BUTCH Voices - a national organization, which will hold its 2011 conference at the Oakland Marriott this week - is sure to be a machismo-fest, right? Won’t it be one big gathering of hotheads comparing silicone “strap” sizes and trying to out-butch each other?

Guess again. BUTCH Voices, according to its mission statement, seeks to “enhance and sustain the well-being of all women, female-bodied and trans-identified individuals who are masculine of center.*  We achieve this by providing programs that build community, positive visibility and empower us to advocate for our whole selves inclusive of and beyond our gender identity and sexual orientation.”

A wide range of acceptable gender expressions is expected and encouraged. Self-identification is respected. Allies are invited. In other words, if you think that you belong at this conference, this group will welcome you there.

I recently sat down and interviewed a few members of the team. Take a look at the videos below.

*The use of “masculine-of-center” - or MOC - in the mission statement recently caused an uproar. The term is meant to broaden the range of “butch” expression and discourage gender policing. Some former members of the BUTCH Voices team took offense, including Sasha T. Goldberg, who wrote that the term “blended in, watered down, or erased” butch history and identity. Krys Freeman, President and Chief Strategist of BUTCH Voices, responded in the following video.