by Redwolf Painter, Facilities Chair for BUTCH Voices 2011

In 2008, BUTCH Voices was created to unite the cross section of Masculine of Center* women and trans identified people - who at one time or another may have been categorized, or self identified as Butch.  Our work has roots in gender justice.  The hope was to counteract the isolation so many of us have felt, or the mistreatment we've experienced on account of our gender presentation, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.  Some in our community use the term as a noun describing who they are as people - "I'm a Butch."  For others "butch" is used and an adjective to describe our presentation as compared to other folks - "She is Butch."  

In 2009, we convened our first national conference, bringing together a wide variety of people that make up this community.  We designed a weekend to share our experiences and have a good time.  Our vision was to offer the kind of space where we could celebrate ourselves, reflect on our pasts and begin the much-needed process of working together to create safe and fully accepting communities that we all dream about. Our hope was that by being together, we might be able to bask in our resilience as people who outwardly challenge social norms on a day to day basis.

For some people, just the act of seeing other Butches, Studs, Doms, Aggressives, FtMs in shared space and in conversation was powerful. In a few cases, the event created relationships that would not have existed otherwise and for some folks, coming together again only strengthened them. On more than one occasion, we heard personal accounts from attendees about how coming to BUTCH Voices had changed their life.  Today, the BUTCH Voices Conference is a semi-annual national gathering and a rare opportunity for our community members, who reside all over the United States, to get together in person. 

We hope you will join us for BUTCH Voices 2011.

We have an amazing program, headlined by our keynote speakers Alice Y. Hom and sharon bridgforth. Our workshop sessions vary from topics like "Butch Leaders and Entrepreneurs: Inspiring and Supporting the Next Generation of Leaders", "Intergenerational Panel" and "Butch Trans Women Panel." 

Start off the weekend with our Meet & Greet: Artist Reception & Ally Performance on Thursday August 18th, join us for a dynamic night of film screenings at "BUTCH Briefs" on Friday August 19th, and on Saturday night our variety show entitled "BUTCH Nation."

Volunteers are the heart of the machine that makes BUTCH Voices possible.

Without your and my dedication to this cause, we could not make this happen, and we can always use a few extra hands on site.  In exchange for your generosity we would like to offer you the opportunity to attend sessions the day you volunteer in exchange for at least 4 hours of your time.  If you can volunteer 4 hours a day for all 4 days, we will offer you a full four day pass that gives you access to workshops and evening events!  We are grateful to all those who have been so generous toward us, and we look forward to working with more of you!

If you are willing to volunteer, we ask that you please complete this form: http://www.butchvoices.com/registration/volunteer

Please be sure to indicate the day(s) and times you are able to help, along with your contact information (email address & phone number), and the top 3 positions you would like to volunteer for. You will be contacted shortly thereafter with additional details.

You don't have to be Butch to volunteer, we simply ask that you hold the space for us in a compassionate and empathic way. Thanks so much for all of your support and we look forward to seeing you later this week!