Herland Sister Resources : v.6: no.1(1989)
- Title
- Herland Sister Resources : v.6: no.1(1989)
- Description
- The Herland Sister Resources newsletter is the monthly publication of Herland Sister Resources, a womanist organization with a strong lesbian focus based in Oklahoma City.
- Date Issued
- 1989-01
- Rights
- All rights reserved by Herland Sister Resources. Contact UCO Archives & Special Collections for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of these materials.
- Is Part Of
- Herland Sisters Resources
- Creator
- Herland Sister Resources
- Contributor
- Lewis, Karen
- Date
- 2017-09-02T17:02:22Z
- Date Available
- 2017-09-02T17:02:22Z
- Subject
- Oklahoma
- Type
- application/pdf
- extracted text
-
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HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 N.W. 39TH, OKC 73112 /1
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
November 30, 1987, was an historic
moment for Herland Sister Resources. On
that date, Herland purchased a building
located at 2312 N.W. 39th Street. With
many dreams, visions, hopes and desires,
women worked long hours in an attempt to
provide women with a place of their own
where they could be themselves, exchange
laughter or tears, find books written for
women by women, or gain valuable information about what was available for them in
Oklahoma City.
Moving into 1989, the collective found
their backs against the wall many times, but
worked through it with strength and determination. They also began the long process
of networking with the hope of not only
gaining knowledge that would be shared with
others, but also to let people know that Herland is here and is dedicated to working
toward making life better for all women.
The following is what we have done over
the past year. We present it to you with great
pride in the strides we have made in the face
of great adversity.
In January, 1988, Herland celebrated its
fourth birthday, which would not have been
possible without the leadership, vision,
energy and dedication of Barbara Cleveland.
It is with great respect and undying gratitude
that we refer to her as "Mother Herland."
The resource center was closed for the
entire month due to renovations to the new
building. Plans were made to open the book'itore by February.
February came and unexpected problems
kept the bookstore closed indefinitely. A call
was put out for an electrical contractor to
completely rewire the building.
The March winds, in conjunction with
Herland and several local music personalities, combined to bring Nancy Vogl and
Robin Flower to OKC for a concert at the
Civic Center Little Theater. Peggy Johnson
opened for Nancy and Robin. The concert
also provided Herland with an opportunity
to make books and music available for the
first time since closing the old building at
19th and Blackwelder.
Herland also staffed a table at the Women
Who Share festivities held at Meacham Aud-
Continued on page 2
MOMENTS, Continued from page 1
itorium on the OU campus, which included
an evening concert featuring Donna DeSalvo
opening for Sue Fink.
Herland started out the month by receiving its first nomination for Outstanding
Community Organization at the annual Gay
and Lesbian Awards Ceremony sponsored
by Metropolitan Community Church. The
Oasis Community Center won the award. It
was both a surprise and an honor to be
nominated.
April began with entertainment by Jasmine at the Civic Center Little Theater with
the Shartels opening for the jazz duo. Her land
not only provided the entertainment but also
books, albums and tapes.
One of Herland's trademark festivities is
the annual spring and fall retreats held at
parks throughout the state. The spring
retreat was held at Boiling Springs State Park.
The Sisters of Swing and the Shartels provided musical entertainment on Saturday
night . .
If you have never attended a retreat, you're
not only missing an opportunity to meet
women from all over Oklahoma and surrounding states as well, but you're also missing a great time.
Herland's camp director, Laura, spends
over 800 hours each year organizing the
retreats. After setting dates and reserving a
group camp at a state park, she arranges with
a variety of women to hold seminars and
workshops during the weekend and to entertain on Saturday night. She also schedules
sporting events and other activities to ensure
everyone has a good time.
Laura is very picky about campsites and
selects only those that are somewhat secluded.
If you were under the impression that we
"roughed it", that we slept in tents and were
without indoor plumbing, guess again. The
campsites are usually made up of several cabins with bunk beds, one or two buildings
with restrooms and hot showers, and a main
building with tables, benches and a fully
equipped kitchen.
Being the mother of one very special dog, I
enjoy the fact that I can take her to the retreat
with me as long as I keep her on a leash (state
rules). Also, when you register at a retreat,
you have the opportunity to select the cabin
you want to stay in, whether it be smoking or
non-smoking, with or without animals,
chemical-free or anything goes. Watch the
newsletter for word on the next retreat.
The month of May came and went without
Herland being involved in any events. I think
it's called Post-Retreat Blues. For herstory's
sake, Herland celebrated three years as an
incorporated non-profit organization on the
28th.
June was different. Herland co-sponsored
the Gay Rights Parade and provided a table at
the block party immediately following the
parade. This was the first time Herland was
involved in a community event and not just a
2
ANNOUNCES
THE NEW HERLAND CENTER IS NOW OPEN:
SATURDAYS 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. & SUNDAYS 1 p.m. - 6 p.m .
at 2312 N.W. 39th St.
HERLAND BO ARD MEETINGS ARE HELD THE 3RD
SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 2312 N.W. 39TH
4: 30 p.m.
During the month of January, Her·
land will be open on Thursday even•
ings from 4·7:30 p.m. in addition to
the regular weekend hours. This is an
experiment. We would like to continue
offering these hours, but will need
your input and interest.
women's event. The collective discovered a
need to network more with the community
as a whole and began to take measures to do
just that. Since that time, several board
members have also become involved with
other local gay organizations in an attempt to
achieve Herland's networking goals.
With that in mind, the newsletter staff
began interviewing members of the community in an effort to let everyone know what is
available to them and who the people really
are who run the different organizations.
July was a busy month. Since the resource
center was still not habitable, Herland's first
bookmobile was set up at Metropolitan
Community Church on July 8 and at the
Hi-Lo on July 10.
In an effort to improve the handling of the
business end of Herland, the collective
attended board training where they were
instructed on how to efficiently run a board
for a non-profit organization. Among other
things, they also were shown how to tap
resources in the area, how to network and
how to get more people involved in Her land.
Her land finally opened her doors for business at the new location on August 1 and
made plans for a grand opening later in the
year. HSR also was forced to face the reality
of the departure of Barbara Cleveland, who
moved to Ohio to attend graduate school.
The Fall Retreat at Sequoyah State Park
was the highlight of September. Those who
attended were treated to singer-songwriter
Nancy Scott, and California comedienne
Karen Williams. Both Nancy and Karen had
us laughing all the way home. For the first
time, food was provided at a cost of$2.50 per
' '-
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meal, prepared by chefs Mary R . and Chris
C. Workshops were provided on such topic's
as women's spirituality, and dealing with
intimacy.
Herland also supported the fundraising
efforts of the Olympians, a composite
women's softball team that traveled to Kansas City to represent the gay community in a
national gay softball tourn~ment. HSR also
attended the fun night at MCC with her traveling book/ music inventory.
October featured the Coming Out Day
Rally at Angles on the 9th, where Herland
staffed a table with not only women's books,
but also titles relating to men.
After the rally came MCC's Fall Fest on
October 23, and the annual yard sale on the
29th and 30th.
In the past, Herland held coffeehouses to
raise funds. November 12th featured Herland's first coffeehouse in the new location,
presenting Donna DeSalvo as the evening's
entertainment. A smashing success, Herland
will be having more coffeehouses in the
future.
Earlier that same day, volunteers staffed a
table at the state convention of the Women's
Political Caucus held in Stillwater.
In conjunction with Shartel Productions,
Herland sponsored a concert featuring Alix
Dobkin at the Civic Center Little Theater
and was treated to a memorable evening of
entertainment. Alix not only shared her gift
of music but also her knowledge of lesbian
culture.
December began with a trip by several
Continued on page 9, column 2
Around the Country
KILLER CONVICTED IN ANTILESBIAN SHOOTING; VICTIM
BLAMING TACTIC FAILS
On October 27, Adams County, Pennsylvania Judge Oscar Spicer convicted Stephen
Roy Carr of first degree murder in a shooting
that killed Rebecca Wight and critically
wounded her lover, Claudia Brenner. In a
move praised by Brenner, the gay community
and victim advocates, the judge also excluded
as inadrnissable any arguments by the defense
that the victims' sexual orientation and
behavior provoked the attack.
On May 13, the two women were fired
upon at their Appalachian Trail campsite by
Stephen Roy Carr, whose attorney claimed
in a preliminary hearing that Brenner and
Wight "provoked" the attack by performing
sexual acts in front of him, and otherwise
teasing him. While acknowledging that she
and Wight had made love at the campsite,
Brenner insisted that they both thought they
were alone, and described the accusation that
they provoked the attack as ''not only untrue
but insulting." In a statement released to the
press, Brenner asserted that "Rebecca and I
were lovers ... Nothing about who we were
or our love for each other could be considered motivation for the outrageous, inhumane violence that Stephen Roy Carr perpetrated against us."
Commented Kevin Berrill, Director of the
NGLTF Anti-Violence Project, "While the
criminal justice system's handling of this particular case was better than usual, we should
all be outraged at the attempt by Carr's
attorney to blame Brenner and Wight for
provoking the attack. It is another revolting
example of how our society seeks to shift
responsibility for anti-gay violence from the
victimizers to the victims."
Carr waived his right to a jury trial in
exchange for an agreement by the prosecution not to seek the death penalty and to drop
several lesser charges. Although he has not
yet been sentenced, Carr faces life improsonment without parole. An appeal by Carr's
defense attorney is expected.
Commenting on the sentence, Brenner
stated that "a life sentence with no parole in a
maximum security prison, while not compensating for our tremendous loss and pain,
is the appropriate response to a nightmare
that nothing can ever make right." Brenner
also praised the handling of the case by the
local prosecutor and police, describing them
as "respectful and professional. .. All those
involved never wavered in the investigation
and prosecution of the crime. Most gay people who are victims of violence do not receive
the kind of treatment that I received."
Brenner also called for greater visibility as a
means of countering anti-gay violence: "The
only really helpful position we can take is to
be open about our lives and then share our
loves and losses with all people we come in
contact with," she said.
Brenner and Wight were on a hiking trip in
Adams County, Pennsylvania when on May
13 they twice encountered defendant, Stephen Roy Carr, along their route. After making camp in a secluded area by a stream, the
women were suddenly fired upon by Carr,
who had been hiding nearby. Wight, who
was shot in the back and the head, died at the
campsite. Although shot five times, Brenner
managed to walk nearly four miles to a road
where she was able to get help.
"This attack is the worst nightmare of
every woman and every gay person; it is the
ultimate violation of our right to live and
love as we choose,'' said Berrill. ''In the face
of this ordeal, Claudia has shown incredible
strength and will and dignity. Her decision to
speak out about the attack and the bigotry
that led to it, is an inspiration to lesbian and
gay people everywhere."
DIVIDED, WE FALL
by Craig Davidson
The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith seems to think that anti-gay bias is a
second-class prejudice.
The ADL has launched a nationwide project to defeat prejudice using mass media and
the schools. The project is called "A World
of Difference," and in each city where it is
implemented a local television station agrees
to incorporate material about minorities into
its news and public affairs programming for a
whole year. ADL produces study guides
based on the programming and provides
these to local schools.
Unfortunately, this good idea is tainted by
ADL's refusal to include information about
lesbians and gays in "A World of Difference." So far, the project has been launched
in Boston, San Francisco, New York and perhaps elsewhere.
ADL's intransigence is particularly appalling in light of the wave of anti-gay and lesbian violence that is sweeping the country,
and the U.S. Justice Department's conclusion that gays are probably the most common victims of hate-related crimes.
We suggest you respond to this egregious
case of institutional exclusion of gays and
lesbians (by our allies in the civil rights
movement, no less) in several ways. Write to
Abraham Foxman, ADL National Director,
823 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017, to
express your displeasure. Try to mobilize
pressure against ADL within its own community by urging Jewish organizations and
individuals to express their disappointment.
If "A World of Difference" is scheduled for
your community and ADL doesn't relent,
demand that the cooperating local television
station produce equivalent programming
about gays and lesbians. " Equivalent" programming would celebrate our achievements
as individuals and as a community, moving
beyond treating us as victims.
"A World of Difference" is a powerful
marriage of schools and the media. ADL's
conscious and stubborn exclusion of gays
and lesbians sends a powerful message that
prejudice against us doesn't matter. Fight
back!
from Nov/Dec isSU< of GLPA
ELECTION PRODUCES MIXED
RESULTS FOR GAY/LESBIAN
COMMUNITY; POST-REAGAN
ERA BEGINS
This year's election brought mixed results
for the gay /lesbian community, according to
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The most significant victory was the defeat of
Proposition 102 in California, the p;i.nnemeyer AIDS initiative that would haVt;.~lim
inated anonymous HIV testing and impos~d
mandatory reporting of HIV positive individuals. The greatest disappointments were
in Oregon, where a state executive order
banning sexual orientation discrimination
was overturned in a referendum, arid in
Connecticut, where AIDS and gay civil rights
supporter Lowell Weiker was defeated in his
bid for reelection to the Senate.
Irrespective of those results, however, Jeffrey Levi, NOLTF's executive director, observed that "this election marks the end of an
era of neglect, by the Pr,j'!sident, of the
nation's most compelling public health issue.
While we do not fully agree with Presidentelect George Bush on many of his positions
on AIDS, Bush has been more engaged on
this issue than President Reagan. Bush
actively supports anti-discrimination protections for persons with HIV infection, and has
had an open ear to those working on AIDS in
the Public Health Service."
Commenting on the defeat of Proposition
102 and its impact on national politics, Levi
observed, "This is a great victory for public
health. It is a statement by the people of
California that they will not be browbeaten
into accepting expensive and ineffective
'quick fixes' to the AIDS problem. It proves
that education of a population can work in
changing attitudes and increasing understanding about AIDS. We hope this defeat of
William Dannemeyer - on the heels of
three-to-one votes against his repressive
proposals in the House of Representatives
last month-will return debate to a more
reasonable level in California and in the
nation's capital. We also believe that defeat
of this measure will stop a steamroller effect
of copycat propositions around the country.
Continued on page 4
3
ELECTION, Continued from page 3
NOLTF noted with regret passage of the
other California AIDS initiative, Proposition
96, which, among other things, allows courtordered testing of persons accused of certain
crimes. Observed public information director Urvashi Vaid, "While not as far-reaching
as 102, it attacks the basic civil liberties of
those most vulnerable in our society persons accused of crimes. Had this required
testing of those convicted of sexual assault,
etc., this might have been and understandablethough not necessarily appropriate - approach.
However, in permitting testing of those
merely accused of certain crimes, the measure undermines the fundamental American
principle of innocent until proven guilty and provides a motivation for false accusations of crimes. It poses a substantial threat
to the accused's opportunity to receive a fair,
impartial trial, particularly in jury cases."
The vote to repeal the Oregon executive
order on sexual orientation discrimination
was the source of great disappointment "to gays and lesbians and all those concerned
with civil liberties," Levi said. "On the anniversary ofKristallnacht, it is particularly sad
that the people of Oregon would turn their
backs on any minortty group that has suffered discrimination." The contrasting vote
in the Presidential election - Oregonians
supported Governor Dukakis - showed,
Levi said, "that progressive views in other
areas does not always translate into support
for gay/lesbian civil rights."
The returning lOlst Congress will look
quite similar to the lOOth, with one major
exception. "The loss of Lowell Weiker our strongest advocate and spokesperson in
the United States Senate - will be a tremendous one," commented Levi. "Weiker
stood alone at times in fighting uncompromisingly for those who were not represented
in the Senate - all minorities, not just gays
and lesbians. His role in increasing funding
for AIDS, most recently in the extension of
federal funding of AZT, cannot be overestimated."
With the election over, Levi said, "some of
the most challenging work is ahead of us. A
new administration is being constructed and we plan to be in on the ground floor in
helping advise and counsel the transition
teams about AIDS and civil rights issues."
On a less optimistic note, Levi observed,
"it is clear, based on the record, that George
Bush still needs a good deal of education on
gay/lesbian issues. It is our hope, however,
that a younger, more moderate generation of
cabinet officials and other political appoin~b~ce'fAY.' ;i.t least afford access on these
HATE CRIMES BILL NOT
BROUGHT TO SENATE
FLOOR; HELMS ATTEMPTS
ANTI-GAY AMENDMENT
The first positive federal legislation to address
violence against lesbians, gay men, racial, ethnic
and religious minorities, stalled in the U .S.
Senate because of threats by Senator Jesse
Helms (R-NC) to introduce sweeping anti-gay
amendments. The Hate Crimes Statistics Act
which would require federal data collection on
crimes motivated by prejudice against gay
people and other minorities, was never brought
to the Senate floor despite vigorous lobbying by
a coalition of over 50 groups led by the National
Gay & Lesbian Task F.orce (NGLTF).
Introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI),
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act made legislative
history when it passed the U.S. House of
Representatives in May of 1988. The bill
marked the first time federal legislation specifically addressing sexual orientation was passed
by either house of Congress. Attempts to delete
the sexual orientation clause were repeatedly
defeated while the bill was in committee, and
were also defeated on the House floor.
The Senate version of the bill was introduced
by Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL). The Senate bill
achieved unanimous approval from the Senate
Judiciary Committee in August. But efforts to
bring the bill to the Senate floor crumbled as
Helms told Senate Majority Leader Robert
Byrd (D-WV) that he would fight the bill unless
anti-gay measures were attached. Helms
planned to introduce a four-part amendment
which stated the following:
"( 1) The homosexual movement
threatens the.strength and the survival of
the American family as the basic unit of
society;
(2) State laws prohibiting sodomy should
be enforced;
( 3) The federal government should not
provide discrimination protections on the
basis of "sexual orientation"; and
(4) School curriculurns should not condone homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle in American society."
NGLTF Anti-Violence Project Director,
Kevin Berrill noted that while the bill stalled in
Congress, acts of anti-gay violence continued to
shatter the lives of gay men and lesbians across
the country. Said Berrill, "This bill reflects our
call to the federal government to take a firm
stand against homophobic violence. We intend
to press forward, add more supporting organizations to our coalition, and continue the grassroots constituent pressure that helped so much
this year.''
Activists interested in generating support for
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act in the next
Congressional session are urged to contact Peri
Jude Radecic at NGLTF, 1517 U Street NW,
Washington DC 20009.
4
RYAN NAMED NATIONAL
SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR
Also Honored by Gay Social Workers
National Social Worker of the Year, Caitlin Ryan received her profession's highest
honor for her pioneering work in developing
a local, national and professional response to
AIDS over the past seven years of the epidemic. Ryan received her Social Worker of
the Year award at the annual conference of
the National Association of Social Workers
in Philadelphia on November 12th.
Ryan, a long-time lesbian and gay health
activist, has been involved in the organization
of services for people with AIDS in local
communities as well as in the establishment
of the National Association of People with
AIDS. She was also one of the early organizers and first director of AID Atlanta, the
first and largest AIDS service organization in
the southeast, and director of AIDS services
for Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington,
D .C ., one of the first AIDS servicesicenters
in the country.
'V
•
Ryan helped the National Association of
Social Workers develop its national AIDS
agenda, and has organized conferences and
national provider networks nationwide.
"AIDS: We Need To Know. We Need to
Care," is the theme ofNASW's 1989 public
information campaign to raise awareness
about the devastating psychological and
social problems engendered by the AIDS
epidemic. ''Honoring Caitlin Ryan is actually
an honor for NASW," said NASW President
Suzanne Dworak-Peck. "Social Workers are
first on the front lines in fearsome times and
first in numbers of professionals dealing with
this epidemic, and Caitlin is the best example
of why we need to know, and why we need to
care."
Ryan has led in providing trainer support
for caregivers who work with AIDS patients
and their families. As president of Healthsource, Inc., a D.C.-based consulting firm,
Caitlin has trained more than 40,000 individuals nationwide on the medical, clinical
and psychosocial aspects of AIDS in health
care, business and security settings. She has
lectured to universities, trade associations
and professional groups and has written
extensively on the social work profession's
ethical responsibility to clients and communities. In 1985 she developed one of the
nation's first AIDS courses for providers at
Catholic University's social work school and
continues to teach in the graduate program.
As Co-Director of the AIDS Policy Center
at George Washington University's Intergovernmental Health Policy Project, Ryan
assists policy makers and legislators in developing sound and rational policy to manage
the epidemic. She is co-author of AIDS: A
Public Health Challenge, the first major
review of state AIDS policy commissioned
Continued on page 9, column 1
SPOTLIGHT ON:
DONNA DESALVO
Spotlight On is a column designed to
feature the various people and organizations
within the community to familiarize those of
you who don't know who they are and what
they do.
This month, the spotlight falls on Oklahoma native Donna DeSalvo, an energetic
performer who appeared at a coffeehouse at
Herland on Nov. 12, which is where she first
performed in public a few years before.
"I didn't even know what Herland was,''
she said. "Unless you were a very active
feminist, no one really knew about it because
it was just getting started. Barbara Cleveland
called me to come and sing. Everyone liked it;
it went all right."
The 36-year-old performer was born in
Tulsa but moved to Texas with her family
when she was in the third grade. The
DeSalvos lived in Texas until the end of
Donna's junior year when they moved back
to Tulsa. After graduating from Edison High
School, Donna went to OU, but dropped
out after two years.
"I majored in history,'' she explained,
"because it bored me to tears and I thought I
should be more interested in the history of
our world and the
I had one professor
who told us that if we made a C in his class, he
was going to flunk us because there was no
such thing as a mediocre history major. Well,
leave it to me to make a C. There was no
arguing with him about it. I dropped out of
school because I was tired of being broke. I
went to work to make some money and have
been doing blue collar stuff ever since."
Donna taught herself how to play guitar
when she was 13 by listening to songs on the
stereo or having someone show her.
"I would pick up my dad's guitar and mess
with it a little, then put it down, pick it up,
put it down,'' she said. "I never learned to
read music. I have a mental block when it
comes to learning to read music. It confuses
me, like numbers. I have a bad time with
numbers."
The first song she learned to play was
Tumblin' Tumbleweeds, which her father
taught her. She says she confuses anyone who
was properly taught how to play guitar
because she bar chords wrong. She feels that
not being able to read music and not knowing
how to play guitar the right way limits what
songs she can perform. She gives credit for
her musical talent to her mother.
"Mom and her sisters were in a gospel
group called the Norwood Sisters,'' she said.
''They got to be pretty famous in Arkansas. A
producer from New York came to hear them
and wanted to move them up, make an
album, make them stars. My grandfather
wouldn't let them. If I have inherited any
talent, it definitely came from my mother's
side because my father can't sing a lick. But
he sure could play guitar. Mom would
always sing around the house and play the
piano. My brother plays the accordian."
Donna also played accordian at one time.
She faked her way through lessons by
watching the teacher and listening very
closely. She went through a whole year of
accordian lessons and a recital without the
teacher knowing she couldn't read music.
The first song Donna ever wrote was Pitty
Patty in 1976. Her favorite song by someone
else is I'll Fly Away Without You by Nicolete
Larson. Her favorite songs by Donna DeSalvo
are My Two Sisters and Robbie's Song.
"The song about my sisters is just as true as
u:s ..
the day is long,'' she explained. "My oldest
sister cried when she heard it because she gets
real sentimental about family. My youngest
sister thought it was funny."
My Two Sisters is a comparison between
herself and her sisters. Her sisters can cook
and sew and love to wear frilly clothes.
Donna, on the other hand, says she can't
cook, can't sew, and hates frilly clothes.
"Robbie's Song still gives me goose bumps
because I knew her,'' Donna said. "I can see
her sparkly little face when I'm singing that
song and it just takes a little piece of my heart
because she was one in a million."
Donna was a paramedic at one time.
Robbie worked for AmCare and was the one
who got her interested in being•a paramedic.
Donna always felt she could do it as long as
she had Robbie to fall back on. Robbie's life
was not depicted in Donna's song. Instead,
Donna wrote about her friend and the
indelible mark she left on her own life.
"Robbie was a star at AmCare,'' Donna
explains. "She loved everybody, even the
derelict on the street. It wouldn't be unlike
her to walk up to one, kiss his cheek and pat
him on the head. She wasn't afraid of
anything. She loved people."
Donna said that Robbie was involved with
a woman who experienced severe mood
swings and would sometimes beat the daylights out of Robbie. Robbie tried to help her
solve her problems, but finally had to tell her
she was going to move out. Before that move
happened, Robbie was getting ready for work
one day when the woman came in and shot
her three times.
"The woman killed Robbie, ate dinner,
made a tape, wrote a letter, then killed
herself," Donna explained. "She had tried to
shoot people before, so she knew she wasn't
getting out of that one. I went over there and
wiped my friend's blood up off the floor so
her family wouldn't see it. It's an awful
feeling to wring your friend's blood into the
toilet."
Donna trained for three years to be a
paramedic. During that time she would go on
ambulance calls, work in hospitals and
maintain a class schedule. She was the first
female papamedic to be hired in Norman.
"I feel that they didn't want a woman down
there,'' she said. "They didn't have the
facilities for women to spend the night with
men doing 24-hour shifts. The women would
always pass the written and technical tests,
but would fail the physical test. The physical
test consisted oflifting a cot with someone on
it into the ambulance. This is just my
opinion, but I think they always got the
biggest guy they could find to lie on the cot."
Although Donna feels she did a go1o~ job as
a paramedic, she would never go '1'ack. to
doing it again.
"That was the scariest work I've ever
done,'' she explained, "and I'll never do it
again unless something happens in front of
me and it's absolutely necessary. It's npt only
a lot of responsibility, but I would tak~ things
home with me in my mind and would be
bugging my friends to be more careful
because I knew what the consequences were."
Donna now works full-time as a delivery
driver. After 12-14 hour days, she spends
what's left of her evening hours with a very
special friend, three cats a~d two dogs.
"Realistically, I wish I had more time to
practice and get better so I wouldn't disappoint people who call me to play and sing,''
she said. "I'm not one to call someone up on
the phone and sell myself. Ifl'm invited, nine
times out of ten I'll play. I don't play
uninvited. I tried that once with a friend in
Tulsa. We were in a band that played five
nights a week about 10 years ago. Every night
it was the same thing. I really got burned out."
Donna enjoys what she's doing now
because it gives her the ability to lay low for a
few months so neither she nor the audience
are tired of her music. At one point she found
herself not even wanting to pick up her guitar.
"You have to be very dedicated to be a
genuine musician,'' she said. "I don't know
how Peggy Johnson and Mary Reynolds do it.
That takes guts. That's what they love, what
they want. You can tell they're musicians.
They play the fire out of their instruments
and they can sing real well because they do it
every day. That's their life. I never planned to
do anything but just enjoy it. I never planned
to play for anybody but myself. To me, it's
almost like a hobby. That's why I'm almost
embarrassed if either one of them is in the
audience.'.'
Continued on page 6
5
DeSAL VO, Continued from page 5
In the past, Donna has opened for such
nationally known acts as Sue Fink, Nancy
Day and Deidra MaCalla. When asked what
her worst experience as a performer was, it
related to being an opening act.
"The worst thing is forgetting the words
and being treated poorly by a national act,"
she said. "I don't expect them to gush or
anything, just to be nice. One star's manager
was really nasty to me, but I understand she
was nasty to everyone. Later, after I had done
my set, she came up to me and told me that I
had been the best opening act they had seen.
Another star ignored me completely when I
tried to just say hello. We had similar styles
and I really couldn't wait to meet her after
listening to her tape. That broke my heart."
After that, Donna made a committment to
herself to never be nasty to anyone. She's
very flattered when people tell her that they'd
buy her album if she had one on the market.
She knows how they feel because that's how
she feels about performers. In her opinion, a
performer has to be nice because it's the
people who make her career.
If you haven't gathered this by now, Donna
loves to talk. One of her trademarks is her
monologue during her act. She says she has
to ramble. She says when she first started, she
had a very foul mouth but has since calmed it
down to a certain degree. Her sense of humor
has been known to bring down the house on
an occasion or two. But, it's her music that is
the spotlight of her act.
"Sometimes I feel like my music touches
people," Donna explained. "I can feel an
energy when I'm sitting in front of people. All
it takes is one person to sparkle up in a
crowd. That makes it all worth it."
Donna claims to be interested in all music,
but leans more toward mellow music artists
such as Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff and
James Taylor. While doing this interview, we
ran into a problem and would appreciate
some help solving it. What category would
you put Donna's music in, and what radio
station in the city would play a song such as
My Two Sisters? If you figure this out, we
would really like to know. As it stands, we let
it go under "crossover," but we don't know
what it's a crossover of.
Donna enjoys a more personal, coffeehouse atmosphere where the audience is right
in front of her. During Herland's 1987 Fall
Retreat, where she had such an audience,
Donna experienced something not too many
other performers have.
"I was sitting up there doing a real sad
song," she explained, "and it was real quiet.
The biggest moth I had ever seen in my life
flew up in front of me. It was a monster moth
and all I could hear and see was this moth."
One of Donna's goals is to sing with a
band, expecially to do I'll Fly Away Without
You. However, she feels that the sacrifice right
now would be too great. It would take time
she doesn't have because of her full-time job,
something she cannot quit because she would
have no way to pay her bills. How many of us
can relate to that?
Donna does manage to find time for
hobbies, which include reading, spending
time at home with her special friend, playing
her guitar, playing with her pets, piddling
around the house and listening to music.
"Music is like praying to me."
In March 1988, Donna received the
G.A.L.A. outstanding female vocalist of the
year award, which came as quite a surprise to
her.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I thought
someone was pulling my leg when they called
me up and told me I was nominated. I was
flattered, but I thought I could kiss that
award goodbye because other nominees were
Peggy Johnson and Mary Reynolds. I didn't
get to go to the banquet because my brother
and his family were visiting and were only
going to be here for two days. When they
called me again the day of the banquet and
told me I had won, I was so proud."
Donna will be one of the featured artists on
the Christmas tape being made to benefit the
Winds.
Her advice to aspiring performers is to just
do it no matter how scared you are.
"I'm scared to death every tin)e( I perform," she said, "but the minute I s~e a grin
or somebody applaud, I know I'm okay. It's
hard to sing when y~u're scared. Your air
doesn't come out like it should and you can't
sing pretty. I sing real pretty in the bathroom!"
Maybe next time we'll all come to your
bathroom, Donna!
15% off gift certificate or your first
massage during month of Dec. with this ad.
i
oouch of Qold
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HEALTHFUL • STRESS RELIEVING MASSAGE
6~
SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
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LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
MASSAGE THERAPIST
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I009 N PENNIYlVANtA •OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73112
360-6945
r:: - - - - - -. - - - - - - HERLAND IS ...
A non-profit corporation composed of a collective of wimmin - open to any womyn who
wants to be a part of it - which works to maintain a feminist library and bookstore, sponsors
workshops, retreats, concerts and other events for YOU. Harland's reason for being is to
provide a framework for a variety of projects for the support and enjoyment of the area
wimmin's community. It is a place to learn and grow, meet other wimmin, develop lasting
friendships, _receive support and nurture the positive self-image that societal attitudes
sometimes make illusive to us. Harland exists to serve YOU.
Your donations are used to pay the mortgage and utilities on the resource center, and
printing and postage for the monthly HSR Newsletter and Friend of Harland cards.
With the exception of the Library, all of Harland's services are free, including the Newsletter.
This is why your donation is so important: It is Herland's lifeblood.
6
0 YES! I want to be a Friend of Herland. My min imum(
donation of $12 allows me use of the Herland Library
and a 10% discount on store purchase over the next 12
months. (My $12 is enclosed.)
0 YES! I want to help Herland with a donation to the
New Building Fund.
0 $15
0 $20
0 $25
0 $50
0 $100
0 $_ _
0 Bookstore volunteer
0 Building volunteer
Name - -- - - - - - - - - - - Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City _ _ __ _ __ _
SL__ZIP _
_
Telephone Number: (
Mail to:
Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th
· Oklahoma City, OK 73112
---------------
Around the Corner
WINDS PROJECT
Donations are Music t.Q Ears
of Project Coordinators
Donations toward the musical endeavor
by local performers to raise money for the
Winds have reached 50% of the estimated
goal, according to project coordinator Palmira Campos.
In order to produce a tape whose proceeds
will benefit the Winds (and AIDS support
center), organizers of Friendships United
have to raise enough money to pay for studio
time for the artists who will donate their time
and talent and tapes.
A fundraiser held at the Bunkhouse on
Nov. 20 raised $176 for the project. Organizers would like to express their appreciation
and thanks to the Bunkhouse and the band
who performed, The 3 of Hearts.
The group is also selling doormats made
out of burlap with heart designs and either
"Welcome," "Love,'' or "Peace" interwoven
with the burlap. Doormats can be specialordered to include other sayings or names.
According to Palmira, the group i5 expecting to sell the first tape by the second or third
week of March.
"I think what is making a difference,"
Palmira said, "is that the artists and workers
are really committed and strong Christians,
using their belief and prayer as a source of
strength."
Donations may be sent to:
FRIENDSHIPS UNITED
c/o Peggy Johnson
P.O. Box 75842
OKC, OK 73147
Please make checks payable to ASP (AIDS
Special Project) and include FRIENDSHIPS
UNITED in the lower lefthand corner.
A fundraiser will be held at the Hi-Lo on
January 15th and will feature the talents of
Mary R ., Peggy Johnson and Donna DeSalvo.
FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS
Beginning January 13, Herland will feature
Friday Nite Videos at the resource center.
Every second and fourth Friday at 7:30
p.m., a video for and about women will be
presented for your viewing pleasure. Admission is free, but donations will be greatly
appreciated, as well as suggestions of videos
for future showings. Coffee, tea and popcorn
will be provided.
The first video will be "Desert Hearts."
"Lianna" is scheduled for January 27th.
So if you're looking for something different to do on a Friday night, join in an
evening of fun and entertainment at Herland.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HSR!
HERLAND'S NEW YEARS BABY
According to past issues of the newsletter, Herland Sister Resources will celebrate her fifth birthday on January 1.
With that in mind, we think it is time to
start a journal of her herstory that will be
kept at the resource center for reference.
The journal will consist of not only the
written herstory of Herland but also pictures of important events, locations, etc.
We would like to make you a part of this
project by asking those of you who have
remembrances of the early beginnings of
Herland and her five years of existence to
submit them to us for inclusion in the
journal. Not many of the original organizers are as involved with Herland now as
they were in the beginning and we lack a lot
of information.
.
Please send your information to
HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, 2312
N.W. 39th St., OKC, OK, 73112, ATTN:
HERSTORY. If you would rather tell it
than write it, call Sondra at 732-2315 and
leave a message. We will make arrangements to record your remembrances on
cassette and transcribe ft for the journal.
We're counting on you! Don't let her
story fade away!
Guess what's new at Herland? Herland is
announcing a new feature in their book
department. As of January 1, 1989, there'll
be a used bookbin. Herland customers will
be able to purchase Lesbian or Feminist
books at a reduced price. Most paperback
books will be $3.00, Hard cover will be
$5.00.
Another feature that Herland customers
will enjoy is the "trade-in" feature. A
customer may trade in a used book and get a
15% discount on a new book, limited to two
books per day. Also, for a limited time
customers may trade in two used books for
one. Books shall be of Lesbian or Feminist
nature.
Herland is very excited about this new
addition and hopes that it will provide
opportunity to members of the community
who may not be able to afford Lesbian or
Feminist books any other way. Check it out
in the new year.
Thanks from the Editor
The editor wants to thank her prolific, devoted
and friendly staff-all volunteers-who are
donating their time, energy, and resources to keet
Oklahoma's women's community up-to-date on
local and national happenings of interest to
women and their supporters. Thank you, staff1 love you all!
OUR NEW LOOK!
Have you noticed a change in ih~'< newsletter?Herl,and would like to thank AccuT;pe
and its owner, Rhonda Smith for the professional look they're gitling the HSR Newsletter! Typesetting of the magnitude of the
HSR newsletter is tedious and time-consiiming,
not to mention a great expense. Rhonda and
her staff-person, Loral Reeves, are donating
their time and effort to Herland to produce a
professional-looking newsletter for us all. So,
if you see Rhonda or Loral, let them know
what a fine job they're doing.
And, if you've got typo/tting you need to
have done, take it to AccuType- they'll do it
right!
I
PUBLISHED BY: Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 NW 39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
NOTICE: to organizations, businesses, production companies,
etc: Events and happenings
planned for the first week or two
of any given month should be
advertised in the previous month's
edition of the HSR Newsletter.
By getting your information into
the newsletter a month prior to
the event it reaches more readers
and more people will know about
it before it happens. So, when
planning an activity or event you
hope to share with the women's
community keep this in mind
and get the word out early-for a
happy turnout.
EDITOR: Karen Lewis
CHIEF REPORTER: Sondra Metzger
ADVERTISING MGR.: Laura
TYPESETTING: Rhonda Smith
and Loral Reeves
CIRCULATION: 700
GENERAL INFO: (405) 794-7464 or 672-4141
VOLUNTEER INFO: 528 -0604
ADVERTISING: 672-4141
DEADLINE on all advertising and submissions is
the 15th of each month.
SUBSCRIPTIONS to this Newsletter are free
upon request.
HSR Newsletter is offered as an open forum for
community discourse. Materials printed herein
reflects the beliefs & opinions of the authors of the
articles or letters, and not necessarily those of the
Newsletter or the Herland Board.
7
.')
NATIONAL LESBIAN
CONFERENCE SET TO
USHER IN THE GAY 90'S
Potpourri
THE THIRD WAVE:
Feminist Perspectives on Racism
edited by Norma Alarcon, Jacqui Alexander,
Sharon Day, Lisa Albrecht & Mab Segrest
We have all been witnesses to an unprecedented resurgence of racism with its national
and global implications. In the 1980's, Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press published two of the foremost books on women
of color: This Bridge Called My Back: Writings
by Radical Women of Color, and Home Girls: A
Black Feminist Anthology. As Afro-Caribbean,
American Indian, white Jewish and white
Southern women working together, we ask
you to contribute to a book that will build on
these earlier works, and articulate this historic third wave of feminist thought and
action, to create a transformative feminist
theory and practice that empowers all the
world's peoples.
We encourage submissions covering a
wide range of topics, including but not
limited to:
• dialogues among diverse women of color
on the different effects of racism
• racism & its connection to misogyny, antisemitism, class & homophobia
• historical analyses & contemporary manifestations of racism
• racism from an international perspective
& the changing global economy
• national & international policies determining forced inclusion/ exclusion of oppressed peoples
• the impact of the Reagan years upon the
escalation of racism & racist policies
• dialogues among white women regarding
the elimination of white supremacy
• coalition politics between & among
women of color & white women
• explorations of how racial identities are
shaped by culture
• pedagogical anti-racist strategies for progressive educators
• accounts of effective anti-racist organizing
models
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: January
31st, 1989. Length:Maxiumum25-30pages
double-spaced. Send 5 copies to: Sharon
Day, 444 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN.
55155
PHOTOS SOUGHT FOR
REVISED EDITION OF
"OUR RIGHT TO LOVE"
BROOKLYN, NY - Ginny Vida, Editor of
Our Right To Love; A Lesbian Resource Book, is
inviting lesbian photographers to submit
photos of lesbians for possible inclusion in
the revised edition of Our Right To Love, to be
8
published by E.P. Dutton.
Photographs depicting: affection, friendship, outdoor and indoor scenes, lesbians at
work, individual portraits, lesbians engaged in
sports, Black, White, Asian America, Latina
and Native American, lesbians of all ages,
lesbians who are abled and differently abled,
are being sought. Lesbians who are national
or local movement leaders are also desirable
subjects for photos.
"I'm looking for photographs that portray
lesbians as women who are making positive
contributions to society, enjoying life and
interacting in a positive way with others,"
Ms. Vida said.
Photographers will receive $35 for each
photo published in the revised edition,
payable upon publication. Photos must be
black and white, professional quality, and all
persons pictured must sign a release which
the editor will provide. Photographers will be
credited in the book.
Our Right to Love is an anthology oflesbian
writing that includes more than 40 essays,
dozens of personal testimonies, more than
100 photographs of lesbians plus some
lesbian rights supporters. The original edition was published in 1978 by Prentice Hall.
Photos may be submitted to: Ginny Vida,
Editor, Our Right To Love, 45 Plaza St., #1-G,
Brooklyn, NY 11217. (718) 789-0391.
From Dimensions, Oct. 1988, Vol. 3 No. 4
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The first meeting to organize a comprehensive national
conference by, for and about lesbians, was
held here September 24 & 25, to launch
coordination of the idea born of the October
11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian
and Gay Rights. An ad-hoc group of east
coast lesbians convened the open meeting to
begin to set goals and to establish the initial
planning structure for the conference, which
is tentatively scheduled for late 1989 or early
1990.
The conference envisioned is the first of its
kind: a broad-based coalition effort to set a
lesbian agenda for social, economic, and political change, to increase lesbian visibility and
to acknowledge lesbian diversity and common ground.
Regional planning meetings on the national
lesbian conference are being organized
throughout the country in the months ahead.
The first national steering committee meeting, with representatives chosep. . _by each
region at the regional planning ~etings is
scheduled for the weekend of March' 4-5,
1989 in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Lesbians interested in getting involved
should watch for local announcements of
regional planning meetings. For more information, write: National Lesbian Conference,
P.O. Box 3057, Albany, NY 12203.
ANNOUNCING
NATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
CONFERENCE
The 1989 conference of the Association
for Women in Psychology will be held in
Newport, Rhode Island, March 9 -12, 1989.
The Association for Women in Pssychology
(AWP) is a nonprofit and educational
feminist organization dedicated to encouraging feminist teaching, research, and mental
health practices in psychology and related
fields.
In keeping with this year's theme, "The
Many Faces of Feminist Psychology," we are
encouraging contributions covering the many
facets of women's lives, as experienced by
women from diverse circumstances and
backgrounds. Interdisciplinary presentations
and different kinds of programs (research,
theory, or practice) are welcome. We would
especially like to encourage participation
from cultural and racial minority, disabled,
older or younger than average, and economically disadvantaged women; from grassroots organizations; and from mental health
consumers.
For more information, please write or call
Kathryn Quina, Rhode Island AWP, Dept. of
Psychology, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI 02881. Phone ( 401) 2 77-383 2.
UNITY IS THE KEY
1Z05
!{. lfd.71.ta.
Fe, M.<>ore
RYAN, Continued from page 4
MOMENTS, Continued from page 2
by the Public Health Service in 1986. The
document, which was distributed to all
members of Congress, all governors and key
state officials, had a major impact on shaping
both the state response and the Presidential
Commission's final report on AIDS.
Ryan was also honored at the conference
by NASW's National Committee on Lesbian
and Gay Issues for her outstanding contributions to lesbian and gay health. These include
organizing numerous national and regional
conferences on lesbian and gay health care,
founding the National Lesbian and Gay
Health Foundation, publishing the first
National Gay Health Directory and coordinating the National Lesbian Health Care
Survey, the first baseline study of lesbian
health concerns.
In her acceptance speech Ryan revealed
that in her initial application to social work
school 10 years ago, she included her work in
the lesbian and gay community to demonstrate her ability to practice social workand then was rejected for applying as an open
lesbian. Ryan traced the roots of homophobia from denial of the lesbian identity of the
profession's founder, Jane Adams, 100
years ago, to placing clients at risk through
secrecy and denial, for infection with HIV
today.
Criteria for receiving the award include
taking risks in the pursuit of social work
goals, demonstrating significant leadership
qualities, effective advocating on behalf of
client groups, contributing to the positive
image of social work, and helping ameliorate
a pressing social· problem.
The National Association of Social Workers
is the world's largest professional organization with 120,000 members in the United
States and overseas. They work in family
service agencies, mental health facilities,
schools and colleges, hospitals, industry and
private practice. They have taken the lead in
raising awareness of the psychological and
social problems created by the AIDS crisis
and in organizing and providing appropriate
services.
board members to Fayetteville, .A.rkansas,
for a women's arts and crafts fair t~rnt invites
one bookstore each year. This was Herland's
year.
December marked Herland's grand opening. Although the building is still not 100%
finished, the collective felt it was time to have
the opening. Peggy Johnson provided live
entertainment for the event, which welcomed
some 100 women. There were tables of
delicious food, wine and caroling-Berland
style.
Volunteers also staffed a table at a fundraiser for the Oasis Community Center
held at Angles.
I realize this doesn't sound like we've done
much. I have neglected to list the monthly
board meetings, emergency board meetings,
committee meetings, work days on the old
and new buildings and time spent preparing
the newsletter, staffing the resource center
and preparing the necessary monthly reports.
We feel good about this past year, and are
looking toward 1989 with hope for greater
involvement, more outreach, bigger and better events, and a well-stocked bookstore.
We are slowly becoming the viable resource center we have been envisioning. It's
not going to happen overnight, and we can't
do it without your continued support. I
know that sounds like a broken record, but
it's a fact: we need you. Someday you may
need us. We're working to be there. Thanks!
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
Sondra Metzger
An article I wrote in the Dec':!mber issue of
the newsletter has caused quite a stir with
some of our subscribers.
I have mixed feelings about this because on
one hand it pleases me to hear about disagreement because that means you're really
reading the newsletter. We seldom if ever
receive letters to the editor like newspapers
do, though we continue to encourage this.
Without feedback, we have nothing to gauge
how we're doing with presenting what information we receive.
But on the other hand, I don't want what I
write to be harmful to Berland as a whole,
just as the women I interview don't want
their words to do the same.
The article in question dealt with Her-
REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
P. 0. Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070
321·2148
land's early beginnings, something we have
no way to research other than by asking those
who were involved for their perspective.
Everyone's perspective is going to vary. All
we can do is print what is relayed to us.
Any article appearing in the newsletter,
including this one, is the opinion of either the
author or the person who has been interviewed and not that of the collective as a
whole.
Any disagreement with the facts presented
should be directed to the newsletter via a
letter to the editor and not to the collective.
Letters to the editor will be printed in the
newsletter if accompanied with a valid signature and telephone number (this is so that we
may contact the writer if we have questions
concerning the letter. The writer's name will
be withheld from publication if so indicated.
It is my job to present what facts are given
to me. It's your job to let me know when I'm
off the mark, or simply if you disagree. To
those who wish to be dropped from the mailing list because of this incident, if you really
care about Berland as a whole, you will speak
your peace and stay. There's more to Berland
than one article in the newsletter. If you feel
that strongly about the article in c!J.~stion,
there's nothing I can do to change yoJr mind.
I do, however, feel sorry for you that you are
letting one thing isolate you from your community and keep you from growing and
learning. Again, this is my opinion.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Clarification concerning article in last
month's newsletter
I
There have been some misunderstandings
concerning last month's article, and the herstory of Herland's beginnings. This was an
interview which took place over the phone,
and as interviews go, much of what was said
was not included; therefore, some of the
information was taken out of context. I was
answering questions that were posed to me.
The interviewer mentioned the fact that all
the current Board Members were initially
recruited by Barbara Cleveland's volunteers.
I was the first person she had talk with who
had not been involved through Barbara.
One of the reasons for talking about the
initial beginnings was to help document Herland's Herstory (this was done at the urgings
of those involved in the first few months of
the bookstore's beginnings); another reason
was to let those involved know that the bank
had returned the money stolen through
forged checks {Barbara and numerous volunteers worked for over a year without the
"seed" money).
My apologies to all who may have been
offended or upset about the article. I hope we
can all work together to continue the growth
and spirit Barabara instilled in us.
Adolescent ... Group ...
Family Therapy
9
Pat C.
GOLDEN THREADS-A contact publication for lesbians over
50 and women who love older women. Canada and the U.S.
Confidential, warm, reliable. For free information, send a selfaddressed envelope (U.S. residents please stamp it). Sample
copy mailed discreetly, $5.00 (U.S.) GOLDEN THREADS:
P.O. Box 3177; Burlington, VT 05401.
Classifieds
POSITION AVAILABLE:
Non-profit Agency Coordinator. Challenging position for
self-motivated person for AIDS support program in Tulsa. BA
minimum with emphasis in Public Health or related field preferred. 2 yrs. experience with community-based agency. Candidate
should have excellent oral and written skills, public relations
experience, knowledge of Acquired Immune Defficiency Syndrome (AIDS), HIV infection and testing. Ability to plan and
implement budget and financial practices. Fundraising experience, coordination of volunteers and computer knowledge
helpful. Complete job description available on request. Salary in
$20,000 range. Submit resume by Jan 10th, 1989. Send resume
to: ASP Search Committee, c/o Mike Williams, P.O. Box 671,
Tulsa, OK 74101.
Please SUPPOrt the
Businesses who SuPPort Herland!
GOOD GUARD DOGS FREE to good home. 10 weeks. 14
Doberman, 1.4 Rottweiler. Tails and dew claws clipped. 399-2529.
VERY LARGE AND LOVEABLE STRAY PUPPY needs
good home. Border Collie mix. Large fenced yard or farm please.
842 -4225 or 942-7454 to leave message.
HOUSECLEANING, Pet Sitting and Grooming, Housesitting,
Odd Jobs. Affordable rates. References on request. 842 -4225.
rr:--~---------!!!!!;'I
I
CHURCH OF CHRIST FOR GAY PEOPLE
I
I
RAISED IN THE CHURCH AND THEIR FRIENDS
MEETS TUESDAYS, 7:30 P.M.
AT THE OASIS COMMUNITY CENTER
!,~{
2135 N.W. 39TH IN OKLAHOMA CITY
Designs With Lettering
I
I
. I
FOR INFORMATION CALL
I
DANNY (405)787-1253 OR JANIE (405)755-7259
I
-
,
CaPitol Hill Family Clinic
I
I
_._!I
Custom Signs and Lettering
r-----COUPON---
359-1900
HSR would like to thank the women of OWL for their generous
donations of signs for our new building.
E
Ql
E
i
Ql
UI
Magic Hattt)s
"Stress Management"
Therapeutic Masage
first massage.
Gift certificates also
·available. What better
gift for that hard·to·
Sall~ Bl~vh1s
525-5907
•
Mention Herland when
you call and receive a
20% discount on your
slwp-for person?
KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
340-4301
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2817 S. Harvey
Oklahoma City, OK 73109
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HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 N.W. 39TH, OKC 73112 /1
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
November 30, 1987, was an historic
moment for Herland Sister Resources. On
that date, Herland purchased a building
located at 2312 N.W. 39th Street. With
many dreams, visions, hopes and desires,
women worked long hours in an attempt to
provide women with a place of their own
where they could be themselves, exchange
laughter or tears, find books written for
women by women, or gain valuable information about what was available for them in
Oklahoma City.
Moving into 1989, the collective found
their backs against the wall many times, but
worked through it with strength and determination. They also began the long process
of networking with the hope of not only
gaining knowledge that would be shared with
others, but also to let people know that Herland is here and is dedicated to working
toward making life better for all women.
The following is what we have done over
the past year. We present it to you with great
pride in the strides we have made in the face
of great adversity.
In January, 1988, Herland celebrated its
fourth birthday, which would not have been
possible without the leadership, vision,
energy and dedication of Barbara Cleveland.
It is with great respect and undying gratitude
that we refer to her as "Mother Herland."
The resource center was closed for the
entire month due to renovations to the new
building. Plans were made to open the book'itore by February.
February came and unexpected problems
kept the bookstore closed indefinitely. A call
was put out for an electrical contractor to
completely rewire the building.
The March winds, in conjunction with
Herland and several local music personalities, combined to bring Nancy Vogl and
Robin Flower to OKC for a concert at the
Civic Center Little Theater. Peggy Johnson
opened for Nancy and Robin. The concert
also provided Herland with an opportunity
to make books and music available for the
first time since closing the old building at
19th and Blackwelder.
Herland also staffed a table at the Women
Who Share festivities held at Meacham Aud-
Continued on page 2
MOMENTS, Continued from page 1
itorium on the OU campus, which included
an evening concert featuring Donna DeSalvo
opening for Sue Fink.
Herland started out the month by receiving its first nomination for Outstanding
Community Organization at the annual Gay
and Lesbian Awards Ceremony sponsored
by Metropolitan Community Church. The
Oasis Community Center won the award. It
was both a surprise and an honor to be
nominated.
April began with entertainment by Jasmine at the Civic Center Little Theater with
the Shartels opening for the jazz duo. Her land
not only provided the entertainment but also
books, albums and tapes.
One of Herland's trademark festivities is
the annual spring and fall retreats held at
parks throughout the state. The spring
retreat was held at Boiling Springs State Park.
The Sisters of Swing and the Shartels provided musical entertainment on Saturday
night . .
If you have never attended a retreat, you're
not only missing an opportunity to meet
women from all over Oklahoma and surrounding states as well, but you're also missing a great time.
Herland's camp director, Laura, spends
over 800 hours each year organizing the
retreats. After setting dates and reserving a
group camp at a state park, she arranges with
a variety of women to hold seminars and
workshops during the weekend and to entertain on Saturday night. She also schedules
sporting events and other activities to ensure
everyone has a good time.
Laura is very picky about campsites and
selects only those that are somewhat secluded.
If you were under the impression that we
"roughed it", that we slept in tents and were
without indoor plumbing, guess again. The
campsites are usually made up of several cabins with bunk beds, one or two buildings
with restrooms and hot showers, and a main
building with tables, benches and a fully
equipped kitchen.
Being the mother of one very special dog, I
enjoy the fact that I can take her to the retreat
with me as long as I keep her on a leash (state
rules). Also, when you register at a retreat,
you have the opportunity to select the cabin
you want to stay in, whether it be smoking or
non-smoking, with or without animals,
chemical-free or anything goes. Watch the
newsletter for word on the next retreat.
The month of May came and went without
Herland being involved in any events. I think
it's called Post-Retreat Blues. For herstory's
sake, Herland celebrated three years as an
incorporated non-profit organization on the
28th.
June was different. Herland co-sponsored
the Gay Rights Parade and provided a table at
the block party immediately following the
parade. This was the first time Herland was
involved in a community event and not just a
2
ANNOUNCES
THE NEW HERLAND CENTER IS NOW OPEN:
SATURDAYS 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. & SUNDAYS 1 p.m. - 6 p.m .
at 2312 N.W. 39th St.
HERLAND BO ARD MEETINGS ARE HELD THE 3RD
SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 2312 N.W. 39TH
4: 30 p.m.
During the month of January, Her·
land will be open on Thursday even•
ings from 4·7:30 p.m. in addition to
the regular weekend hours. This is an
experiment. We would like to continue
offering these hours, but will need
your input and interest.
women's event. The collective discovered a
need to network more with the community
as a whole and began to take measures to do
just that. Since that time, several board
members have also become involved with
other local gay organizations in an attempt to
achieve Herland's networking goals.
With that in mind, the newsletter staff
began interviewing members of the community in an effort to let everyone know what is
available to them and who the people really
are who run the different organizations.
July was a busy month. Since the resource
center was still not habitable, Herland's first
bookmobile was set up at Metropolitan
Community Church on July 8 and at the
Hi-Lo on July 10.
In an effort to improve the handling of the
business end of Herland, the collective
attended board training where they were
instructed on how to efficiently run a board
for a non-profit organization. Among other
things, they also were shown how to tap
resources in the area, how to network and
how to get more people involved in Her land.
Her land finally opened her doors for business at the new location on August 1 and
made plans for a grand opening later in the
year. HSR also was forced to face the reality
of the departure of Barbara Cleveland, who
moved to Ohio to attend graduate school.
The Fall Retreat at Sequoyah State Park
was the highlight of September. Those who
attended were treated to singer-songwriter
Nancy Scott, and California comedienne
Karen Williams. Both Nancy and Karen had
us laughing all the way home. For the first
time, food was provided at a cost of$2.50 per
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meal, prepared by chefs Mary R . and Chris
C. Workshops were provided on such topic's
as women's spirituality, and dealing with
intimacy.
Herland also supported the fundraising
efforts of the Olympians, a composite
women's softball team that traveled to Kansas City to represent the gay community in a
national gay softball tourn~ment. HSR also
attended the fun night at MCC with her traveling book/ music inventory.
October featured the Coming Out Day
Rally at Angles on the 9th, where Herland
staffed a table with not only women's books,
but also titles relating to men.
After the rally came MCC's Fall Fest on
October 23, and the annual yard sale on the
29th and 30th.
In the past, Herland held coffeehouses to
raise funds. November 12th featured Herland's first coffeehouse in the new location,
presenting Donna DeSalvo as the evening's
entertainment. A smashing success, Herland
will be having more coffeehouses in the
future.
Earlier that same day, volunteers staffed a
table at the state convention of the Women's
Political Caucus held in Stillwater.
In conjunction with Shartel Productions,
Herland sponsored a concert featuring Alix
Dobkin at the Civic Center Little Theater
and was treated to a memorable evening of
entertainment. Alix not only shared her gift
of music but also her knowledge of lesbian
culture.
December began with a trip by several
Continued on page 9, column 2
Around the Country
KILLER CONVICTED IN ANTILESBIAN SHOOTING; VICTIM
BLAMING TACTIC FAILS
On October 27, Adams County, Pennsylvania Judge Oscar Spicer convicted Stephen
Roy Carr of first degree murder in a shooting
that killed Rebecca Wight and critically
wounded her lover, Claudia Brenner. In a
move praised by Brenner, the gay community
and victim advocates, the judge also excluded
as inadrnissable any arguments by the defense
that the victims' sexual orientation and
behavior provoked the attack.
On May 13, the two women were fired
upon at their Appalachian Trail campsite by
Stephen Roy Carr, whose attorney claimed
in a preliminary hearing that Brenner and
Wight "provoked" the attack by performing
sexual acts in front of him, and otherwise
teasing him. While acknowledging that she
and Wight had made love at the campsite,
Brenner insisted that they both thought they
were alone, and described the accusation that
they provoked the attack as ''not only untrue
but insulting." In a statement released to the
press, Brenner asserted that "Rebecca and I
were lovers ... Nothing about who we were
or our love for each other could be considered motivation for the outrageous, inhumane violence that Stephen Roy Carr perpetrated against us."
Commented Kevin Berrill, Director of the
NGLTF Anti-Violence Project, "While the
criminal justice system's handling of this particular case was better than usual, we should
all be outraged at the attempt by Carr's
attorney to blame Brenner and Wight for
provoking the attack. It is another revolting
example of how our society seeks to shift
responsibility for anti-gay violence from the
victimizers to the victims."
Carr waived his right to a jury trial in
exchange for an agreement by the prosecution not to seek the death penalty and to drop
several lesser charges. Although he has not
yet been sentenced, Carr faces life improsonment without parole. An appeal by Carr's
defense attorney is expected.
Commenting on the sentence, Brenner
stated that "a life sentence with no parole in a
maximum security prison, while not compensating for our tremendous loss and pain,
is the appropriate response to a nightmare
that nothing can ever make right." Brenner
also praised the handling of the case by the
local prosecutor and police, describing them
as "respectful and professional. .. All those
involved never wavered in the investigation
and prosecution of the crime. Most gay people who are victims of violence do not receive
the kind of treatment that I received."
Brenner also called for greater visibility as a
means of countering anti-gay violence: "The
only really helpful position we can take is to
be open about our lives and then share our
loves and losses with all people we come in
contact with," she said.
Brenner and Wight were on a hiking trip in
Adams County, Pennsylvania when on May
13 they twice encountered defendant, Stephen Roy Carr, along their route. After making camp in a secluded area by a stream, the
women were suddenly fired upon by Carr,
who had been hiding nearby. Wight, who
was shot in the back and the head, died at the
campsite. Although shot five times, Brenner
managed to walk nearly four miles to a road
where she was able to get help.
"This attack is the worst nightmare of
every woman and every gay person; it is the
ultimate violation of our right to live and
love as we choose,'' said Berrill. ''In the face
of this ordeal, Claudia has shown incredible
strength and will and dignity. Her decision to
speak out about the attack and the bigotry
that led to it, is an inspiration to lesbian and
gay people everywhere."
DIVIDED, WE FALL
by Craig Davidson
The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith seems to think that anti-gay bias is a
second-class prejudice.
The ADL has launched a nationwide project to defeat prejudice using mass media and
the schools. The project is called "A World
of Difference," and in each city where it is
implemented a local television station agrees
to incorporate material about minorities into
its news and public affairs programming for a
whole year. ADL produces study guides
based on the programming and provides
these to local schools.
Unfortunately, this good idea is tainted by
ADL's refusal to include information about
lesbians and gays in "A World of Difference." So far, the project has been launched
in Boston, San Francisco, New York and perhaps elsewhere.
ADL's intransigence is particularly appalling in light of the wave of anti-gay and lesbian violence that is sweeping the country,
and the U.S. Justice Department's conclusion that gays are probably the most common victims of hate-related crimes.
We suggest you respond to this egregious
case of institutional exclusion of gays and
lesbians (by our allies in the civil rights
movement, no less) in several ways. Write to
Abraham Foxman, ADL National Director,
823 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017, to
express your displeasure. Try to mobilize
pressure against ADL within its own community by urging Jewish organizations and
individuals to express their disappointment.
If "A World of Difference" is scheduled for
your community and ADL doesn't relent,
demand that the cooperating local television
station produce equivalent programming
about gays and lesbians. " Equivalent" programming would celebrate our achievements
as individuals and as a community, moving
beyond treating us as victims.
"A World of Difference" is a powerful
marriage of schools and the media. ADL's
conscious and stubborn exclusion of gays
and lesbians sends a powerful message that
prejudice against us doesn't matter. Fight
back!
from Nov/Dec isSU< of GLPA
ELECTION PRODUCES MIXED
RESULTS FOR GAY/LESBIAN
COMMUNITY; POST-REAGAN
ERA BEGINS
This year's election brought mixed results
for the gay /lesbian community, according to
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The most significant victory was the defeat of
Proposition 102 in California, the p;i.nnemeyer AIDS initiative that would haVt;.~lim
inated anonymous HIV testing and impos~d
mandatory reporting of HIV positive individuals. The greatest disappointments were
in Oregon, where a state executive order
banning sexual orientation discrimination
was overturned in a referendum, arid in
Connecticut, where AIDS and gay civil rights
supporter Lowell Weiker was defeated in his
bid for reelection to the Senate.
Irrespective of those results, however, Jeffrey Levi, NOLTF's executive director, observed that "this election marks the end of an
era of neglect, by the Pr,j'!sident, of the
nation's most compelling public health issue.
While we do not fully agree with Presidentelect George Bush on many of his positions
on AIDS, Bush has been more engaged on
this issue than President Reagan. Bush
actively supports anti-discrimination protections for persons with HIV infection, and has
had an open ear to those working on AIDS in
the Public Health Service."
Commenting on the defeat of Proposition
102 and its impact on national politics, Levi
observed, "This is a great victory for public
health. It is a statement by the people of
California that they will not be browbeaten
into accepting expensive and ineffective
'quick fixes' to the AIDS problem. It proves
that education of a population can work in
changing attitudes and increasing understanding about AIDS. We hope this defeat of
William Dannemeyer - on the heels of
three-to-one votes against his repressive
proposals in the House of Representatives
last month-will return debate to a more
reasonable level in California and in the
nation's capital. We also believe that defeat
of this measure will stop a steamroller effect
of copycat propositions around the country.
Continued on page 4
3
ELECTION, Continued from page 3
NOLTF noted with regret passage of the
other California AIDS initiative, Proposition
96, which, among other things, allows courtordered testing of persons accused of certain
crimes. Observed public information director Urvashi Vaid, "While not as far-reaching
as 102, it attacks the basic civil liberties of
those most vulnerable in our society persons accused of crimes. Had this required
testing of those convicted of sexual assault,
etc., this might have been and understandablethough not necessarily appropriate - approach.
However, in permitting testing of those
merely accused of certain crimes, the measure undermines the fundamental American
principle of innocent until proven guilty and provides a motivation for false accusations of crimes. It poses a substantial threat
to the accused's opportunity to receive a fair,
impartial trial, particularly in jury cases."
The vote to repeal the Oregon executive
order on sexual orientation discrimination
was the source of great disappointment "to gays and lesbians and all those concerned
with civil liberties," Levi said. "On the anniversary ofKristallnacht, it is particularly sad
that the people of Oregon would turn their
backs on any minortty group that has suffered discrimination." The contrasting vote
in the Presidential election - Oregonians
supported Governor Dukakis - showed,
Levi said, "that progressive views in other
areas does not always translate into support
for gay/lesbian civil rights."
The returning lOlst Congress will look
quite similar to the lOOth, with one major
exception. "The loss of Lowell Weiker our strongest advocate and spokesperson in
the United States Senate - will be a tremendous one," commented Levi. "Weiker
stood alone at times in fighting uncompromisingly for those who were not represented
in the Senate - all minorities, not just gays
and lesbians. His role in increasing funding
for AIDS, most recently in the extension of
federal funding of AZT, cannot be overestimated."
With the election over, Levi said, "some of
the most challenging work is ahead of us. A
new administration is being constructed and we plan to be in on the ground floor in
helping advise and counsel the transition
teams about AIDS and civil rights issues."
On a less optimistic note, Levi observed,
"it is clear, based on the record, that George
Bush still needs a good deal of education on
gay/lesbian issues. It is our hope, however,
that a younger, more moderate generation of
cabinet officials and other political appoin~b~ce'fAY.' ;i.t least afford access on these
HATE CRIMES BILL NOT
BROUGHT TO SENATE
FLOOR; HELMS ATTEMPTS
ANTI-GAY AMENDMENT
The first positive federal legislation to address
violence against lesbians, gay men, racial, ethnic
and religious minorities, stalled in the U .S.
Senate because of threats by Senator Jesse
Helms (R-NC) to introduce sweeping anti-gay
amendments. The Hate Crimes Statistics Act
which would require federal data collection on
crimes motivated by prejudice against gay
people and other minorities, was never brought
to the Senate floor despite vigorous lobbying by
a coalition of over 50 groups led by the National
Gay & Lesbian Task F.orce (NGLTF).
Introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI),
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act made legislative
history when it passed the U.S. House of
Representatives in May of 1988. The bill
marked the first time federal legislation specifically addressing sexual orientation was passed
by either house of Congress. Attempts to delete
the sexual orientation clause were repeatedly
defeated while the bill was in committee, and
were also defeated on the House floor.
The Senate version of the bill was introduced
by Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL). The Senate bill
achieved unanimous approval from the Senate
Judiciary Committee in August. But efforts to
bring the bill to the Senate floor crumbled as
Helms told Senate Majority Leader Robert
Byrd (D-WV) that he would fight the bill unless
anti-gay measures were attached. Helms
planned to introduce a four-part amendment
which stated the following:
"( 1) The homosexual movement
threatens the.strength and the survival of
the American family as the basic unit of
society;
(2) State laws prohibiting sodomy should
be enforced;
( 3) The federal government should not
provide discrimination protections on the
basis of "sexual orientation"; and
(4) School curriculurns should not condone homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle in American society."
NGLTF Anti-Violence Project Director,
Kevin Berrill noted that while the bill stalled in
Congress, acts of anti-gay violence continued to
shatter the lives of gay men and lesbians across
the country. Said Berrill, "This bill reflects our
call to the federal government to take a firm
stand against homophobic violence. We intend
to press forward, add more supporting organizations to our coalition, and continue the grassroots constituent pressure that helped so much
this year.''
Activists interested in generating support for
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act in the next
Congressional session are urged to contact Peri
Jude Radecic at NGLTF, 1517 U Street NW,
Washington DC 20009.
4
RYAN NAMED NATIONAL
SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR
Also Honored by Gay Social Workers
National Social Worker of the Year, Caitlin Ryan received her profession's highest
honor for her pioneering work in developing
a local, national and professional response to
AIDS over the past seven years of the epidemic. Ryan received her Social Worker of
the Year award at the annual conference of
the National Association of Social Workers
in Philadelphia on November 12th.
Ryan, a long-time lesbian and gay health
activist, has been involved in the organization
of services for people with AIDS in local
communities as well as in the establishment
of the National Association of People with
AIDS. She was also one of the early organizers and first director of AID Atlanta, the
first and largest AIDS service organization in
the southeast, and director of AIDS services
for Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington,
D .C ., one of the first AIDS servicesicenters
in the country.
'V
•
Ryan helped the National Association of
Social Workers develop its national AIDS
agenda, and has organized conferences and
national provider networks nationwide.
"AIDS: We Need To Know. We Need to
Care," is the theme ofNASW's 1989 public
information campaign to raise awareness
about the devastating psychological and
social problems engendered by the AIDS
epidemic. ''Honoring Caitlin Ryan is actually
an honor for NASW," said NASW President
Suzanne Dworak-Peck. "Social Workers are
first on the front lines in fearsome times and
first in numbers of professionals dealing with
this epidemic, and Caitlin is the best example
of why we need to know, and why we need to
care."
Ryan has led in providing trainer support
for caregivers who work with AIDS patients
and their families. As president of Healthsource, Inc., a D.C.-based consulting firm,
Caitlin has trained more than 40,000 individuals nationwide on the medical, clinical
and psychosocial aspects of AIDS in health
care, business and security settings. She has
lectured to universities, trade associations
and professional groups and has written
extensively on the social work profession's
ethical responsibility to clients and communities. In 1985 she developed one of the
nation's first AIDS courses for providers at
Catholic University's social work school and
continues to teach in the graduate program.
As Co-Director of the AIDS Policy Center
at George Washington University's Intergovernmental Health Policy Project, Ryan
assists policy makers and legislators in developing sound and rational policy to manage
the epidemic. She is co-author of AIDS: A
Public Health Challenge, the first major
review of state AIDS policy commissioned
Continued on page 9, column 1
SPOTLIGHT ON:
DONNA DESALVO
Spotlight On is a column designed to
feature the various people and organizations
within the community to familiarize those of
you who don't know who they are and what
they do.
This month, the spotlight falls on Oklahoma native Donna DeSalvo, an energetic
performer who appeared at a coffeehouse at
Herland on Nov. 12, which is where she first
performed in public a few years before.
"I didn't even know what Herland was,''
she said. "Unless you were a very active
feminist, no one really knew about it because
it was just getting started. Barbara Cleveland
called me to come and sing. Everyone liked it;
it went all right."
The 36-year-old performer was born in
Tulsa but moved to Texas with her family
when she was in the third grade. The
DeSalvos lived in Texas until the end of
Donna's junior year when they moved back
to Tulsa. After graduating from Edison High
School, Donna went to OU, but dropped
out after two years.
"I majored in history,'' she explained,
"because it bored me to tears and I thought I
should be more interested in the history of
our world and the
I had one professor
who told us that if we made a C in his class, he
was going to flunk us because there was no
such thing as a mediocre history major. Well,
leave it to me to make a C. There was no
arguing with him about it. I dropped out of
school because I was tired of being broke. I
went to work to make some money and have
been doing blue collar stuff ever since."
Donna taught herself how to play guitar
when she was 13 by listening to songs on the
stereo or having someone show her.
"I would pick up my dad's guitar and mess
with it a little, then put it down, pick it up,
put it down,'' she said. "I never learned to
read music. I have a mental block when it
comes to learning to read music. It confuses
me, like numbers. I have a bad time with
numbers."
The first song she learned to play was
Tumblin' Tumbleweeds, which her father
taught her. She says she confuses anyone who
was properly taught how to play guitar
because she bar chords wrong. She feels that
not being able to read music and not knowing
how to play guitar the right way limits what
songs she can perform. She gives credit for
her musical talent to her mother.
"Mom and her sisters were in a gospel
group called the Norwood Sisters,'' she said.
''They got to be pretty famous in Arkansas. A
producer from New York came to hear them
and wanted to move them up, make an
album, make them stars. My grandfather
wouldn't let them. If I have inherited any
talent, it definitely came from my mother's
side because my father can't sing a lick. But
he sure could play guitar. Mom would
always sing around the house and play the
piano. My brother plays the accordian."
Donna also played accordian at one time.
She faked her way through lessons by
watching the teacher and listening very
closely. She went through a whole year of
accordian lessons and a recital without the
teacher knowing she couldn't read music.
The first song Donna ever wrote was Pitty
Patty in 1976. Her favorite song by someone
else is I'll Fly Away Without You by Nicolete
Larson. Her favorite songs by Donna DeSalvo
are My Two Sisters and Robbie's Song.
"The song about my sisters is just as true as
u:s ..
the day is long,'' she explained. "My oldest
sister cried when she heard it because she gets
real sentimental about family. My youngest
sister thought it was funny."
My Two Sisters is a comparison between
herself and her sisters. Her sisters can cook
and sew and love to wear frilly clothes.
Donna, on the other hand, says she can't
cook, can't sew, and hates frilly clothes.
"Robbie's Song still gives me goose bumps
because I knew her,'' Donna said. "I can see
her sparkly little face when I'm singing that
song and it just takes a little piece of my heart
because she was one in a million."
Donna was a paramedic at one time.
Robbie worked for AmCare and was the one
who got her interested in being•a paramedic.
Donna always felt she could do it as long as
she had Robbie to fall back on. Robbie's life
was not depicted in Donna's song. Instead,
Donna wrote about her friend and the
indelible mark she left on her own life.
"Robbie was a star at AmCare,'' Donna
explains. "She loved everybody, even the
derelict on the street. It wouldn't be unlike
her to walk up to one, kiss his cheek and pat
him on the head. She wasn't afraid of
anything. She loved people."
Donna said that Robbie was involved with
a woman who experienced severe mood
swings and would sometimes beat the daylights out of Robbie. Robbie tried to help her
solve her problems, but finally had to tell her
she was going to move out. Before that move
happened, Robbie was getting ready for work
one day when the woman came in and shot
her three times.
"The woman killed Robbie, ate dinner,
made a tape, wrote a letter, then killed
herself," Donna explained. "She had tried to
shoot people before, so she knew she wasn't
getting out of that one. I went over there and
wiped my friend's blood up off the floor so
her family wouldn't see it. It's an awful
feeling to wring your friend's blood into the
toilet."
Donna trained for three years to be a
paramedic. During that time she would go on
ambulance calls, work in hospitals and
maintain a class schedule. She was the first
female papamedic to be hired in Norman.
"I feel that they didn't want a woman down
there,'' she said. "They didn't have the
facilities for women to spend the night with
men doing 24-hour shifts. The women would
always pass the written and technical tests,
but would fail the physical test. The physical
test consisted oflifting a cot with someone on
it into the ambulance. This is just my
opinion, but I think they always got the
biggest guy they could find to lie on the cot."
Although Donna feels she did a go1o~ job as
a paramedic, she would never go '1'ack. to
doing it again.
"That was the scariest work I've ever
done,'' she explained, "and I'll never do it
again unless something happens in front of
me and it's absolutely necessary. It's npt only
a lot of responsibility, but I would tak~ things
home with me in my mind and would be
bugging my friends to be more careful
because I knew what the consequences were."
Donna now works full-time as a delivery
driver. After 12-14 hour days, she spends
what's left of her evening hours with a very
special friend, three cats a~d two dogs.
"Realistically, I wish I had more time to
practice and get better so I wouldn't disappoint people who call me to play and sing,''
she said. "I'm not one to call someone up on
the phone and sell myself. Ifl'm invited, nine
times out of ten I'll play. I don't play
uninvited. I tried that once with a friend in
Tulsa. We were in a band that played five
nights a week about 10 years ago. Every night
it was the same thing. I really got burned out."
Donna enjoys what she's doing now
because it gives her the ability to lay low for a
few months so neither she nor the audience
are tired of her music. At one point she found
herself not even wanting to pick up her guitar.
"You have to be very dedicated to be a
genuine musician,'' she said. "I don't know
how Peggy Johnson and Mary Reynolds do it.
That takes guts. That's what they love, what
they want. You can tell they're musicians.
They play the fire out of their instruments
and they can sing real well because they do it
every day. That's their life. I never planned to
do anything but just enjoy it. I never planned
to play for anybody but myself. To me, it's
almost like a hobby. That's why I'm almost
embarrassed if either one of them is in the
audience.'.'
Continued on page 6
5
DeSAL VO, Continued from page 5
In the past, Donna has opened for such
nationally known acts as Sue Fink, Nancy
Day and Deidra MaCalla. When asked what
her worst experience as a performer was, it
related to being an opening act.
"The worst thing is forgetting the words
and being treated poorly by a national act,"
she said. "I don't expect them to gush or
anything, just to be nice. One star's manager
was really nasty to me, but I understand she
was nasty to everyone. Later, after I had done
my set, she came up to me and told me that I
had been the best opening act they had seen.
Another star ignored me completely when I
tried to just say hello. We had similar styles
and I really couldn't wait to meet her after
listening to her tape. That broke my heart."
After that, Donna made a committment to
herself to never be nasty to anyone. She's
very flattered when people tell her that they'd
buy her album if she had one on the market.
She knows how they feel because that's how
she feels about performers. In her opinion, a
performer has to be nice because it's the
people who make her career.
If you haven't gathered this by now, Donna
loves to talk. One of her trademarks is her
monologue during her act. She says she has
to ramble. She says when she first started, she
had a very foul mouth but has since calmed it
down to a certain degree. Her sense of humor
has been known to bring down the house on
an occasion or two. But, it's her music that is
the spotlight of her act.
"Sometimes I feel like my music touches
people," Donna explained. "I can feel an
energy when I'm sitting in front of people. All
it takes is one person to sparkle up in a
crowd. That makes it all worth it."
Donna claims to be interested in all music,
but leans more toward mellow music artists
such as Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff and
James Taylor. While doing this interview, we
ran into a problem and would appreciate
some help solving it. What category would
you put Donna's music in, and what radio
station in the city would play a song such as
My Two Sisters? If you figure this out, we
would really like to know. As it stands, we let
it go under "crossover," but we don't know
what it's a crossover of.
Donna enjoys a more personal, coffeehouse atmosphere where the audience is right
in front of her. During Herland's 1987 Fall
Retreat, where she had such an audience,
Donna experienced something not too many
other performers have.
"I was sitting up there doing a real sad
song," she explained, "and it was real quiet.
The biggest moth I had ever seen in my life
flew up in front of me. It was a monster moth
and all I could hear and see was this moth."
One of Donna's goals is to sing with a
band, expecially to do I'll Fly Away Without
You. However, she feels that the sacrifice right
now would be too great. It would take time
she doesn't have because of her full-time job,
something she cannot quit because she would
have no way to pay her bills. How many of us
can relate to that?
Donna does manage to find time for
hobbies, which include reading, spending
time at home with her special friend, playing
her guitar, playing with her pets, piddling
around the house and listening to music.
"Music is like praying to me."
In March 1988, Donna received the
G.A.L.A. outstanding female vocalist of the
year award, which came as quite a surprise to
her.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I thought
someone was pulling my leg when they called
me up and told me I was nominated. I was
flattered, but I thought I could kiss that
award goodbye because other nominees were
Peggy Johnson and Mary Reynolds. I didn't
get to go to the banquet because my brother
and his family were visiting and were only
going to be here for two days. When they
called me again the day of the banquet and
told me I had won, I was so proud."
Donna will be one of the featured artists on
the Christmas tape being made to benefit the
Winds.
Her advice to aspiring performers is to just
do it no matter how scared you are.
"I'm scared to death every tin)e( I perform," she said, "but the minute I s~e a grin
or somebody applaud, I know I'm okay. It's
hard to sing when y~u're scared. Your air
doesn't come out like it should and you can't
sing pretty. I sing real pretty in the bathroom!"
Maybe next time we'll all come to your
bathroom, Donna!
15% off gift certificate or your first
massage during month of Dec. with this ad.
i
oouch of Qold
848-6429
HEALTHFUL • STRESS RELIEVING MASSAGE
6~
SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
Melanie ~- McKiddy
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
MASSAGE THERAPIST
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
I009 N PENNIYlVANtA •OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73112
360-6945
r:: - - - - - -. - - - - - - HERLAND IS ...
A non-profit corporation composed of a collective of wimmin - open to any womyn who
wants to be a part of it - which works to maintain a feminist library and bookstore, sponsors
workshops, retreats, concerts and other events for YOU. Harland's reason for being is to
provide a framework for a variety of projects for the support and enjoyment of the area
wimmin's community. It is a place to learn and grow, meet other wimmin, develop lasting
friendships, _receive support and nurture the positive self-image that societal attitudes
sometimes make illusive to us. Harland exists to serve YOU.
Your donations are used to pay the mortgage and utilities on the resource center, and
printing and postage for the monthly HSR Newsletter and Friend of Harland cards.
With the exception of the Library, all of Harland's services are free, including the Newsletter.
This is why your donation is so important: It is Herland's lifeblood.
6
0 YES! I want to be a Friend of Herland. My min imum(
donation of $12 allows me use of the Herland Library
and a 10% discount on store purchase over the next 12
months. (My $12 is enclosed.)
0 YES! I want to help Herland with a donation to the
New Building Fund.
0 $15
0 $20
0 $25
0 $50
0 $100
0 $_ _
0 Bookstore volunteer
0 Building volunteer
Name - -- - - - - - - - - - - Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City _ _ __ _ __ _
SL__ZIP _
_
Telephone Number: (
Mail to:
Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th
· Oklahoma City, OK 73112
---------------
Around the Corner
WINDS PROJECT
Donations are Music t.Q Ears
of Project Coordinators
Donations toward the musical endeavor
by local performers to raise money for the
Winds have reached 50% of the estimated
goal, according to project coordinator Palmira Campos.
In order to produce a tape whose proceeds
will benefit the Winds (and AIDS support
center), organizers of Friendships United
have to raise enough money to pay for studio
time for the artists who will donate their time
and talent and tapes.
A fundraiser held at the Bunkhouse on
Nov. 20 raised $176 for the project. Organizers would like to express their appreciation
and thanks to the Bunkhouse and the band
who performed, The 3 of Hearts.
The group is also selling doormats made
out of burlap with heart designs and either
"Welcome," "Love,'' or "Peace" interwoven
with the burlap. Doormats can be specialordered to include other sayings or names.
According to Palmira, the group i5 expecting to sell the first tape by the second or third
week of March.
"I think what is making a difference,"
Palmira said, "is that the artists and workers
are really committed and strong Christians,
using their belief and prayer as a source of
strength."
Donations may be sent to:
FRIENDSHIPS UNITED
c/o Peggy Johnson
P.O. Box 75842
OKC, OK 73147
Please make checks payable to ASP (AIDS
Special Project) and include FRIENDSHIPS
UNITED in the lower lefthand corner.
A fundraiser will be held at the Hi-Lo on
January 15th and will feature the talents of
Mary R ., Peggy Johnson and Donna DeSalvo.
FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS
Beginning January 13, Herland will feature
Friday Nite Videos at the resource center.
Every second and fourth Friday at 7:30
p.m., a video for and about women will be
presented for your viewing pleasure. Admission is free, but donations will be greatly
appreciated, as well as suggestions of videos
for future showings. Coffee, tea and popcorn
will be provided.
The first video will be "Desert Hearts."
"Lianna" is scheduled for January 27th.
So if you're looking for something different to do on a Friday night, join in an
evening of fun and entertainment at Herland.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HSR!
HERLAND'S NEW YEARS BABY
According to past issues of the newsletter, Herland Sister Resources will celebrate her fifth birthday on January 1.
With that in mind, we think it is time to
start a journal of her herstory that will be
kept at the resource center for reference.
The journal will consist of not only the
written herstory of Herland but also pictures of important events, locations, etc.
We would like to make you a part of this
project by asking those of you who have
remembrances of the early beginnings of
Herland and her five years of existence to
submit them to us for inclusion in the
journal. Not many of the original organizers are as involved with Herland now as
they were in the beginning and we lack a lot
of information.
.
Please send your information to
HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, 2312
N.W. 39th St., OKC, OK, 73112, ATTN:
HERSTORY. If you would rather tell it
than write it, call Sondra at 732-2315 and
leave a message. We will make arrangements to record your remembrances on
cassette and transcribe ft for the journal.
We're counting on you! Don't let her
story fade away!
Guess what's new at Herland? Herland is
announcing a new feature in their book
department. As of January 1, 1989, there'll
be a used bookbin. Herland customers will
be able to purchase Lesbian or Feminist
books at a reduced price. Most paperback
books will be $3.00, Hard cover will be
$5.00.
Another feature that Herland customers
will enjoy is the "trade-in" feature. A
customer may trade in a used book and get a
15% discount on a new book, limited to two
books per day. Also, for a limited time
customers may trade in two used books for
one. Books shall be of Lesbian or Feminist
nature.
Herland is very excited about this new
addition and hopes that it will provide
opportunity to members of the community
who may not be able to afford Lesbian or
Feminist books any other way. Check it out
in the new year.
Thanks from the Editor
The editor wants to thank her prolific, devoted
and friendly staff-all volunteers-who are
donating their time, energy, and resources to keet
Oklahoma's women's community up-to-date on
local and national happenings of interest to
women and their supporters. Thank you, staff1 love you all!
OUR NEW LOOK!
Have you noticed a change in ih~'< newsletter?Herl,and would like to thank AccuT;pe
and its owner, Rhonda Smith for the professional look they're gitling the HSR Newsletter! Typesetting of the magnitude of the
HSR newsletter is tedious and time-consiiming,
not to mention a great expense. Rhonda and
her staff-person, Loral Reeves, are donating
their time and effort to Herland to produce a
professional-looking newsletter for us all. So,
if you see Rhonda or Loral, let them know
what a fine job they're doing.
And, if you've got typo/tting you need to
have done, take it to AccuType- they'll do it
right!
I
PUBLISHED BY: Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 NW 39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
NOTICE: to organizations, businesses, production companies,
etc: Events and happenings
planned for the first week or two
of any given month should be
advertised in the previous month's
edition of the HSR Newsletter.
By getting your information into
the newsletter a month prior to
the event it reaches more readers
and more people will know about
it before it happens. So, when
planning an activity or event you
hope to share with the women's
community keep this in mind
and get the word out early-for a
happy turnout.
EDITOR: Karen Lewis
CHIEF REPORTER: Sondra Metzger
ADVERTISING MGR.: Laura
TYPESETTING: Rhonda Smith
and Loral Reeves
CIRCULATION: 700
GENERAL INFO: (405) 794-7464 or 672-4141
VOLUNTEER INFO: 528 -0604
ADVERTISING: 672-4141
DEADLINE on all advertising and submissions is
the 15th of each month.
SUBSCRIPTIONS to this Newsletter are free
upon request.
HSR Newsletter is offered as an open forum for
community discourse. Materials printed herein
reflects the beliefs & opinions of the authors of the
articles or letters, and not necessarily those of the
Newsletter or the Herland Board.
7
.')
NATIONAL LESBIAN
CONFERENCE SET TO
USHER IN THE GAY 90'S
Potpourri
THE THIRD WAVE:
Feminist Perspectives on Racism
edited by Norma Alarcon, Jacqui Alexander,
Sharon Day, Lisa Albrecht & Mab Segrest
We have all been witnesses to an unprecedented resurgence of racism with its national
and global implications. In the 1980's, Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press published two of the foremost books on women
of color: This Bridge Called My Back: Writings
by Radical Women of Color, and Home Girls: A
Black Feminist Anthology. As Afro-Caribbean,
American Indian, white Jewish and white
Southern women working together, we ask
you to contribute to a book that will build on
these earlier works, and articulate this historic third wave of feminist thought and
action, to create a transformative feminist
theory and practice that empowers all the
world's peoples.
We encourage submissions covering a
wide range of topics, including but not
limited to:
• dialogues among diverse women of color
on the different effects of racism
• racism & its connection to misogyny, antisemitism, class & homophobia
• historical analyses & contemporary manifestations of racism
• racism from an international perspective
& the changing global economy
• national & international policies determining forced inclusion/ exclusion of oppressed peoples
• the impact of the Reagan years upon the
escalation of racism & racist policies
• dialogues among white women regarding
the elimination of white supremacy
• coalition politics between & among
women of color & white women
• explorations of how racial identities are
shaped by culture
• pedagogical anti-racist strategies for progressive educators
• accounts of effective anti-racist organizing
models
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: January
31st, 1989. Length:Maxiumum25-30pages
double-spaced. Send 5 copies to: Sharon
Day, 444 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN.
55155
PHOTOS SOUGHT FOR
REVISED EDITION OF
"OUR RIGHT TO LOVE"
BROOKLYN, NY - Ginny Vida, Editor of
Our Right To Love; A Lesbian Resource Book, is
inviting lesbian photographers to submit
photos of lesbians for possible inclusion in
the revised edition of Our Right To Love, to be
8
published by E.P. Dutton.
Photographs depicting: affection, friendship, outdoor and indoor scenes, lesbians at
work, individual portraits, lesbians engaged in
sports, Black, White, Asian America, Latina
and Native American, lesbians of all ages,
lesbians who are abled and differently abled,
are being sought. Lesbians who are national
or local movement leaders are also desirable
subjects for photos.
"I'm looking for photographs that portray
lesbians as women who are making positive
contributions to society, enjoying life and
interacting in a positive way with others,"
Ms. Vida said.
Photographers will receive $35 for each
photo published in the revised edition,
payable upon publication. Photos must be
black and white, professional quality, and all
persons pictured must sign a release which
the editor will provide. Photographers will be
credited in the book.
Our Right to Love is an anthology oflesbian
writing that includes more than 40 essays,
dozens of personal testimonies, more than
100 photographs of lesbians plus some
lesbian rights supporters. The original edition was published in 1978 by Prentice Hall.
Photos may be submitted to: Ginny Vida,
Editor, Our Right To Love, 45 Plaza St., #1-G,
Brooklyn, NY 11217. (718) 789-0391.
From Dimensions, Oct. 1988, Vol. 3 No. 4
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The first meeting to organize a comprehensive national
conference by, for and about lesbians, was
held here September 24 & 25, to launch
coordination of the idea born of the October
11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian
and Gay Rights. An ad-hoc group of east
coast lesbians convened the open meeting to
begin to set goals and to establish the initial
planning structure for the conference, which
is tentatively scheduled for late 1989 or early
1990.
The conference envisioned is the first of its
kind: a broad-based coalition effort to set a
lesbian agenda for social, economic, and political change, to increase lesbian visibility and
to acknowledge lesbian diversity and common ground.
Regional planning meetings on the national
lesbian conference are being organized
throughout the country in the months ahead.
The first national steering committee meeting, with representatives chosep. . _by each
region at the regional planning ~etings is
scheduled for the weekend of March' 4-5,
1989 in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Lesbians interested in getting involved
should watch for local announcements of
regional planning meetings. For more information, write: National Lesbian Conference,
P.O. Box 3057, Albany, NY 12203.
ANNOUNCING
NATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
CONFERENCE
The 1989 conference of the Association
for Women in Psychology will be held in
Newport, Rhode Island, March 9 -12, 1989.
The Association for Women in Pssychology
(AWP) is a nonprofit and educational
feminist organization dedicated to encouraging feminist teaching, research, and mental
health practices in psychology and related
fields.
In keeping with this year's theme, "The
Many Faces of Feminist Psychology," we are
encouraging contributions covering the many
facets of women's lives, as experienced by
women from diverse circumstances and
backgrounds. Interdisciplinary presentations
and different kinds of programs (research,
theory, or practice) are welcome. We would
especially like to encourage participation
from cultural and racial minority, disabled,
older or younger than average, and economically disadvantaged women; from grassroots organizations; and from mental health
consumers.
For more information, please write or call
Kathryn Quina, Rhode Island AWP, Dept. of
Psychology, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, RI 02881. Phone ( 401) 2 77-383 2.
UNITY IS THE KEY
1Z05
!{. lfd.71.ta.
Fe, M.<>ore
RYAN, Continued from page 4
MOMENTS, Continued from page 2
by the Public Health Service in 1986. The
document, which was distributed to all
members of Congress, all governors and key
state officials, had a major impact on shaping
both the state response and the Presidential
Commission's final report on AIDS.
Ryan was also honored at the conference
by NASW's National Committee on Lesbian
and Gay Issues for her outstanding contributions to lesbian and gay health. These include
organizing numerous national and regional
conferences on lesbian and gay health care,
founding the National Lesbian and Gay
Health Foundation, publishing the first
National Gay Health Directory and coordinating the National Lesbian Health Care
Survey, the first baseline study of lesbian
health concerns.
In her acceptance speech Ryan revealed
that in her initial application to social work
school 10 years ago, she included her work in
the lesbian and gay community to demonstrate her ability to practice social workand then was rejected for applying as an open
lesbian. Ryan traced the roots of homophobia from denial of the lesbian identity of the
profession's founder, Jane Adams, 100
years ago, to placing clients at risk through
secrecy and denial, for infection with HIV
today.
Criteria for receiving the award include
taking risks in the pursuit of social work
goals, demonstrating significant leadership
qualities, effective advocating on behalf of
client groups, contributing to the positive
image of social work, and helping ameliorate
a pressing social· problem.
The National Association of Social Workers
is the world's largest professional organization with 120,000 members in the United
States and overseas. They work in family
service agencies, mental health facilities,
schools and colleges, hospitals, industry and
private practice. They have taken the lead in
raising awareness of the psychological and
social problems created by the AIDS crisis
and in organizing and providing appropriate
services.
board members to Fayetteville, .A.rkansas,
for a women's arts and crafts fair t~rnt invites
one bookstore each year. This was Herland's
year.
December marked Herland's grand opening. Although the building is still not 100%
finished, the collective felt it was time to have
the opening. Peggy Johnson provided live
entertainment for the event, which welcomed
some 100 women. There were tables of
delicious food, wine and caroling-Berland
style.
Volunteers also staffed a table at a fundraiser for the Oasis Community Center
held at Angles.
I realize this doesn't sound like we've done
much. I have neglected to list the monthly
board meetings, emergency board meetings,
committee meetings, work days on the old
and new buildings and time spent preparing
the newsletter, staffing the resource center
and preparing the necessary monthly reports.
We feel good about this past year, and are
looking toward 1989 with hope for greater
involvement, more outreach, bigger and better events, and a well-stocked bookstore.
We are slowly becoming the viable resource center we have been envisioning. It's
not going to happen overnight, and we can't
do it without your continued support. I
know that sounds like a broken record, but
it's a fact: we need you. Someday you may
need us. We're working to be there. Thanks!
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
Sondra Metzger
An article I wrote in the Dec':!mber issue of
the newsletter has caused quite a stir with
some of our subscribers.
I have mixed feelings about this because on
one hand it pleases me to hear about disagreement because that means you're really
reading the newsletter. We seldom if ever
receive letters to the editor like newspapers
do, though we continue to encourage this.
Without feedback, we have nothing to gauge
how we're doing with presenting what information we receive.
But on the other hand, I don't want what I
write to be harmful to Berland as a whole,
just as the women I interview don't want
their words to do the same.
The article in question dealt with Her-
REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
P. 0. Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070
321·2148
land's early beginnings, something we have
no way to research other than by asking those
who were involved for their perspective.
Everyone's perspective is going to vary. All
we can do is print what is relayed to us.
Any article appearing in the newsletter,
including this one, is the opinion of either the
author or the person who has been interviewed and not that of the collective as a
whole.
Any disagreement with the facts presented
should be directed to the newsletter via a
letter to the editor and not to the collective.
Letters to the editor will be printed in the
newsletter if accompanied with a valid signature and telephone number (this is so that we
may contact the writer if we have questions
concerning the letter. The writer's name will
be withheld from publication if so indicated.
It is my job to present what facts are given
to me. It's your job to let me know when I'm
off the mark, or simply if you disagree. To
those who wish to be dropped from the mailing list because of this incident, if you really
care about Berland as a whole, you will speak
your peace and stay. There's more to Berland
than one article in the newsletter. If you feel
that strongly about the article in c!J.~stion,
there's nothing I can do to change yoJr mind.
I do, however, feel sorry for you that you are
letting one thing isolate you from your community and keep you from growing and
learning. Again, this is my opinion.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Clarification concerning article in last
month's newsletter
I
There have been some misunderstandings
concerning last month's article, and the herstory of Herland's beginnings. This was an
interview which took place over the phone,
and as interviews go, much of what was said
was not included; therefore, some of the
information was taken out of context. I was
answering questions that were posed to me.
The interviewer mentioned the fact that all
the current Board Members were initially
recruited by Barbara Cleveland's volunteers.
I was the first person she had talk with who
had not been involved through Barbara.
One of the reasons for talking about the
initial beginnings was to help document Herland's Herstory (this was done at the urgings
of those involved in the first few months of
the bookstore's beginnings); another reason
was to let those involved know that the bank
had returned the money stolen through
forged checks {Barbara and numerous volunteers worked for over a year without the
"seed" money).
My apologies to all who may have been
offended or upset about the article. I hope we
can all work together to continue the growth
and spirit Barabara instilled in us.
Adolescent ... Group ...
Family Therapy
9
Pat C.
GOLDEN THREADS-A contact publication for lesbians over
50 and women who love older women. Canada and the U.S.
Confidential, warm, reliable. For free information, send a selfaddressed envelope (U.S. residents please stamp it). Sample
copy mailed discreetly, $5.00 (U.S.) GOLDEN THREADS:
P.O. Box 3177; Burlington, VT 05401.
Classifieds
POSITION AVAILABLE:
Non-profit Agency Coordinator. Challenging position for
self-motivated person for AIDS support program in Tulsa. BA
minimum with emphasis in Public Health or related field preferred. 2 yrs. experience with community-based agency. Candidate
should have excellent oral and written skills, public relations
experience, knowledge of Acquired Immune Defficiency Syndrome (AIDS), HIV infection and testing. Ability to plan and
implement budget and financial practices. Fundraising experience, coordination of volunteers and computer knowledge
helpful. Complete job description available on request. Salary in
$20,000 range. Submit resume by Jan 10th, 1989. Send resume
to: ASP Search Committee, c/o Mike Williams, P.O. Box 671,
Tulsa, OK 74101.
Please SUPPOrt the
Businesses who SuPPort Herland!
GOOD GUARD DOGS FREE to good home. 10 weeks. 14
Doberman, 1.4 Rottweiler. Tails and dew claws clipped. 399-2529.
VERY LARGE AND LOVEABLE STRAY PUPPY needs
good home. Border Collie mix. Large fenced yard or farm please.
842 -4225 or 942-7454 to leave message.
HOUSECLEANING, Pet Sitting and Grooming, Housesitting,
Odd Jobs. Affordable rates. References on request. 842 -4225.
rr:--~---------!!!!!;'I
I
CHURCH OF CHRIST FOR GAY PEOPLE
I
I
RAISED IN THE CHURCH AND THEIR FRIENDS
MEETS TUESDAYS, 7:30 P.M.
AT THE OASIS COMMUNITY CENTER
!,~{
2135 N.W. 39TH IN OKLAHOMA CITY
Designs With Lettering
I
I
. I
FOR INFORMATION CALL
I
DANNY (405)787-1253 OR JANIE (405)755-7259
I
-
,
CaPitol Hill Family Clinic
I
I
_._!I
Custom Signs and Lettering
r-----COUPON---
359-1900
HSR would like to thank the women of OWL for their generous
donations of signs for our new building.
E
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UI
Magic Hattt)s
"Stress Management"
Therapeutic Masage
first massage.
Gift certificates also
·available. What better
gift for that hard·to·
Sall~ Bl~vh1s
525-5907
•
Mention Herland when
you call and receive a
20% discount on your
slwp-for person?
KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
340-4301
160 I
s. Rroadway. Unit o • E<lmoncl. Okla. 730 13
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PAMELA S. HITI, D.O.
General and Family Practice
E>bstetrics and Gynecology
Office Ph.: 632-5393
2817 S. Harvey
Oklahoma City, OK 73109
Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm MTihF;
8:30 - Noon on Wednesday
BRING THIS COUPON FOR A
5% DISCOUNT ON ALL SERVICES
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