BUTCHVoices.LA

BUTCH VOICES L.A. STEERING COMMITTEE

Lynn H. Ballen - BVLA Media Chair, Website & Program Book Editor, Art Lounge Curator (and ‘unofficial’ Conference Co-Chair) – is a cultural activist, organizer and writer.   She’s a radio producer/host on KPFK’s Feminist Magazine,  co-founder of LEX-The Lesbian Exploratorium and also envisioned & curated the GenderPlay in Lesbian Culture exhibit (LEX/ONE Archives Gallery.)  Lynn was finder and filler-in of ‘everything that was missing’ for BVLA, while simultaneously teaching herself web design, and shopping for what-to-wear to the Conference.

Carr Blase – Art Curator and Graphics – has a graphic arts degree from New York University, and has been a unix programmer and advertising designer. She was part of the LEX gallery installation team for GenderPlay and the Lesbian Legacy Wall at ONE Archives. She’s a handy dyke who loves her dogs and wishes she could be swimming with the dolphins every day.

Ivy Bottini is a lesbian feminist activist and has worked for lesbian and gay equality for 40 plus years, and a member of LEX. Ivy is a founder of the first chapter of the National Organization for Women, pioneered HIV education and services and headed successful California statewide initiative campaigns.

Jeannette Bronson – Registration Chair and Co-Chair of all things audio-visual (she & her true-blue side kick Nancy personally donated all sound needs.) Jeannette has spent most of her life working to end racism, sexism and homophobia, with a special focus on making the world safe for black lesbians. At the beginning Jeannette didn’t self-identify with any of our 2700 nouns/adjectives describing butch, femme, or anything else—but she came along “for the ride” and wound up understanding all 2700 words and what they meant. Although she continues in these pursuits, she is currently obsessed with wondering if she can pull off wearing a Sue Sylvester track suit, while looking butch at the same time.

Dana Champion – Finance Chair - is a Pennsylvania native and butch lesbian. After working in corporate personnel (where she added domestic partnership to employee benefits), she completed a BS in criminal justice & now owns her own private investigation business. She was inspired by the celebration of diversity at BV09 that strengthened alliances and understanding in our complex & multifaceted butch community. She and her partner of 20 years, Ann Bradley, live in Silver Lake with their beloved cat Hideo.

Cinthea – Logistics Chair extraordinaire – who counted every chair & table. Thank you!

Jeanne Córdova – is Chair of the BVLA 2010 Conference & gatekeeper of the “frantic moment” plus detail organizer extraordinare. She’s a pioneer founder of the lesbian movement in SoCal & this is the fourth major lesbian conference that she has organized. Activist, publisher & author, co-founder of LEX, she keynoted the BV09 conference & is a board member of Butch Voices. Her butch essays appear in many anthologies and her third book, When We Were Outlaws: Love & Revolution in the 70’s, is forthcoming from Alyson Books, Spring 2011.

Blaze Martin - Volunteer Chair - is a Poet/Spoken Word Artist/Aspiring Writer & Actor, originally from West Philadelphia. Currently studying for a Bachelors in Sociology his goal is to be a youth counselor & eventually open a group home for LGBT youth/foster kids. Blaze has modeled for online venues & his volunteer work has included Butch Voices, Philadelphia Pride, LA Valley Pride, and Outfest.

Yvonne Moore—Queen femme of femmes, Vendor Chair, Ad Book sales and fabulous organizational abilities. As a little gurll Yvonne Moore breast fed her dollies riding trains and ferries to Victoria Canada where she learned to grow roses as big as your head, recite the Chinese alphabet, and sip Shirley Temples in patent leather Mary Jane’s, lace tights and kilts. She has bloomed into a devout feminist wanderlust womyn who has delivered babies for the last 17 years and is now a grad student researching Feminist Cultural Birthing practices around the world.

Laura Luna Placencia (Creative Xicana) is a Body & Sex Positive Femme with “Chola Politics” who lives in LA. She is a “Jaqueline of all trades” who has curated art shows (“BENT LA”, “She Sex”, “Viva Frida”), produced events under Sappho’s Return /co-founded with Natasha Dyer, done PR consulting work, & worked as a Make-up artist for special events, all while holding down a corporate 9-5. When not off being a Fab Femme Socialite/Activist/Artist you will find her on twitter (@laura_luna) or writing about a myriad of things on her blog www.creativexicana.blogspot.com. Laura Luna is thankful for the opportunity to be a Fab Femme ally by lending her skills as a creative consultant for BVLA.

Sue Sexton – BVLA Art Lounge curator and CSW/LA Pride liaison – is a long time community activist and a member of LEX.

Margaret Smith has been a lesbian feminist political butch dyke activist for 35 years and is proudly part of LEX. Margaret was part of the LEX gallery installation team for GenderPlay and building the Lesbian Legacy Wall at ONE Archives.

Yvette Sotelo – Video & Audio Visual/Tech Chair – studied animation and production at the Academy of Entertainment and Technology and is currently working on a degree in Sociology. She is a documentary filmmaker, activist and member of LEX.

BVLA ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

Angie Evans– Producer of Butch Revival – is a butch, a feminist and a musician, pretty much in that order. She has played in countless venues across the country, organizes music and art events around southern California and believes in sisterhood and good espresso. Angie lives in Long Beach and is so honored to be a part of Butch Voices LA! Learn about her music atwww.angieevans.com.

Raquel Gutierrez – butch bacon barbecuer extraordinare, Divo-king of L.A. Facebook and twitter, a major figure on the now unhidden landscape of Butch LA.  Raquel is the ring- master of ‘Swagger’. She is a community based performance artist and cultural activist who has performed nationwide, and is one of the co-founding members of performance ensemble, Butchlalis de Panochtitlan (BdP). She is also a writer/journalist and currently Manager of Community Partnerships at Cornerstone Theater Company.

Tania Hammidi Ph.D: Artistic Director of the Invincible fashion show, is a queer performer, scholar, and writer who somehow managed to complete, submit, and be granted her doctorate of Dance during this wild summer of envisioning the best butch fashion show ever to hit Hollywood. —concocting a stunning show for BVLA.

kat laukat– co-Producer of Butch Revival – is an organizer, an awesome cook and 1/4 of the Miracle Whips, LA’s favorite and only queer femme performance troupe! She lives in and loves los angeles, and is so excited to be participating in Butch Voices LA!

WITH LOTS OF HELP FROM….

LaDawn Best (Scholarship Committee), Judith Branzburg (Food Committee), Haydee Cuza (Food Committee), Ebony Droke (After Party Planner), Riel Dupuisrossi (Program Committee), Vivian Escalante (organizer), Barbara Gehrke (BVLA Info Booth Chair),   Sasha Goldberg (Programming), Rita Gonzales (organizer), kat laukat (Food Co-Chair), Tien Nguyen (Publicity Committee), Nancy Peterson (A/V Committee), and Joe LeBlanc & Q Ragsdale (Butch Voices.)