Is Rosie the Riveter gay or straight?

Rosie the Rivetor
Rosie the Rivetor

My girlfriend put on her Rosie the Riveter t-shirt before she went walking.  This generated a discussion.  Is Rosie the Riveter gay or straight? 

My contention is that she is a very self-confident woman.  She feels powerful and empowered.  She may be doing what is traditionally a man’s job, but she stills feel confidentially all woman on the inside and men are her thing.  She is not afraid to go after what she needs or wants, and this spills over into her sexuality. 

My girlfriend thought she was definitely gay, and butch gay to boot.

 What do you think?

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10 Replies to “Is Rosie the Riveter gay or straight?”

  1. So if a woman is self-reliant and completely independent to the extent she feels NO compulsion to include the male of the species in her life, that qualifies her as a lesbian??? News to me!! I can assure you, Rosie is straight and the ideal role model. Just because the independent female has found no male that actually adds anything to her life does NOT mean she is gay. (Did I step in the 50’s? Who still believes that “must have a husband(man)” garbage??

  2. I can think of three reasons why a woman may not be with a man.
    1. Some trauma- divorce, death, something from the past that made her not be interested.
    2. She’s gay
    3. No men around

    Rosie is a wonderful role model regardless of her sexual persuasion. Back in the day when Rosie took her stand, she displayed characteristics not consistent with most women of her time. She must have felt good in her own skin.
    Bravo to you Rosie!
    Rosie was outspoken in word and action, wore pants, carried tools, stood up for being able to take care of one’s self and others…?????????
    So you think Rosie is straight?
    I think not.
    I vote for her being a lesbian. So there.

  3. It never occurred to me that she was gay. Either way, doesn’t matter. She can bring home the bacon and cook it up in the pan.

  4. Not even a question — Rosie is straight. She did what needed to be done and how great is that!!! THe men were gone, the job needed to be done, the women met the challenge. Yes, it was a stand in 2 ways – helping a country at war and also showing that women could do the job. Stepping up does not make you gay. Being strong and confident does not make you gay. Not being needy does not make you gay any more than being needy makes you straight.

  5. I think whilst the men are away, Rosie will play.
    Meaning any woman while in a situation where men are slim pickings, she will (need to) fulfill her sexual needs by possibly having affairs with other woman.
    With that said, once the men get back I’m sure Rosie would be happy to jump back into the sack with them.
    Although I do want to point out that there were plenty of lesbians in that era just like there are now.

  6. Rosie was the poster child for women going to work in war time, when there were no men to do the jobs that needed to be done. Rosie had to work to put food on the table for her family, while they waited for the war to be over and dreamed of the day the man of the house would come back home safe and sound. Lesbian?? I think not!!

  7. The song says she has a boy friend

    “…Rosie’s got a boyfriend, Charlie Charlie, he’s a Marine Rosie is protecting Charlie
    Working overtime on the riveting machine….”

    Perhaps she was confused

    LOL

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