Review of Butch by Kanithea Powell

by Kelsey Brannan The definition of the term butch is an often-contested word within the LBTQ community. More often than not, the definitions of butch are driven by appearance, such as the "soft-butch," the wo(man) that displays hints of masculinity, such as short-hair, and the "stone-cold" butch, a (wo)man that exhibits a strong masculine build.

An inside look at "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power," at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

By Kelsey Brannan After entering D.C.'s National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) to view the "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" exhibition, I encountered Lady Gaga's childhood piano (1966)—the same piano that enabled her to rock and queer the minds of music lovers around the world. But she did not create this vision of change on her own. It was built by the foremothers of rock: Ma Rainey (1920s blues), Wanda Jackson (1950s rockabilly queen), The Supremes (1960s girl group), Tina Turner and Cher ('60s), Patti Smith ('70s), and Madonna ('80s), to name few. And, some of these trailblazers are still recording and touring today.