Windy City Media: The transformative politics of gender
This article was written by Kate Sosin.
Appeared originally: The Windy City Times
Photo Credit: Sara Deragon
Pictured: (L) Krys Freeman – (R) Cara Thaxton…The division between the two organizations comes at a time when college “women’s studies” programs are increasingly becoming “gender studies” programs and women’s organizations must revise their mission statements to include their transgender members. Where women once created separate spaces in a male-dominated society, many must now accept that such spaces are often painted as exclusionary by trans rights groups. For some, it calls into question the very idea of what “feminist” means.
Feminist communities hit a major road bump in 1994 when a transgender woman was ejected from the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. The “Womyn-born-Womyn only” policy became a point of protest for transgender communities, who argued that the policy aimed to delegitimize transgender women as women.
…Both [groups] want to push past the differences and support each other. “We share a community,” Freeman said. “So there’s no way we can’t work together.”
Keep up with BUTCHVoices.com join the mailing list. Have an idea about the next BUTCHVoices event, send us your suggestions
BUTCH Voices is “Pro-Bono”
EW.com – Story and Photo
Holding the broad tent of identities that are a part of the BUTCH Voices community has not always been an easy task, but one that we value highly. Conversations across identity – gender, race, sexuality, ability, class, background, and size – are key components in creating spaces that are not only diverse, but also welcoming, accepting, and conducive to positive change.
This season on Dancing with the Stars, NBC has added Chaz Bono to its lineup – this is the first time a transgender person has been featured on the program. We at BUTCH Voices are near ecstatic. We understand that Chaz being featured will not heal all hurts or solve all problems. Still, we recognize this as step in the direction of positive visibility. We are not alone in this belief.
Robin Tyler (butch elder, comedian and Executive Director of Equality Campaign), along with attorney Gloria Allred, and comedian/activist Belinda Carroll (long-time BUTCH Voices ally and supporter who has hosted fundraisers for BUTCH Voices in Austin in 2009 and Portland in 2011, and participated in the organizing committee for BUTCH Voices Portland in 2010) have taken a stand in support of Chaz. They have established a Facebook page and twitter account encouraging LGBTQ folks and their allies in cities across the country to host viewing parties to show their support of Chaz. Read more
Gendercast: Reflections on BUTCH Voices 2011
Gendercast host Jessie interviews BUTCH Voices Programming Chair Jay Walls & partner Kari Kesler who appeared on a previous episode discussing feminism.
Join Jessie as they discuss the 2011 BUTCH Voices National Conference with Kari Kesler, our guest from Episode 9 on Feminism and Jay Walls, who served the programming chair for the conference. Jessie and Kari provide some reflection and discussion about the charged divisiveness which occurred at the conference in relation to the “Masculine of Center” terminology in the Butch Voices mission statement as well as some women-identified butches forming a split off group, Butch Nation. Sean weighs in as our resident butch!
A few choice quotes from the podcast:
- “…we’re talking about two kinds of feminism.”
- “The diversity of race and age was awe-inspiring.” Read more
Hundreds attend second national BUTCH Voices conference
This review was written by Nicole Jones.
Appeared originally: Oakland North
…Oakland continues to be a prime location to host the national BUTCH Voices conference. At Thursday night’s opening celebration, Oakland City Councilmember at Large Rebecca Kaplan addressed the conference goers. “As the only butch in the local government,” she said, “I gotta say it is so awesome to be in a room of badass butches and allies.”
Official BUTCH Voices After Parties
BUTCH Voices is proud to provide you with good energy, and some dance music to wind down with. These events bring out a wide spectrum of the beautiful and amazing people who make up our local LGBTQQI communities here in Oakland.
Frameline 35: A Convo with Dee Rees & Nekisa Cooper
Co-Presented by BUTCH Voices & the NIA Collective
Saturday June 18 at 4:15 pm
Victoria Theatre
Frameline audiences will fondly remember the critically-acclaimed short Pariah as the transformative film that captured hearts and minds when it closed Fun in Girls’ Shorts at Frameline31.
Q-Patrol PDX Says: “Be Safe This Summer”
Check out this PSA from Q-Patrol PDX reminding you to be safe while celebrating Pride this summer.
A Message from Q Patrol Portland from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.
Challenging Assumptions
from left: Q-Roc Ragsdale (BUTCH Voices Board), Eva Rivera, Michelle Paris and Theresa Strong.
This profile was written by Tammye Nash.
It appeared originally in The Dallas Voice.
…[W]hatever label you use, Radsdale says, its about a “masculine of center” identity that is a natural state for some women but that, at the same time, can put them at odds with the society around them.
“It’s not male; it’s masculine. There’s a difference,” Ragsdale says. “A lot of people don’t understand the difference between sex and gender. Gender is so fluid. It’s a spectrum. … There are woman-identified butches, trans-identified butches. Some use male pronouns and some use female pronouns. Some are just butch in presentation. Some don’t like gender roles, and some live gender roles.
“You can’t make assumptions. You can’t generalize. Our community is so diverse, just like any other community,” Ragsdale says. But one thing most masculine of center women share, she adds, is a sense of living outside the mainstream. And that can often leave them facing many disadvantages.
BUTCH Voices aims to help correct those disadvantages with its three-pronged mission focusing on physical and mental health, social and economic justice and community building.
As a masculine of center woman, “there are just so many different social norms that you challenge,” Ragsdale says. “You challenge gender norms. You challenge the mainstream notion of lesbians.” And those challenges can sometimes make life difficult.
Registration is NOW Open. Please visit BUTCHVoices.com to register and for more information about booking your rooms for this year’s conference!
Creating Meaningful Connections
This profile was written by Cheryl Burke and Kat Long.
It appeared originally as a part of Go Magazine’s “At The Helm” Series
photo by Kristin Kurazawa
Joe LeBlanc (Founder, BUTCH Voices)
“I did not have the meaningful connections with other masculine-of-center individuals that I wanted to have,” LeBlanc explains, “and there wasn’t an organization that was doing this work already. I started the process of pulling together a team to make BUTCH Voices into a reality.” BUTCH Voices hosts a biennial national conference—the next one is slated to take place in Oakland, Calif. in August, 2011 [...] “Our mission is to enhance and sustain the well-being of all women, female-bodied, and trans-identified individuals who are masculine-of-center,” LeBlanc says. “We provide programs that build community and positive visibility, inclusive of and beyond our gender identity and sexual orientation.
Registration is NOW Open. Please visit BUTCHVoices.com to register for the conference and for more information about booking your rooms for this year’s conference!
Building Bridges Between Masculine of Center Women & Transmen
This article was written by Tehea Robie and appeared originally on OaklandLocal.com
A socio-political conversation with Krys Freeman feels exactly right.
It’s a journey to eternity at the speed of light. In fact, s/he has a timeless, elaborate comprehension of power relations and multiple systems of domination. On blaKtivist, her blog, Freeman writes about everything from solar planes and civil rights, to health reform and HIV. “On Haiti: Dear Journalists, Looting Doesn’t Exist in a Disaster Area” succinctly puts reporters on blast for being “contextually inappropriate.”
Freeman earned a degree in Urban and Environmental Policy at Occidental College. S/he was born and raised in Flushing, Queens, in a three-parent (grandparents and mother) household. Her grandfather and mother passed down an interest in computers. Freeman works her/his tech-savy swag as a web project manager. S/he serves as [Board President and Chief Strategist] for BUTCH Voices and has been published on AOL.com, wiretapmag.com and Sustainable Life Media.
In 2008, Freeman was a media fellow for communities of African descent at GLAAD – Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Currently, s/he has started developing a social network – The Definition – for masculine of center women, trans men and their allies. The site has links for testosterone self care, how to get compression vests and links that teach people transgender terminology.
