In the 21st century, the definitions of 'butch' and 'femme' have evolved and expanded along with other LGBT identities. Over 15 years after the publication of Joan Nestle's groundbreaking The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader (Alyson, 1995), Persistence features leading queer authors and thinkers reflecting on what butch and femme mean to them today. Contributors such as S. Bear Bergman, author of Butch is a Noun (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010, available from Turnaround), provide a raucous, insightful, sexy and sometimes dangerous look at today's ever-shifting gender landscape.