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Its a Boot Community... my step down speech, sort of.

So my speech wasn't written per se, my process involved me talking about it with my dog on our morning walks. That said, especially for those that weren't able to make it to wicked, here's the main idea of what I said for my step down.

Good evening everyone, my name is Kirsten or Rainbow and it has been my privilege to serve as the Western Canadian Bootblack for this past year. A year ago I was astounded to have been awarded this title, especially as I had thought I had lost. At that point all I knew was that I was going to put a pun on a t-shirt, well... mission accomplished (pointing to my It's a boot community, eh? T shirt.). Little did I know how much it would shape my year, as it is all about community. Now, more than ever, we need to come together as a community, especially the leather community. As leather is our armor, both individually, for us out in the world, and together we can stand together to create a safe space for those who are vulnerable. Especially with all the misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and racism that is being propagated south of the border. We need to come together and listen to each other, and grow into our authentic selves. Over the course of this year it has been my privilege to travel to communities across western Canada; each one having different strengths and ways of creating this space. In Vancouver and the amazing queer bootblacks that welcomed me there, and the amazing "unofficial clubhouse" of Eastside Rerides. You all have me since serious crew goals. Your willingness to share, and learn and grow is truly inspiring. My home of Edmonton, thank you. You have given me multiple opportunities to teach throughout this year, which has allowed me to to grow and develop my voice. You've been so welcoming and supportive, and I'm truly blessed to have been given such a running start to my year. Regina, you have been so incredibly welcoming. I was able to visit twice for two very different reasons, the first was due to my dog requiring emergency surgery, and I spent the whole drive messaging everyone I knew, and it was lady Umbra that invited us over for dinner and some Bootblacking. The second, more auspicious occasion, I was there for and incredible one day workshop and party that was organized by the women's group. Your intentional community is magical and is inspiring. And last but not least, Winnipeg. Your generosity was phenomenal. The opportunity to teach twice that weekend was truly incredible, especially as there was a new Bootblack there. And nothing is quite as motivating as a new Bootblack. There thirst for knowledge, their desire to practice and improve, their drive for their newly discovered passion is contagious. Thank you for that gift. As a Bootblack, my stand is a safe space that I guard fiercely. Together we can do the same for our community. Thank you.

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Another awesome article on the "Old Guard" and what leather is really all about.

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"Old Guard" leather, described by someone who was there. Very important reading.

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“When I was a child, girls would never wear trousers. But then women’s lib came along and they started to wear them all the time. So I figured, if women are allowed to wear trousers, men should be allowed to wear skirts. That’s liberation too, right? So I started with a kilt and realised I quite liked it. After that I tried other skirts. I now I wear them regularly. Not all the time mind you - just whenever I feel like it.

People sometimes tease me and ask why I am wearing a woman’s skirt. But look at me. I am quite clearly a man. So this is not a woman’s skirt. It’s MY skirt. It’s a man’s skirt.”

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Central & Broadway (2018) - written and directed by Chelsea Woods

A young butch usher dreams of taking the stage by storm in a brand new dance musical directed by the Broadway legend, The Madame.

Featuring an all black LGBT cast, Central & Broadway is a part of the Queeroes video series, sponsored by Topple, 5050 by 2020 and Them, Condé Nast’s LGBTQ digital platform.

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That shine speaks to me.

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Tis a Bootblack's favourite season... Boot season!

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Is it bad if I'm not attracted to butches because I am repelled by anything (clothing/ behavior etc) that's masculine? I'm not comparing butches to men, but I am not comfortable around masculinity and all it implies, be it in a man or in a woman

So, there are two things in your question that I wanted to address.

1) You’re never obligated to be attracted to anyone or anything, ever, no matter what the politics may be surrounding that group or attraction. You can’t force desire so don’t even try. Only pain lies down that road. Anyone who pushes back against this does not respect you and is displaying rapey behaviour. Don’t trust them.

2) You say you’re not comparing Butches to men but I think that (respectfully) in some ways you may be. This is nothing to do with sexual attraction but rather your feelings towards an entire group of people. You said that you’re not comfortable with what masculinity represents but what I would ask you if we were chatting face to face is for you to elaborate on what exactly it is you think masculinity represents and then why you think it manifests in the same way in Butches. Do you, for example, associate non-consensual dominance and predatory behaviour with masculinity/men? Uncontrolled aggression? Misogyny? Really bad fashion sense? Have you seen that kind of behaviour in Butches in a percentage comparable to that which you see in men? Do you know many Butches, especially Butches over a certain age? Where is this association coming from?

I ask because I think that young lesbians as they’re just coming out tend to fill in the gaps in their understanding about Butches with what they know about men. I know I did. And I was just going through the motions at the very beginning, thinking that what I was told that men always wanted would be more or less what Butches wanted and for the most part, it backfired spectacularly (okay, so the cleavage thing worked, as did the baking, but cleavage works for everyone and who doesn’t like cupcakes?). For me, it took years and several relationships (both romantic and otherwise) to fully appreciate the ways that Butches are different from men on an intimate level, not just intellectual. And I’m still learning. I hope I always will be.

I will say that it does hurt a bit as a Femme who loves Butches dearly to hear it implied that Butches are in any way comparable to men because of their supposed masculinity (an imperfect term which I think does everyone a disservice in these discussions)… because the Butches I have known have been some of the most gentle and loving and tender and incredibly sensitive people I have ever had the joy of knowing. Butches have been my saving grace more times than I can count. They have been there for me in so many ways, such as those times when I needed a sounding board with heart, a gentle push in the right direction, or a raunchy joke deployed at just the right moment so that I begin to feel normal again. Their laughter has been the soundtrack to some of my greatest memories. They’ve sat up nights with me while I excitedly yakked their ear off about things they had absolutely no interest in… and yet been so patient and loving and sweet while I gushed at them, smiling all the while… and in the end apologized to me, bleary eyed and scratchy voiced, for keeping me up so late. Silly little pictures just because, “text me when you get home”’s spoken in a soft, protective voice, and sweetly handwritten notes stuffed into a wallet before a long trip punctuate my friendships and relationships with the Butches in my life. They’ve noticed my under inflated tires, the dark circles under my eyes, the bracelet caught precariously on a stray thread, and instinctively reached out to help every time. They’ve held me to a higher standard and held me tight when I was breaking. They see me, truly see me, and in a way no one else does, in a way I always wanted to be seen. And the way your Butch looks at you as a Femme, with that mix of awe and shyness, tinged ever so slightly with a primal hunger… it’s like nothing else in the world.

And then when they in turn have let me into their world, shown that soft underbelly that they protect so fiercely as they look at me so shy whilst holding their breath, there are no words for that kind of beauty… or the kind of love it inspires.

So anon, while you are never, ever obligated to feel attraction to anyone and should never feel guilt about it, dismissing or avoiding an entire group of people is another thing entirely. For your own benefit and no other reason, I would say that you owe it to yourself to think a bit on why it is you feel about them the way you do. Ask yourself where these messages are coming from and be honest with what you find. It has been my experience for the whole of my life that Butches are kind, complex, and tender hearted people and I’d truly hate for you to miss out on having them in your life. They’ve made mine all the richer and some day, I’d wish the same for you, too.

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Gorgeous leatherwork

[Heavy breathing]

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Joan jetts leather jacket at the rock and roll hall of fame

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IMsBB challenge coins!!!

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Reposting for later, and information.

gnc/butch woman literature masterpost

the op of this post was a terf so i’m reposting it because i think these resources are important and useful!! i have not read all of these resources myself, so let me know if there’s an issue with any of them and i’ll remove it!

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LESBIAN FICTION-

Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg [pdf]

Crybaby Butch - Judith Frank

Far from Xanadu - Julie Anne Peters

Persistent Desire - Joan Nestle

Annie on my mind- Nancy Garden

Keeping you a secret- Julie Anne Peters

Leaving L.A.- Kate Christie

Me and you and daisies- Lily R. Mason

The world unseen- Shamim Sarif

Wildthorn- Jane England

Tipping the velvet- Sarah Waters

Dare truth or promise- Paula Boock

And Playing the role of herself- K.E. Lane

Hunter’s Way- Gerri Hill

Ash- Malinda Lo

The price of Salt- Patricia Highsmith

Patience & Sarah- Isabel Miller

The Gravity between us- Kristen Zimmer

Her name in the sky- Kelly Quindlen

Taking the long way- Lily R. Mason

Fingersmith- Sarah Waters

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

She’s My Ride Home - Jackie Bushore

NONFICTION-

Our Right to Love: A Lesbian Resource Book by Ginny Vida

Lesbian/Woman by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon

Family Values: Two Moms and Their Son by Phyllis Burke

Inseparable: Desire between Women in Literature by Emma Donoghue, (Knopf)

My Lesbian Husband: Landscape of a Marriage by Barrie Jean Borich

Butch is a Noun, by S. Bear Bergman.- a collection of essays written by the author exploring what it means to be butch

Dagger: On Butch Women, edited by Lily Burana and Roxxie Linea Due.

The Persistent Desire, A Femme-Butch Reader, edited by Joan Nestle.

Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme, edited by Ivan E. Coyote and Zena Sharman

Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America, by Lillian Faderman

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold- Elizabeth Kennedy & Madeline Davis

COOL WEBSITES:

Lesbian Herstory Archives - this is the coolest website ever for browsing stuff about lesbians in history

(and Here’s a link for the Lesbian Herstory Archives’ audio tapes collection, its really cool check it out! Great for finding interesting stuff if u dont know what to read/listen to and would like to kill some time :D !)

The Lesbrary - super cool blog dedicated to lesbian literature

Good Lesbian Books-  cool website. Heres a link to their list of Free Stuff :)

Books to watch out for - lesbian book reviews and literary news

Lesbian Fiction Review

Lesbian Science Fiction

Sistahs on the Shelf - Cool site dedicated to Black Lesbian fiction. Reviews, News, Recommendations, Authors n more

Canadian Lesbian Book Blog

Biblioteca Feminista - Books/ book recommendations in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Italian

List of Lesbian Authors’ sites

Lesbian full-text works on the web - list of lesbian content available for free on the web. Mostly older works

LGBT books for teens

UK Lesbian Fiction

Women and Words - site devoted to bringing news, interviews, writing tips, giveaways and more

The Book Dyke blog

LGBT Romance Novels

Lesbian History Bibliography

Bella Books

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Hey! Here’s a little five page comic I did about boot blacking and kink. I had a lot of fun with it, and talked to some really cool people.

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Yes please

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Because boots

From @thepacman82 ・・・ That’s a nice collection of boots! A #shelfie

#boots #rustic #leatherboots #vintage #brown #denim #gent #gentleman #beard #bearded #leathergoods #walletsandwhiskey #livefree #farmfresh

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Untitled, 11/2015

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