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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
Peg McCuaig
4/27/2015 04:44:09 am
Lisa Vogel, for being true to her intention for forty years and doing her damnedest to provide a safe place for Womyn-born-Womyn.
Annette
4/28/2015 01:54:39 am
Yes, Lisa Vogel. For standing up to the patriarchy for the last forty years.
chris
4/27/2015 06:33:48 am
A few things. Leslie Feinberg should be listed as "the late" as sadly zhe has passed on. My cousin has had Jack Halberstam as a professor and said that he no longer goes my his birth name (teaches at USC). That's it. Great list!
tallon Nuñez
4/27/2015 06:56:37 am
I understand wanting to have fun, and getting the names and images of butches into the mainstream, but this kind of thing is not actually supportive of butches or womyn in general. it is a patriarchal tool, it creates a hierarchy/ranking system, and that divides us. And I'm curious, butches don't have institutional power, so to what power are you referring?
tallon nuñez
4/27/2015 06:58:41 am
Oops, just re-read the part where you say we can define powerful any way we want. I agree! Just being a gender-nonconforming person takes courage and is awesome and is powerful in and of itself. I also agree that there are many dimensions to "power." So, define it as you will and vote accordingly. (And yeah, rankings are silly, but to a list-maker like yours truly, also kinda fun as long as people don't take them too seriously.)
sari
4/27/2015 08:59:58 am
FYI: Looks like you've mistakenly listed Julie Goldman as "Judith" Goldman in the Google Doc.
Lisa
4/27/2015 12:27:42 pm
Lisa Vogel - can't believe she's not on your list
Bobbie DeVoll
4/27/2015 11:35:49 pm
Lisa Vogel. She gave womyn a place to come together in love for 40 years. If that is not power, I don't know what is!
Sharon
4/27/2015 11:37:07 pm
Lisa Vogel for her total bad assert!
Lee Evans
4/27/2015 11:40:16 pm
LISA VOGEL! What other Butch has created a celebration of femaleness, a training ground for young girls empowerment, a think tank for radical feminist politics, a creative cauldron for women's music, an institution that harnessed women's many skills and talents and enthusiasms, and an International-in-scope, multi-racial, multi-generational home for gender discordant women- for 40 years...
HF Leo
4/27/2015 11:47:58 pm
Lisa Vogel--no question. If we each get 10 votes mine are all for her!
The word "power" means something different to feminists than it does in conventional society - it comes from within, from connection, and from a zero-sum vision of how to make change and create justice.
Suzanne
4/28/2015 12:47:29 am
Lisa Vogel, founder of Michigan Womyn's Music Festival who ran it for 40 years (this August).
Charmaine
4/28/2015 01:33:24 am
Lisa Vogal what a difference she had made providing safe butch space for thousands of women.
Diane Saunders
4/28/2015 01:57:04 am
Lisa Vogel because Michfest
kendell
4/28/2015 02:01:23 am
Lisa Vogel
Alicia Woodson
4/28/2015 02:15:16 am
Lisa Vogel
Kendell
4/28/2015 02:18:56 am
Lisa Vogel...c'mon...too easy 4/28/2015 02:21:11 am
Just a reminder that writing "Lisa Vogel" here won't give her a vote! You need to go to the link above, vote, and write her in. :)
Bobbie
4/28/2015 03:57:50 am
Thank you for telling us how to vote for Lisa Vogel.
Deb
4/28/2015 02:34:40 am
Lisa Vogel. Hands down in terms of life-changing influence.
Nedra Johnson
4/28/2015 02:38:05 am
Lisa Vogel. Definitely. She has saved many a gender non-conforming woman's life and helped them to be able to live as their (our, my) most authentic selves.
Maria Grace
4/28/2015 03:02:49 am
Lisa Vogel - a true advocate for women and girls. She has devoted her life to creating safe space for women and has produced so many amazing female artists
Karen Prieur
4/28/2015 03:42:35 am
Lisa Vogel-she is the epitome of warrior, for and about women on a global scale. Hands down, she's a legend!
Laurie Burkland
4/28/2015 05:56:07 am
Lisa Vogel for giving females a safe space for 40 years.
Deborah Whittington
4/28/2015 06:31:16 am
Lisa Vogel....write her in!
Betty Edwards
4/28/2015 08:11:32 am
How do I write in Lisa "holds her ground" Vogel?
Tonya Koenig
4/28/2015 09:13:24 am
Lisa Vogal for lives she has changed.
Syd Mutschler
4/28/2015 09:25:07 am
Lisa Vogel is not only a powerful butch dyke, she gave thousands of butch dykes a place to discover their power. LISA VOGEL!!!
Missy Howse-Kurtz
4/29/2015 10:38:54 am
Lisa Vogel, of course!
alex
4/29/2015 12:02:49 pm
i don't think everyone on this list self identifies as a butch. i guess it is hard to make a list like this and it is from nominations. i just wanted to say that i know a few people on the list don't id as butch 4/30/2015 07:31:57 am
Yep, I'm sure that not everyone on this list IDs as butch. If anyone on it lets me know that they don't want to be on the list, I will take them off immediately! But yeah, I really had no choice but to base it on nominations. As I said in the post, "you're really voting for the "25 most powerful people that others think of as butch." But I don't want to label people, so if you think someone on the list wouldn't want to be on it, please have them email me. Thanks! :)
Barkley
4/30/2015 03:11:40 am
Lisa Vogel. For 40 wonderful years.
Kimbala Martell
4/30/2015 03:26:41 am
Lisa "holds her ground" Vogel, for her fierce courage in defending women and lesbians!
Jill Johnson
4/30/2015 03:47:08 am
Lisa Vogel! No question.
Gillian
4/30/2015 07:29:32 am
You can write "Lisa Vogel" as many times as you want. I'm sure she's great but THIS IS NOT HOW YOIU VOTE 4 HER!!!
Roar (Laurie Leonard)
4/30/2015 12:18:24 pm
I cast my vote for Lisa Vogel. She is a powerful Amazon leader who has provided womyn and girls a safe space for forty years. Thank you for your courage to stand and face such adversity! LV, you rock!!
Kris Hannah
5/2/2015 08:18:02 am
Yes! Absolutely Lisa Vogel.
S.
5/7/2015 02:36:45 pm
Kay Ryan, former U.S. Poet Laureate! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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