Here come the lesbians, here come the leaping lesbians...

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by OS Butch

Really?! I haven't played softball in 30! Though there is a league called the Golden Girls and 1 gal has been trying to recruit me to play for close to 2 years....Now that could be uglier than watching me try to leap!

I miss softball. And my glove. And my purple aluminum bat.

I suppose I could still play tho not leap. Except I would want a chair in the field with me.....preferably with a coffee holder, and a battery operated fan.
And maybe my own personal designated fielder/runner.

Why is Springsteens "Glory Days" playing in my head?

[NJFemmie]

Leap? Ha.
Maybe after the advil kicks in.

[Martina]

*holds on to her dyke card so no one can wrench it away*

Kate Clinton is not funny.

[LipstickLola]

As I suspected, the leaping did not go well............, better luck tomorrow, lol, cuz I ain't quittin!!!

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Martina

*holds on to her dyke card so no one can wrench it away*

Kate Clinton is not funny.

I like Kate. Her old stuff on religion, George Bush and how lesbians would never get around to a war still makes me laugh.

But I adore Karen Williams and Marga Gomez. And the last Wanda Sykes dvd I saw had me in stitches.

Your dyke card is safe I think, but the mastercard might not be

[dykeumentary]

Originally Posted by Kobi

I miss softball. And my glove. And my purple aluminum bat.

I suppose I could still play tho not leap. Except I would want a chair in the field with me.....preferably with a coffee holder, and a battery operated fan.
And maybe my own personal designated fielder/runner.

Why is Springsteens "Glory Days" playing in my head?

Another challenge has been to figure out how to play softball while wearing bi-focals. And how to not get injured.
I had no idea how easy it all was when I was a hot young softball stud. Now i look across to the other dugout and see the kids looking at ME with sympathy--- just like I used to look at them.
It's kind of great to see how far we've all come.

[CherylNYC]

It's not exactly leaping, but it's pretty darned close. Not only was I able to start riding my small spare motorcycle last Saturday, I was able to ride it an hour out of town this morning, successfully complete all the exercises required in the new ARC class, and then ride it home this evening. I'm triumphantly exhausted.

And I jumped in the air! It was a very small jump to point out something on the blackboard, but as soon as I did it I remembered that I'm a leaping lesbian again.

This leaping thing is certainly grounds for celebration. Tomorrow marks three months since my very serious accident. The final, (I think), broken bone count is 22 including 9 to my lumbar spine. And I jumped and rode my motorcycle today. The old bones have healed like fresh, young, new ones. Yay!

[dykeumentary]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

It's not exactly leaping, but it's pretty darned close. Not only was I able to start riding my small spare motorcycle last Saturday, I was able to ride it an hour out of town this morning, successfully complete all the exercises required in the new ARC class, and then ride it home this evening. I'm triumphantly exhausted.

And I jumped in the air! It was a very small jump to point out something on the blackboard, but as soon as I did it I remembered that I'm a leaping lesbian again.

This leaping thing is certainly grounds for celebration. Tomorrow marks three months since my very serious accident. The final, (I think), broken bone count is 22 including 9 to my lumbar spine. And I jumped and rode my motorcycle today. The old bones have healed like fresh, young, new ones. Yay!

Well done and well earned!
Here's to more leaping, on and off bikes!

[Heart]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

Tomorrow marks three months since my very serious accident. The final, (I think), broken bone count is 22 including 9 to my lumbar spine. And I jumped and rode my motorcycle today. The old bones have healed like fresh, young, new ones. Yay!

This calls for leaping with joy!

:leaping-lesbian-avatar:

[dykeumentary]

Hey Leaping Lesbians!
There's some very interesting things happening on an organizational level... have a look--

Full press release: http://sashatgoldberg.wordpress.com/...ation-is-born/
(my snip)
"During its inaugural 2009 Conference in Oakland ButchVoices claimed it wanted to include all butch voices. However, a group of Steering Committee feminists left during the ’09 planning. Internal tension mounted again in 2010 when Cordova insisted upon inserting the words “feminist” and “lesbian” into the official Call-for-Submissions to the upcoming regional conferences. Although invited to serve on the Board as ButchVoice’s “sage elder”, Cordova’s value rapidly decreased when she disagreed with the Board, who proceeded to schedule their retreat during Cordova’s surgery.

Differences culminated when the Board Retreat met, without Cordova, and changed ButchVoice’s mission statement, shifting the original language of “butch women and trans folk” to “masculine of center people.” Cordova and Goldberg argued—unsuccessfully—for equal footing being given to “butch women and masculine of center people.” ButchVoice’s current mission statement says, “BUTCH Voices is a grassroots organization dedicated to all self-identified Masculine of Center people and our Allies.” (end of my snip)

What do you think about this?

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by dykeumentary

Hey Leaping Lesbians!
There's some very interesting things happening on an organizational level... have a look--

Full press release: http://sashatgoldberg.wordpress.com/...ation-is-born/
(my snip)
"During its inaugural 2009 Conference in Oakland ButchVoices claimed it wanted to include all butch voices. However, a group of Steering Committee feminists left during the ’09 planning. Internal tension mounted again in 2010 when Cordova insisted upon inserting the words “feminist” and “lesbian” into the official Call-for-Submissions to the upcoming regional conferences. Although invited to serve on the Board as ButchVoice’s “sage elder”, Cordova’s value rapidly decreased when she disagreed with the Board, who proceeded to schedule their retreat during Cordova’s surgery.

Differences culminated when the Board Retreat met, without Cordova, and changed ButchVoice’s mission statement, shifting the original language of “butch women and trans folk” to “masculine of center people.” Cordova and Goldberg argued—unsuccessfully—for equal footing being given to “butch women and masculine of center people.” ButchVoice’s current mission statement says, “BUTCH Voices is a grassroots organization dedicated to all self-identified Masculine of Center people and our Allies.” (end of my snip)

What do you think about this?

IMO, it is just another concerted masculine effort to negate women and lesbians from the Butch agenda. It's a pet peeve of mine.

So these days, I identify simply as a lesbian just to take back the power of my womanness - something of which I am very proud. I fought too long and too hard to let a "masculine of any part" think they can tell me who I am or who I have to be.

I don't even understand what "masculine of center people" is supposed to mean. Who are the center people?

I am glad the ousted members will continue to build a womans butch community under the name Butch Nation. I like it. And thanks for the link. I have been looking for something like this.

[Chazz]

Originally Posted by Kobi

IMO, it is just another concerted masculine effort to negate women and lesbians from the Butch agenda. It's a pet peeve of mine.

So these days, I identify simply as a lesbian just to take back the power of my womanness - something of which I am very proud. I fought too long and too hard to let a "masculine of any part" think they can tell me who I am or who I have to be.

I don't even understand what "masculine of center people" is supposed to mean. Who are the center people?

I am glad the ousted members will continue to build a womans butch community under the name Butch Nation. I like it. And thanks for the link. I have been looking for something like this.

My entire butch life, I've battled against the Freudian proposition that a butch is a "misbegotten man".

Outside of gender preoccupied enclaves, the overwhelming majority of the straight world still believes that butches are wanna-be-men. In my RT lesbian community, this is most definitely not the case. We eschew terminology/neologisms that reinforce dominant culture stereotypes that have RT consequences for us as butch women.

If you take the female out of female masculinity, what does that leave us with? How does that serve those of us who have fought a lifetime for respect as butch women?

Labeling butches "masculine of center people" (MOC people), wrings womanhood out of the term butch. Sexual orientation is no longer a defining feature of butch - it's been replaced by masculine gender identity.

I'm glad this schism within BUTCH VOICES has happened. It's shone a light on a dimly lit area that needed full exposure to the light of day. This need not be divisive. What's to argue really?

Why does everyone have to be stuffed, some screaming and kicking, under the same big tent?

I'm content with my lesbian butch, feminist tent. I'm content with others having their gender theory tent. Hell, I'm even content with a Christian lesbian tent for people who sometimes vote Republican. I just don't want to have to room with them. I'll meet everyone around the camp fire, if I'm of a mind to do so.

We are not all the same. We don't all identify the same. We don't all think or believe the same.

THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING ! ! ! !

Let's celebrate diversity - we use to do that and it was great fun.

[OS Butch]

WTH is “masculine of center people.” This dinosaur is wandering back to my cave....leaping all the way

Originally Posted by dykeumentary

Hey Leaping Lesbians!
There's some very interesting things happening on an organizational level... have a look--

Full press release: http://sashatgoldberg.wordpress.com/...ation-is-born/
(my snip)
"During its inaugural 2009 Conference in Oakland ButchVoices claimed it wanted to include all butch voices. However, a group of Steering Committee feminists left during the ’09 planning. Internal tension mounted again in 2010 when Cordova insisted upon inserting the words “feminist” and “lesbian” into the official Call-for-Submissions to the upcoming regional conferences. Although invited to serve on the Board as ButchVoice’s “sage elder”, Cordova’s value rapidly decreased when she disagreed with the Board, who proceeded to schedule their retreat during Cordova’s surgery.

Differences culminated when the Board Retreat met, without Cordova, and changed ButchVoice’s mission statement, shifting the original language of “butch women and trans folk” to “masculine of center people.” Cordova and Goldberg argued—unsuccessfully—for equal footing being given to “butch women and masculine of center people.” ButchVoice’s current mission statement says, “BUTCH Voices is a grassroots organization dedicated to all self-identified Masculine of Center people and our Allies.” (end of my snip)

What do you think about this?

[Heart]

It's interesting that they have replaced "butch," a historically lesbian/female identity, with the word "masculine." I suppose they think it's more "inclusive." I see this over and over. Being inclusive results in deleting references to women/female.

But actually, keeping "woman/female" central to organizing efforts is a very good way to assert an anti-oppression, anti-patriarchy, anti-homophobia mission. Too many queer organizers do not understand this.

Heart

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by OS Butch

WTH is “masculine of center people.” This dinosaur is wandering back to my cave....leaping all the way

Oh, no! Please don't retreat to the cave now. I think the pendulum is just starting to swing back.

I was shocked and disgusted by some recent comments made by friends who used to live in San Francisco. Apparently, there's something wrong with calling yourself a lesbian there. They were quite certain that they would be mocked and ostracized out of their b-f and/or leather community circles for doing so.

I don't want to brag, but I'm considered kinda bad-ass. I'm a Founding Member of the Sirens, which is the NYC women's motorcycle club that has led the Pride Parade down 5th Ave for 25 yrs., and a longtime member and activist with LSM. (the Lesbian Sex Mafia is now the oldest extant women's BDSM org in the U.S.) I even won a Pantheon of Leather award a few yrs ago. I make a living as an artist in NYC, and I never back down from a fight. Even though the reality of my life is very messy and not particularly 'cool', the externals sure look both cool and bad-ass. From that position I emphatically and relentlessly ID myself as a lesbian, ESPECIALLY when speaking to some kid who thinks that sounds as old fashioned as an African American calling themselves 'coloured'. Then I look at that kid with a VERY bad-ass challenge in my eyes and ask, "Do you have a problem with lesbians?" Not one of them has had the ovaries, or the stupidity, to continue the discussion.

Of course I'm in a far different position than a butch woman would be, but my prickly activism on this subject (hopefully) helps give butches some breathing room to claim a masculine FEMALE ID.

I haven't visited the dash site in more than two years because the overwhelming culture there forced reflexive use of male pronouns on butches, and even calling oneself a woman on that site seemed to be shocking. I'm thrilled that there's been push-back against the de-womanizing of butch identity. Please don't leave now. The party is just getting started.