Founder and Board Chair, Conference Chair
Joe LeBlanc is a polyamorous Cajun qenderqueer butch who believes in personal story-telling as a significant method for people to share experiences and solidify a better understanding about LGBTQ identities, issues, and concerns. He finds joy in producing and fostering authentic connections, bringing his big butch woo wherever he goes.
Joe is a community organizer who lives in Portland, Oregon. He is the Founder and Board Chair for BUTCH Voices. Joe is also honored to serve as the Board Chair for PDX Bad Girls and is the first Mx Oregon State Leather titleholder. Joe is a prior recipient of the Pride in Action Award with Pride Northwest in 2011, and was honored as a Queer Hero by the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest in 2016. He has developed and presented workshops at various conferences on issues around identity, community building, event planning, and advocating for trans-inclusive health care. Joe also enjoys road trips, coffee, taking way too many pictures, and a wide variety of music. He can usually be found wearing a bow tie and with a clipboard in his hand.
Board Member, Outreach Co-Chair
Koja Adeyoha is a two-spirit, mixed-blood Lakota, stone-butch dyke, activist, socialist, a staunch feminist, atheist and skeptic.
Koja is a former competitive surfer with strong ties to the Mni (Water), the lessons it brings, and the stories it tells. She’s worked in Emergency Medical Services and the Fire Department for nearly 20 years and educates across the country in wide-ranging ways: from critical incident management, to consensual power differentials and dynamics, and economic and racial justice. Koja is also the creator of the “Dykes Only Space” at San Francisco Dyke March and former Key-Note and long-time presenter for BUTCH Voices. Her most current passion projects are around RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome), CPTSD (Complex PTSD), addiction and the integration therein of sexual liberation and harm reduction.
These days, she can be found getting her hands dirty, reading apocalyptic science fiction, drumming, forever singing Indigo Girls, and obsessively practicing Pilates, self-restraint and radical truth. Koja believes strongly that the personal, is political and her work reflects that credence.
Board Member, Outreach Co-Chair
Michelle Dixon is an Afro Latina butch lesbian of Panamanian descent, born in Miami but raised in California. Michelle has worked in the construction industry as a Project Manager for 20 years in and around the Bay Area. She has an established career of activism within the LGBTQIAA community from having served as Board Vice President at the Pacific Center in Berkeley, to being one of the early moderators for the Lesbians of Color group.
Currently, she co-hosts a podcast, Two Libras And A Shot of Tequila, serves on the Board for the San Francisco Dyke March, in addition to being an author, public speaker, and entrepreneur.
In her free time, Michelle is an avid angler, traveling the waters wherever the current flows, spends time with family, or continues to challenge and call out blatant injustices on any of the social media platforms.
Board Secretary, Tech Coordinator
Laine Campbell is a butch lesbian and trans woman, born in Louisiana, and currently living in San Francisco. Laine is a self-taught software engineer and has worked in tech for 25 years. She has also been an entrepreneur and company founder, and is a published author in her field. Laine is passionate around diversity and inclusion, and access to the workforce for underrepresented communities. She is an active coach, mentor, and representative for trans folks, LGBT communities, and women in the workforce, and is a well known speaker in the industry. One of her greatest professional experiences was running the databases for the 2012 Obama campaign.
Outside of work, Laine enjoys travel, queer community, cigars, music, and dancing. She’s grateful for community, chosen family, and loved ones to share her life with, and is eager to continue to surround herself with amazing people, and to support and join them in their fights for racial, socioeconomic, sexual, and gender justice.
Volunteer Coordinator
slavegirl j was raised in the Leather community by queer, kinky, POC parents which cultivated a deep connection to service. she expresses this by serving at her Master, Sir DaddyDaun’s, side as Northwest slave 2016 and International slave 2017/2021, Volunteer Coordinator for MsC WORLDWIDE 2021, Volunteer Coordinator for BUTCH Voices 2021, as well as Ms Rhonda’s assistant for Northwest Leather Celebration. girl j is also passionate about sharing how she navigates serving her Master who is both an elder of the community and has Multiple Sclerosis. Together, T/they were awarded the 2020 MAsT International Presenter of the Year Award. When not presenting or being volun-told for something, slavegirl j can be found traveling the lower 48 states in her Master’s semi truck, handcrafting her days away with T/their cat Spirit.
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator
Tee is a Leather identified Black Butch happily living in Vancouver B.C. Canada with her wife of 26 years. Tee’s pronouns are he/she and is an active member of various local and international communities.
Out for over 35 years, he/she started by leading coming out groups in the early 90s, and in the years since has lead organizations, been a mentor, and coordinated educational and fundraising events (intensives and conferences), both online and in person, for various communities. For Tee, community service and community building are important ways to give back.
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator
Lori is a Japanese Canadian lesbian artist who lives in Vancouver B.C.. Coming out in the early 1990’s, she was an active volunteer with various LGBTQ+ organizations and co-lead the creation Bamboo Triangle, a social and support group for the Japanese Canadian queer community.
Married to Tee for over 26 years, Lori curiously and steadfastly follows him/her into various adventures and projects and has co-lead a number of conferences, charitable events and community building activities over the years. Life is never dull and there is always a new project around the corner.
Social Media Team Member
Sassie Sofia (she/her) is a Queer polyamorous Leathergirl. She thrives in creating a solid network for those in her local community and promoting volunteering and giving back. A member of House of Talos, she is proud to be Founder and President of Little Scouts of Central Florida, Secretary and Social Media Director of MAsT Kissimmee, Social Media Team Director of UPRISE! Welcome to the Dawn, and Creative Director of Beyond Age Play. She is honored to be a ONYX Pearl Deep South Associate #DeepSouthBaby. In her free time, Sassie enjoys volunteering at her local LGBTQ+ Center, furthering her education, presenting, fundraising, utilizing her organizational and managerial skills, and lending a hand whenever needed.
Performance Chair
Damnyo Lee is a Los Angeles native, Poet, host, and artist. She’s been performing poetry and spoken word since 2001, during which she’s performed at universities, festivals, schools, radio programs, podcasts, slams, and poetry events all over the country. Her experience doesn’t only include just performing, she has hosted several open mics and poetry events, produced and curated numerous shows, retreats, and festivals; including her own; El le Mental Sol and the Damn Slam. Damnyo was the Slam Master/Coach for the LA Slam Team in 2006 and Slam Master/Team Member of the Damn Slam in 2010 – 2012. The Damn Slam has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and she is alumni of the Sister Spit Touring Collective (2021). Damnyo has been published in several poetry anthologies, such as Lo-fi to Hi-fi (2019) and Super Stoked (2018). She is also a decorated U.S. Navy Sailor, serving since 2011. Damnyo Lee has also been the Performance Chair for Black Lesbians United and is the current Performance Chair for BUTCH Voices.
Media Team Member
Tootie is a masculine of center, lesbian woman of mixed ethnicities born and raised in the bay area of Northern California. She is a foodie, animal lover, and sci-fi fanatic. She received a B.A. in Digital Media Arts from Cal State Dominguez Hills and is a multimedia designer based in the bay area. She specializes in graphic design, sign production, video editing, audio editing, and web design. She has done graphic design work for BUTCH Voices and the Brown Boi Project. Tootie holds high enthusiasm for gender justice and finds it important to build community among LGBTQ folks. She is passionate about digital media art and helping to share important information and advocate for the community through multimedia.
Media Team Member
Leo Kirkham is a nonbinary butch lesbian living in Los Angeles with their two partners, two dogs, and cat. They work as a foster youth advocate and queer camp counselor and received a B.S. in Public Health from the University of Washington Seattle.
They are passionate about the intersection of social justice with art and design.
Graphic Designer
Audrey Gilles grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A tomboy, a misfit that didn’t fit in with either the boys or the girls, not to mention one of only five Jewish families in town, she left as soon as possible. Audrey spent her formative years in New York City in the early 80’s and stayed for the next 20 years. She moved to the Bay Area in 2005 continuing a long career in marketing until transitioning to design and property management ten years later. Audrey identifies creatively first, and from a gender perspective as a tweener. She finds herself attracted to the stories, experiences, and energy of masculine women.