twitter

August 1 is National Girlfriends Day–a day that comes around once a year, and platonic, female friends from all over celebrate one another. Yet, this year is different. Queer women have taken up the hashtag #NationalGirlfriendsDay to ask heterosexual women to stop using the word “girlfriend” when referencing their friends.

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One Twitter user suggested they use “human friends” or “true friends” instead.

“I do wish hetero women would stop referring to platonic friends as ‘girlfriends’ because every time you do that I’m like ‘oooh, hello fellow non-monogamous lesbian’ and it makes things awkward,” she wrote.

https://twitter.com/stavvers/status/1156862314735448064

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https://twitter.com/stavvers/status/1156862948360560640

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https://twitter.com/MagsVisaggs/status/1156931560161128448

Even though National Girlfriends Day is meant to celebrate heterosexual female friendships, some users misinterpreted it to be about romantic partners anyway, with lots of queer women celebrating their significant other.

https://twitter.com/kylam_official/status/1156952808517558273

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https://twitter.com/briannaleec/status/1156929355181887488

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https://twitter.com/motherjuniper/status/1156907220262670337

Petition to redefine the day, please!

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The Daily Dot