Labels are funny things. People seem to be happier when they can tag others and put them in a box; "Oh! You're a ..."
OK, labels for me:
I am a woman.
I am a lesbian.
I am "blue jean femme."
I am a transgender person, MtF.
Some explanation: The "blue jean femme" is a flavor of lesbian that happens to like makeup, and a feminine but casual presentation, more blue jeans than dresses. "Femme" lesbians tend to present in a more traditional gender-specific presentation, and are criticized within the community for not rejecting these gender-specific tokens.
"High femme" is (in my experience) a presentation of exaggerated femininity, slightly over the top makeup and dress, often to make a statement about traditional gender-specific presentation.
You may also hear "lipstick lesbian" as a slightly derogatory way of referring to femme women. Naturally it backfires and gets embraced by some in the community!
One of the funnier things about 'femme' is that they are almost invisible to the lesbian community, not having 'the look' about them. Where I live there is practically a dress code within the community, and the femme folks aren't following it. Eye contact and 'the nod' help work around this.
(There are some women's and lesbian spaces I am welcome in, and some I am not. I observe and learn where I can. People are so darn interesting!)
