BY LUCIEN MAE SAGUSTAME
dot429
The third national BUTCH Voices Conference was held August 15-18 in Oakland, California, and I had the pleasure of attending Saint Harridan’s Gala on Saturday night. Saint Harridan is the new clothing company founded by Mary Going, which makes masculine clothing for nontraditional bodies. The idea got started when Going started shopping for a suit for her own wedding ceremony, only to find that most men’s suits didn’t fit her frame, and that most men’s department workers didn’t suit her style.
The BUTCH Voices Conference featured many workshops, community dinners and performances geared towards creating community and celebrating the butch identity. Founded in 2008 in order to unite people who identity under the “Masculine of Center” spectrum, the intention is to enrich the lives of self identified butches by building community and facilitating open discussion. Judging from the excitement and energy at the Gala, I’d say they’ve achieved that, and much more.
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