A national conference celebrating butchness in all its iterations is coming to Oakland this August.
Butch identity is something we cherish forever. Butchness is about more than just an androgynous aesthetic: it’s about messing with stereotypical gender roles, and celebrating all bodies in all their forms, and the desire that stems from difference and sameness simultaneously.
For a long time, a butch aesthetic was pragmatic for lesbians, as it signaled their queerness to other gay women. Today, we acknowledge that butch women are doing far more than putting out a siren call – just by living their lives, they are doing vital work for social justice and equality.
In 2008, BUTCH Voices was created to unite a cross section of Masculine of Center* womyn and trans identified people who challenge social norms. It is a movement that has its roots in gender justice.
The vision was to create space that would counteract the isolation so many of us have felt on account of our gender presentation, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
This year, BUTCH Voices will once again convene in Oakland for our 2017 National Conference, from Thursday, August 17th to Sunday, August 20th. They are excited to work with the folks at Oakstop for their conference home for workshop and keynote spaces.
Oakstop is located at 1721 Broadway, in the heart of Oakland, and also near the 19th St. BART station.
There will be workshops, films, performances, networking, resources, keynote speakers and more.
BUTCH Voices is also about resistance. The BUTCH team explains, “In times of darkness, hate, and bigotry, it’s even more necessary for us to come together across differences to strategize and impact change. This time calls for us to connect and share our collective tools from vehicles such as: protest and direct action organizing, to knowing how best to advocate for others and ourselves within political and larger institutional systems.”
Now that’s a cause we can get behind! Be sure to register at http://www.butchvoices.com/.