[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Rope

As a native American, I just HAD to google twin-spirit. A semi-copting of the term Two-Spirit, the term LGBT native Americans use to describe themselves. For many of us, Two-Spirit is a calling/vocation and not just a way to describe queer or our sexuality but rather our spirituality because THAT is the TWINS we're referencing. Before I googled it and followed any link though--here's what I thought I'd find: white people offering a retreat in which you can find your "twin spirit" self and of course, charging money for it---I wasn't disappointed, that's just what I found. Probably the same people that market dream catchers to hang from your car rearview mirror.

This. So much this. A billion years ago during the explosion of New Age appropriating of Native American culture I had a roommate who kept trying to get me to adopt some aspects of Native American spirituality because she said I 'could be' part Native. That may be the case but since I don't know anything about where my genes come from (adoptee) I can't say I am so it's not my culture. I also feel too Western to really feel comfortable appropriating African culture. My skin is brown but I'm not African. But that's another topic for another thread.

So as not to totally derail this thread---the umbrella of butch is long and wide. You can be a vegetarian, long haired, dull colored-dress wearing, Republican and still call yourself butch. Key word, call YOURSELF butch--it is not something any of us can tell you that you are or not. You will meet femmes that say to you, 'you're not butch enough' or OTHERS that say, 'this is how butches should act/dress/be/etc.' and somehow you will come out of it the butch you were meant to be provided you can throw off the shit of what others say and be you in all your butch glory. Additionally, you won't CARE what others say, because as Popeye says, 'I am what I am and that's what I am'.

Rope--

Back when I turned thirty, I asked my friend and boss at the time what the difference was between forty and thirty. She looked at me and said, "somewhere right around forty you develop an utter failure to give a good goddamn what people think of you". At forty-five, I'm much more comfortable in my butchitude than even ten years ago. I'm me, nerdy butch. Everyone wears butch their own way, we all have different ways to swagger, and no one can take that away from us. We can't even really give it away.

Cheers
Aj