Editing Alternative spellings of woman (section)

== 20th century: second-wave feminism and ''womyn'' ==
[[Second-wave feminism]] developed several [[alternative political spelling]]s of the word ''woman'', especially '''''womyn'''''.<ref name="abstract"/> Keridwen Luis, a sociologist at [[Brandeis University]], states that feminists have experimented for decades to devise a suitable alternative for the term identifying the female gender. Such terms have included ''wimmin'' (in the 1990s), based upon the original Old English term, and ''womyn'' (since at least 1975).<ref name="markpeters" /><ref name="breenakerr" /><ref name="KeridwenLuis">{{Cite news|last=Luis|first=Keridwen|date=2020|title=Keridwyn Luis|work=Brandeis University|url=https://www.brandeis.edu/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=24dabe45964af8b4134532ac08190c54e72fdb66|access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="scupin" />

The usage of "womyn" as a feminist spelling of ''women'' (with ''womon'' as the singular form) first appeared in print in 1976 referring to the first [[Michigan Womyn's Music Festival]].<ref>"Womyn". ''Oxford English Dictionary''.</ref> This is just after the founding of the [[Mountain Moving Coffeehouse for Womyn and Children]], a [[lesbian feminist]] social event centred around [[women's music]]. Both the annual "MichFest" and the weekly [[coffeehouse (event)|coffeehouse]] operated a [[womyn-born womyn]] (cisgender women-only) policy.<ref name="advocate1">{{cite web|last=Molloy|first=Parker Marie|title=Equality Michigan Petitions Michfest to End Exclusionary Policy|url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/07/29/equality-michigan-petitions-michfest-end-exclusionary-policy|work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|date=July 29, 2014}}</ref> [[Womyn's land]] was another usage of the term, associated with [[Feminist separatism|separatist feminism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weber |first=Shannon |title=The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality |publisher=Wiley |year=2015 |editor-last=Whelehan |editor-first=Patricia |edition=1st |chapter=Lesbian communities |editor-last2=Bolin |editor-first2=Anne}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2009-02-23 |title=Lesbian Nation |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/03/02/lesbian-nation |access-date=2023-02-05 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Z. Budapest]] promoted the use of the word ''wimmin'' (singular ''womon'') in the 1970s as part of her [[Dianic Wicca]] movement, which claims that present-day [[patriarchy]] represents a fall from a matriarchal [[golden age]].<ref>Eugene V. Gallagher, W. Michael Ashcraft (2006). ''Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America''.</ref>

[[Millie Tant]], a fictional character in the British satirical comic ''[[Viz (comic)|Viz]]'', often used the term ''wimmin'' when discussing women's rights.<ref>Maconie, Stuart. ''Pies and Prejudice: In search of the North''. Edbuty, 2008. p. 132. {{ISBN|978-0-09-191023-5}}</ref>