Following OUT Magazine's lead, I've been taking nominations for the 25 most powerful butches. I've received 87 nominations and need YOU, dear readers, to help pare them down. Here are the voting rules/guidelines:
Below, I've listed all the nominees with some sort of link to information about them (since, if you're like me, you won't have heard some of these names). Check 'em out, then click here to vote! THE NOMINEES: Nicola Adams, British boxing champ Jenny Allard, softball coach and former softball star Vernice Armour, first black female combat pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces Alison Bechdel, writer and cartoonist Kathy Belge, writer Gladys Bentley, blues singer from the Harlem renaissance S. Bear Bergman, writer, storyteller, and educator Syd Blakovich, adult film star Angel Bouchet, actor and blues singer Chris Bourg, Director of MIT Libraries Paige Braddock, cartoonist, creator of "Jane's World." Dom Brassey, hustler for queer visibility at Saint Harridan Lynn Breedlove, musician, writer, and performer Jeannette Bronson, organizer, Black Lesbians United Rhea Butcher, comedian Judith Butler, writer, philosopher, and gender theorist Kate Clinton, comedian and political commentator B. Cole, Executive Director of the Brown Boi Project Skyler Cooper, actor Jeanne Cordova, activist and author of When We Were Outlaws Ivan Coyote, writer and spoken word performer Malkia Cyril, Executive Director of the Center for Media Justice Ellen DeGeneres, actor, comedian, writer, talk show host Lea Delaria, comedian, actor, and musician Karey Dornetto, writer, producer, and actor Kelli Dunham, comedian Jill Ellis, head coach of the US women's soccer team Megan Ellison, heiress and film producer Cameron Esposito, comedian Melissa Etheridge, singer and songwriter Elizabeth Falkner, chef Leslie Feinberg, activist and author (most notably of Stone Butch Blues) De'Borah Garner, gospel singer, "The Voice" Mary Going, founder of Saint Harridan Julie Goldman, comedian Britney Griner, basketball player Judith "Jack" Halberstam, professor, author of Female Masculinity Karey Halbin, oldest women to join the Air Force Reserves Hannah Hart, internet personality, actor, and writer Mary Kay Henry, labor union leader Tristan Higgins, blogger (Butch on Tap) Joan Jett, singer and guitarist Rebecca Kaplan, council member and former candidate for Oakland mayor Robbie Kaplan, the lawyer who represented Edie Windsor Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights Billie Jean King, tennis legend and activist KMichelle, Designer and CEO of HauteButch Sapna Kumar, comedian and actor Elvira Kurt, comedian k.d. Lang, singer and songwriter Malachi Larrabee-Garza, community organizer Jiz Lee, adult film star Kristy Lee, singer and musician Elisha Lim, artist and author (most recently of 100 Crushes) Madeleine Lim, Exec Director of Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project Marie Livingston, model and actor LP, singer Jane Lynch, comedian and actor Rachel Maddow, political commentator Sabrina Matthews, comedian Ashley Merriman, chef Preeti Mistry, chef Kate Moennig, actor Martina Navratilova, tennis champion Tig Notaro, comedian and actor Diana Nyad, swimmer and author Rosie O'Donnell, comedian, actor, and author Suze Orman, personal financial guru Chris Pureka, singer and songwriter Q-roc Ragsdale, filmmaker and designer Michele Ragussis, chef and food network star Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medallist and pro soccer player Amy Ray, singer and musician Sheree Ross, Preppy Baba Gayle Rubin, professor and cultural anthropologist Daniela Sea, actor and filmmaker Sinclair Sexsmith, writer, educator, and performer Dani Shay, musician Jenny Shimizu, model and actor Siya from "Sisterhood of Hip Hop" Sheryl Swoopes, basketball player Miki Vargas, photographer and creator of the Handsome Revolution Hanifah Walidah, musician, writer, and activist Jackie Warner, personal trainer and TV personality Mo Willis, bklyn boihood Julie Wolf, composer and musician Campbell X, filmmaker, including "Stud Life" Isn't that an amazing list of powerful people in the LGBTQ community? Makes me proud just to look at it. Remember, go here to vote! I'll accept votes until Friday at noon. If you have any questions, you can email me or list them in a comment below.
44 Comments
Each year, OUT Magazine releases a list of the 50 most powerful LGBT people in the country. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, tops this year's list (pleasing Apple aficionados like me), and it is awesome and heartening to read about so many LGBT folks at the top of their game. I'll be curious to hear what all of you think about the list; to me, it seemed that media and pop culture were a bit overrepresented, while literature, science, and medicine seemed underrepresented. I also noticed that a mere 14 out of the 50 people on the list are women, and that VERY few of these are gender non-conforming (although Rachel Maddow and Ellen are both near the top). It's also a tough list to make because many powerful women are rumored to be gay (e.g., Elena Kagan, Janet Napolitano, Condoleezza Rice), may or may not be, and thus wouldn't show up on the list.
I'm interested in whether there's anyone you think should be on the list but didn't make it. The ones who occurred to me are:
What do you think of OUT's list? Is anyone missing? As I've said many times in the past, being butch is awesome. I love it, and it's natural for me, and I wouldn't want to be any other way. That said, society doesn't always know what to make of us. In public settings, there are a few things that butchy looking women can't get away with quite as easily as other women can.
I've been putting an asterisk after trans* to signify that I'm talking about a whole bunch of trans-ID'd people at once: transgender, transsexual, transmasculine, transfeminine, whatever. I thought this was "correct"--not in the politically correct sense, but in the sense of using the most inclusive language possible. But recently, I received the following message:
I love your blog. As a transmasculine genderqueer person, it has provided me with resources for clothing and style and perspectives that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. However, I wanted to let you know that while I'm sure you have the best intentions, it's not cool to use the asterisk on the end of the word "trans". It's an easy mistake to make. For one thing, the asterisk is unnecessary, but more importantly it has been used in the past to exclude trans women from the word trans. "*" turned the word trans into a term specifically for trans men, excluding women and nonbinary people to an unpronounceable punctuation mark. I hope I've been helpful and I look forward to reading more of your blog. ...So this is where I turn to you for help, dear readers. Trans, trans*, or something else? Help me out. And while you're at it, maybe you can share some other terms that you like or don't like. |
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