miscellany

July’s masthead: list of five

July’s masthead came from a reader who mentioned in passing that I’m (temporarily, at least) on her list of celebrity five. Yes, that is my handwriting, and my fingers, and a carefully chosen pen from my slightly obsessive pen collection.

It’s actually pretty hard to come up with a list of butches … most of those who Penny, Muse, Lee, & I brainstormed were musicians rather than actresses, seems there’s more of us in the music scene.

In case you can’t quite see it clearly, the list above reads:

  1. k.d. lang
  2. Amy Ray
  3. Melissa Ferrick
  4. Corky in Bound
  5. Shane on the L-word
    Sinclair Sexsmith!

Hopefully it’s clear that I don’t know if these folks necessarily classify themselves as butch, but they are in the female masculinity section of the gender galaxy, so they made this list.

I’m told that this originated with perhaps a Seinfeld episode, but I can’t seem to find a link to that (youtube, anybody?). What I did find, in going through some old journals of mine, is a link to dooce’s post on this once upon a time, and my own (old!) List of Five.

I decided it needed updating. It included. Here’s what I came up with as of today:

1. Maggie Gyllenhaal
2. Alyssa Milano
3. Tina Fey
4. Audrey Tatou
5. Gillian Anderson

Who’s on your list? Butches, femmes, both, neither?

Published by Sinclair Sexsmith

Sinclair Sexsmith (they/them) is "the best-known butch erotica writer whose kinky, groundbreaking stories have turned on countless queers" (AfterEllen), who "is in all the books, wins all the awards, speaks at all the panels and readings, knows all the stuff, and writes for all the places" (Autostraddle). ​Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and they are the current editor of the Best Lesbian Erotica series. They identify as a white non-binary butch dominant, a survivor, and an introvert, and they live outside Seattle as an uninvited settler on traditional, ancestral, & unceded Snoqualmie land.

11 thoughts on “July’s masthead: list of five”

  1. muse says:

    sinclair sexsmith defnitely bumps shane off the list. no contest there.

    and yeah, who would be on my list? I'm not sure I need one. I might just be a one-butch gal.

    oh, and maggie gyllenhal is the hotness. I passed her on the street once and had a very hard time containing myself.

  2. I am embarrassed to admit that I know this came from an episode of Friends. My name link is the YouTube clip.

    [Hey, no shame in that! Actually, in slightly related embarrassment, Jennifer Aniston was on that old list that I looked up. You’ve solved the mystery, thanks – I definitely remember that episode now. – ss]

  3. OK…. I'll play. I like this game.

    1. Amy Ray

    2. Jodie Foster (when she's NOT wearing heels)

    3. Mia Hamm (I think there's a lot of butch in there somewhere)

    4. Jeanette Winterson (I've only ever seen a picture of her face, but I don't care. She could just read to me – that would be enough.)

    5. Amy Ray – again

    Also, I agree with Muse. Sinclair wins over Shane every time ;)

  4. riotgrrrl says:

    Love it…

    1. kd lang

    2. hannah blilie (the gossip drummer)

    3. jd samson

    4. ivan coyote (I think my ovaries just fell out…)

    5. cheryl dunye

    oooh, feeling all bothered now.

  5. Jebbica says:

    Hi there, thanks for the link, because I came to visit and will now probably become a regular reader of your blog!

    Just for fun, my top 5:

    1. Tricia Helfer

    2. Scarlett Johansson (as long as she doesn't say anything)

    3. Penelope Cruz

    4. Rose McGowan

    5. Gillian Anderson

    Have a great one!

  6. Joy says:

    1. Tori Amos

    2. Amy Ray (I now feel trite…but she was on the List even before I acknowledged my bisexuality).

    3. Kate Winslet (In Quills and Little Children)

    4. Joni Mitchell

    5. That actress who plays Starbuck on BSG…mrow!

  7. 1. Amy Ray

    2. Leisha Hailey

    3. Daniela Sea

    4. Ani Difranco

    5. Rachel Ray

  8. hussy red says:

    1. t. cooper, author

    2. melissa york, drummer for the butchies

    3. lucas silveira, lead singer of the cliks

    4. judith "jack" halberstam, author/academic

    5. jenny shimizu, hot butch model type

    also, i totally have a hot femme crush on lauren ambrose aka claire from six feet under.

  9. Allison says:

    Joy, you're thinking of Katee Sackhoff, who takes up about 4 spots on my top 5.

  10. Colleen says:

    omg, Rachel Ray? That's some kinky shit, dana.

    1. Patrick Califia (author; Patrick is on my list simply for the hotness of his smut.)

    2. James Marsters (actor, best known as "Spike" on Buffy; James is on my list because there's something decidedly queer and kinky about his sexuality, and I fucking love it.)

    3. Margaret Cho (comedian; because, c'mon, bitch is HOT.)

    4. Kim Cattrall (actress; because I love the positive sexuality she exudes.)

    5. Kathy Bates (actress; because she is one badass motherfucker.)

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