extracted text

September, 200 l

AFRICAN-AMERICAN

LESBIANS
Are you tired offeeling like you are the only AfricanAmerican Lesbian in the Oklahoma City area? Would you
like an alternative to the bar scene, some place where you
can meet woman oflike mind and have stimulating conversation and great activities?
My name is Jacqueline and I am starting an AfricanAmericanLesbian Support group. Whenlcameout,Ihad
the great fortune to be invloved with a wonderful organization called Herland. I am surrounded by very stable and
positive Lesbians that made me feel like I was not alone. I
would like to pass my experiences along to other AfricanAmerican Lesbians. I would like to see more AfricanAmericanLesbian involved in the Gay/Lesbian community.
If you are interested in joining the support group,
whetheryou have been out for a day or twenty years, we all
need support. Please contact me at 405/842-3464 for
o
more details. Woman ofall ages are welcome.

HERLAND ONLINE
Has halfthe month already passed before your copy of
the Voice arrives? You can be one ofthe first to read the
Voice every month. Just stop by the Herland web site at
www.herlandsisters.org and sign up for anonline subscription to the Voice. You 'II receive a fresh, crisp copy ofthe
Voice in your email around the first ofeverymonth.
D

MARY

N

BRIGHT HEADLINE RETREAT

Mary N Bright -- a collaboration ofMary Catherine
Reynolds, Kristall Bright and Nancy Nesser -- are the
featured entertainers for the Her1and Fall Retreat, September 14-16 at Roman Nose State Park.
The trio recentlyperformed atthe WoodyGuthrieFolk
Festival in Okemah. Their performance was called "breathtaking" by Tomas Conner in the Tulsa World. He writes
"The second breath-taker was nicely balanced, the fourth
song from the end. Mary Reynolds, a native ofOklahoma
City,playedandsang"Hobo'sLullaby."It'snotasimportant to say that she played the song as it is to say she sang
it.Reynold'svoiceisaclarioncall,abeautifulandcontrolled
birdsong, and with the help oftwo friends backing her with
harmonies, the perfonnance was as ifthree angels were
hovering over a lonely hobo in a dank boxcar, their voices
alone filling him with hope."
Conner calls Mary Reynolds the "Queen Midasoffolk
music." He writes, "Mary Catherine Reynolds has found
hervoice, quite literally. She claims to struggle still with her
figurative voice - songwriting, expression, starting from
scratch - but her actual, physical voice is plenty fornow.
Whenshepoursitlikemohengoldintothemoldofsomeone
else'ssong, she is theQueenMidasoffolkmusic."
Retreat registration information is inside this issue ofthe
Voice. The concert is scheduled for 8 PM on Saturday,
D
September 15. Concert-onlyadmissionis$5.00.

RACE FOR THE CURE
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be held
September 29, 2001 in Oklahoma City. Register for a 5K run/
walk or the 1-mile fun walk and help raise money for breast
cancer research, treatment, education, and screening programs . Call 232-2873 or see their website at
www.okbreastcancer.com for more information.
D

Her/and is open Saturdays from 1-5 PM.
We are located at 2312 NW 39, OKC, OK
Volume 19Number()I)

Herland Sister Resources

Her/and Supper Club, 5:30 PM,
September 8. Meet at Her/and
Her/and Board Meeting, 4:30 PM
Sunday, September 9
Her/and Fall Retreat, September
14-16 at Roman Nose State Park.
Check-in opens at 5PM on September 14.

www.herlandsisters.org

2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112

CELESTIAL ADVICE
The spirit of Sybil Ludington, Matron Saint of the
Invisible Woman, contacted the "Voice" about eleven
years ago. She had been receiving many soul-felt
appeals and ponderings from perplexed sisters here in
Oklahoma, wanting guidance on the corifusing issue of
"Right to Work"- then, as now, much in the news; and
she asked if we would give her a forum in which she
could respond to some of them. Of course we were happy
to do so, and now that RTW has once again come front
and center in our state, we thought we would reprint that
first article.
Dear Saint Sybil:
During all of the election hype recently I have heard a lot
about Right to Work, but I don't really understand what the
term means. At first I thought it was a women's issue, like,
the right to work at whatever job a woman wants to; and I
thought Yes, Right On, I like that! Then I heard some people
say it really means the Right to Work for Less, and of course
I thought Oh No, that doesn't sound good at all ... So Sybil,
please tell me just what they do mean when they talk about
Right to Work!
Thanking you in advance, I am,
Your Friend & Fan,
Eliza Domuch
Dear Eliza,
I agree that "Right to Work " is a strange and misleading
term. My friend George Orwell, Patron Saint of the Pentagon, the White House, and the Daily Oklahoman, is quite
impressed and amused by it too.
I like to compare "Right to Work" to a Mother's Right to
Change Diapers; or to a Teenager's Right to Take Out the
Trash; or to a Soldier's Right to Clean Latrines. In other
words, we already have the right to work; the issue is what
we will work at and how much or little the pay will be. People
in Oklahoma pushing for "Rightto Work" say that Oklahoma
is losing new business to surrounding states which have
"Rightto Work"; and people in Oklahoma opposing" Rightto
Work" point out that wages in those states are in the main
considerably lower than wages in Oklahoma.
People against "Right to Work" also say that it allows
some folks to get a free ride - to have the benefits of
belonging to a union and having a union work for them,
without paying the dues necessary to support the union's
work. It's sort of as if the IRS told all us taxpayers not to
worry anymore about paying taxes unless we feel like it, and
we'll still have the right to police and fire protection, public
roads, social security, Medicare, and so forth.
All the
benefits without helping to pay for them.
Page2

Right to Work reminds me of another Right from long
ago, when there was a right enjoyed by the feudal barons
known as the Droit du Seigneur, which not-too-loosely
translates as Right of the Lord of the Manor. This gave the
Feudal Lord the rightto de-flower all of the local women prior
to their wedding night, a kind of legal rape. It's true, I
promise. I wouldn't make up something like that.
And so it seems to me that we have a really good analogy
here, between these two "Rights". In both Right to Work and
Droit du Seigneur, what we have on the one hand is a boss
getting the benefit, and on the other hand, a peasant getting
screwed.
Hope this helps.
Fondly,
Sybil

THROUGH THE FLOWER

Did you know that 95% of the artists in the collections of
U.S. museums are male and their work represents 99% of all
the objects in those collections? Through the Flower is a nonprofit arts organization that supports the work ofmany artists
and artisans that have worked collaboratively with Judy
Chicago on the Dinner Party, the Birth Project, the Holocaust
Project, and Resolutions: A Stitch in Time. Find out more by
visiting the Endowment Page on their website at
www.JudyChicago.com.
0

EVERYTHING RELATIVE

Next time you rent a movie, look for Everything Relative. Called a lesbian Big Chill, this acclaimed independent
film follows a group of gay and straight women who were
friends in college in the late '70s. Reunited two decades later
for a weekend in the country, the women explore the changes
0
in their lives and the bonds that still unite them.

Herland Board of Directors:
Laura Choate
Jacqueline Gatewood
D1H

Ginger McGovern
Pat Reaves
Judy Walden

The Voice is published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th, Oklahoma Cly, OK 73112. The Voi:e is offered
as an open forum for communly discourse. Articles reflect the
opinions of lhe author and not necessarily those of Her/and Sister
Resources. Unsolcited articles and letters to the editor are
wet:omed and must be signed by lhe writer wlh fuH name and
address. Upon request, letters or articles may be printed under
a pseudonym or anonymously. Subscrj>tions to The Voi:e are
free upon request allhough a donation is requested to meet
pubication and distribution costs.

www.herlandsisters.org

LESUE SATCHER -

LOVE LETTERS

by Ji// Gamer

I don't know how Texas does it, but they've
produced yet another wonderful songwriter, who also happens to be a fabulous singer. Leslie Satcher's first CD, Love
Letters, comes after a very successful songwriting career.
Country singers such as Pam Tillis, Sara Evans, Terri Clark,
George Jones, Reba, and Vince Gill have all covered songs
written by Satcher, with about 80 covers to her credit. After
finally getting signed to her own record deal, we get the joy
oflistening to her singing her own songs.
I love the record because it goes from rockin'
country songs like "I Will Survive," "Every Time it Rains,"
and the wonderful "Texarkana," to slow, sultry songs like
"Slow Way Home" and "Bum Me Down," and then the
necessary heartbreak songs such as "Goin' Down Hard."
She's got such a wonderful voice that even the sad songs
make me happy listening to them.
I first heard Love Letter from Old Mexico on the
post-country cable station and it definitely caught my ear.
With help on background vocals by Emmylou Harris and
Alison Krauss, Satcher's voice is gorgeous on this song of
reminiscing about love left behind "She'll be anniversary
roses, and diamonds on Christmas Eve, I' II only be something
that you' II never show, Just a box of love letters from old

HERLAND

Mexico." It's immediately followed by the sensuous "Slow
Way Home" about rekindling passion. "I know it's crazy but
get that blanket from the trunk, Come on now baby, oh it looks
as if the moon was expecting us, Forget your job, the house,
the dog, the telephone, Lay down in my arms and let's take
the slow way home." "Burn Me Down" is a sultry passionfilled torch song that melts with words like "Surely you know
how they take my breath, And that I look away just to save
myself." And my absolute favorite heartbreak song is "Goin'
Down Hard" "Oh, sad songs and whiskey, Are just mirrors
and smoke, But I need something to lean on, While I Fall
Apart." She also does a great version of"Ode to Billie Jo,"
not a song I'd go out of my way to find, but it fits in well on
this collection and she sings it well.
I wouldn't call Satcher traditional country, nor would
I even call her "alternative" country. In some ways she
sounds as if she's been sanitized in hopes of getting a radio
hit. Her songs are the same old familiar refrain, and none of
them leave any question about what they're all about.
However, even in that arena, she does stand out, partly
because of her voice, alternating between the lilt of Dolly
Parton and the depth ofEmmylou Harris or Patty Loveless,
and partly because of her skill at songwriting. I do recommend the CD though, if only for her voice alone. I look
0
forward to more from her!

FALL RETREAT

5ePTcMeER 14-16, RoMAN Nose
Please choose the registration amount most
appropriate for you. On-site registration will be $65.
The deadline for pre-registration is September 10.
Registration is non-refundable after September 12.
Registration fee enclosed (payable to Herl and):
- $15 _$25 _$35 _$45 _$60
_Saturday only Registration $25

STA~

PARK

Single Person's
Annual Income

Pre-registration
per person

Household Annual
Income

under $6,500
$6,500 - $13,250
$13,250 - $19,500
$19,500 - $30,000
over $30,000

$15
$25
$35
$45

under $13,300
$13,300 - $18,000
$18,000 - $26,000

$60

$26,000 - $50,000
over $50,000

Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _State_ _Zip_ _ __
__I need a scholarship to attend.
__I'm enclosing and additional$
to help provide scholarships.
__I'm bringing __ children (girls of all ages and boys under 10 are welcome)

Please send your completed registration to: Hertand, 2312 NW 39, Oklahoma City, OK73112
Page

3

Herl and Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39
Oklahoma City, OK 73112

NonProfit Org .
U.S. Postage

PAID
Oklahoma City, OK
Permit No. 861

Address Service Requested

Herland Fall Retreat
September 14-16
Registration Information Inside!
Support our
Supporters

REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

321-2148
P.O. Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070

Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats



September, 200 l

AFRICAN-AMERICAN

LESBIANS
Are you tired offeeling like you are the only AfricanAmerican Lesbian in the Oklahoma City area? Would you
like an alternative to the bar scene, some place where you
can meet woman oflike mind and have stimulating conversation and great activities?
My name is Jacqueline and I am starting an AfricanAmericanLesbian Support group. Whenlcameout,Ihad
the great fortune to be invloved with a wonderful organization called Herland. I am surrounded by very stable and
positive Lesbians that made me feel like I was not alone. I
would like to pass my experiences along to other AfricanAmerican Lesbians. I would like to see more AfricanAmericanLesbian involved in the Gay/Lesbian community.
If you are interested in joining the support group,
whetheryou have been out for a day or twenty years, we all
need support. Please contact me at 405/842-3464 for
o
more details. Woman ofall ages are welcome.

HERLAND ONLINE
Has halfthe month already passed before your copy of
the Voice arrives? You can be one ofthe first to read the
Voice every month. Just stop by the Herland web site at
www.herlandsisters.org and sign up for anonline subscription to the Voice. You 'II receive a fresh, crisp copy ofthe
Voice in your email around the first ofeverymonth.
D

MARY

N

BRIGHT HEADLINE RETREAT

Mary N Bright -- a collaboration ofMary Catherine
Reynolds, Kristall Bright and Nancy Nesser -- are the
featured entertainers for the Her1and Fall Retreat, September 14-16 at Roman Nose State Park.
The trio recentlyperformed atthe WoodyGuthrieFolk
Festival in Okemah. Their performance was called "breathtaking" by Tomas Conner in the Tulsa World. He writes
"The second breath-taker was nicely balanced, the fourth
song from the end. Mary Reynolds, a native ofOklahoma
City,playedandsang"Hobo'sLullaby."It'snotasimportant to say that she played the song as it is to say she sang
it.Reynold'svoiceisaclarioncall,abeautifulandcontrolled
birdsong, and with the help oftwo friends backing her with
harmonies, the perfonnance was as ifthree angels were
hovering over a lonely hobo in a dank boxcar, their voices
alone filling him with hope."
Conner calls Mary Reynolds the "Queen Midasoffolk
music." He writes, "Mary Catherine Reynolds has found
hervoice, quite literally. She claims to struggle still with her
figurative voice - songwriting, expression, starting from
scratch - but her actual, physical voice is plenty fornow.
Whenshepoursitlikemohengoldintothemoldofsomeone
else'ssong, she is theQueenMidasoffolkmusic."
Retreat registration information is inside this issue ofthe
Voice. The concert is scheduled for 8 PM on Saturday,
D
September 15. Concert-onlyadmissionis$5.00.

RACE FOR THE CURE
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be held
September 29, 2001 in Oklahoma City. Register for a 5K run/
walk or the 1-mile fun walk and help raise money for breast
cancer research, treatment, education, and screening programs . Call 232-2873 or see their website at
www.okbreastcancer.com for more information.
D

Her/and is open Saturdays from 1-5 PM.
We are located at 2312 NW 39, OKC, OK
Volume 19Number()I)

Herland Sister Resources

Her/and Supper Club, 5:30 PM,
September 8. Meet at Her/and
Her/and Board Meeting, 4:30 PM
Sunday, September 9
Her/and Fall Retreat, September
14-16 at Roman Nose State Park.
Check-in opens at 5PM on September 14.

www.herlandsisters.org

2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112

CELESTIAL ADVICE
The spirit of Sybil Ludington, Matron Saint of the
Invisible Woman, contacted the "Voice" about eleven
years ago. She had been receiving many soul-felt
appeals and ponderings from perplexed sisters here in
Oklahoma, wanting guidance on the corifusing issue of
"Right to Work"- then, as now, much in the news; and
she asked if we would give her a forum in which she
could respond to some of them. Of course we were happy
to do so, and now that RTW has once again come front
and center in our state, we thought we would reprint that
first article.
Dear Saint Sybil:
During all of the election hype recently I have heard a lot
about Right to Work, but I don't really understand what the
term means. At first I thought it was a women's issue, like,
the right to work at whatever job a woman wants to; and I
thought Yes, Right On, I like that! Then I heard some people
say it really means the Right to Work for Less, and of course
I thought Oh No, that doesn't sound good at all ... So Sybil,
please tell me just what they do mean when they talk about
Right to Work!
Thanking you in advance, I am,
Your Friend & Fan,
Eliza Domuch
Dear Eliza,
I agree that "Right to Work " is a strange and misleading
term. My friend George Orwell, Patron Saint of the Pentagon, the White House, and the Daily Oklahoman, is quite
impressed and amused by it too.
I like to compare "Right to Work" to a Mother's Right to
Change Diapers; or to a Teenager's Right to Take Out the
Trash; or to a Soldier's Right to Clean Latrines. In other
words, we already have the right to work; the issue is what
we will work at and how much or little the pay will be. People
in Oklahoma pushing for "Rightto Work" say that Oklahoma
is losing new business to surrounding states which have
"Rightto Work"; and people in Oklahoma opposing" Rightto
Work" point out that wages in those states are in the main
considerably lower than wages in Oklahoma.
People against "Right to Work" also say that it allows
some folks to get a free ride - to have the benefits of
belonging to a union and having a union work for them,
without paying the dues necessary to support the union's
work. It's sort of as if the IRS told all us taxpayers not to
worry anymore about paying taxes unless we feel like it, and
we'll still have the right to police and fire protection, public
roads, social security, Medicare, and so forth.
All the
benefits without helping to pay for them.
Page2

Right to Work reminds me of another Right from long
ago, when there was a right enjoyed by the feudal barons
known as the Droit du Seigneur, which not-too-loosely
translates as Right of the Lord of the Manor. This gave the
Feudal Lord the rightto de-flower all of the local women prior
to their wedding night, a kind of legal rape. It's true, I
promise. I wouldn't make up something like that.
And so it seems to me that we have a really good analogy
here, between these two "Rights". In both Right to Work and
Droit du Seigneur, what we have on the one hand is a boss
getting the benefit, and on the other hand, a peasant getting
screwed.
Hope this helps.
Fondly,
Sybil

THROUGH THE FLOWER

Did you know that 95% of the artists in the collections of
U.S. museums are male and their work represents 99% of all
the objects in those collections? Through the Flower is a nonprofit arts organization that supports the work ofmany artists
and artisans that have worked collaboratively with Judy
Chicago on the Dinner Party, the Birth Project, the Holocaust
Project, and Resolutions: A Stitch in Time. Find out more by
visiting the Endowment Page on their website at
www.JudyChicago.com.
0

EVERYTHING RELATIVE

Next time you rent a movie, look for Everything Relative. Called a lesbian Big Chill, this acclaimed independent
film follows a group of gay and straight women who were
friends in college in the late '70s. Reunited two decades later
for a weekend in the country, the women explore the changes
0
in their lives and the bonds that still unite them.

Herland Board of Directors:
Laura Choate
Jacqueline Gatewood
D1H

Ginger McGovern
Pat Reaves
Judy Walden

The Voice is published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th, Oklahoma Cly, OK 73112. The Voi:e is offered
as an open forum for communly discourse. Articles reflect the
opinions of lhe author and not necessarily those of Her/and Sister
Resources. Unsolcited articles and letters to the editor are
wet:omed and must be signed by lhe writer wlh fuH name and
address. Upon request, letters or articles may be printed under
a pseudonym or anonymously. Subscrj>tions to The Voi:e are
free upon request allhough a donation is requested to meet
pubication and distribution costs.

www.herlandsisters.org

LESUE SATCHER -

LOVE LETTERS

by Ji// Gamer

I don't know how Texas does it, but they've
produced yet another wonderful songwriter, who also happens to be a fabulous singer. Leslie Satcher's first CD, Love
Letters, comes after a very successful songwriting career.
Country singers such as Pam Tillis, Sara Evans, Terri Clark,
George Jones, Reba, and Vince Gill have all covered songs
written by Satcher, with about 80 covers to her credit. After
finally getting signed to her own record deal, we get the joy
oflistening to her singing her own songs.
I love the record because it goes from rockin'
country songs like "I Will Survive," "Every Time it Rains,"
and the wonderful "Texarkana," to slow, sultry songs like
"Slow Way Home" and "Bum Me Down," and then the
necessary heartbreak songs such as "Goin' Down Hard."
She's got such a wonderful voice that even the sad songs
make me happy listening to them.
I first heard Love Letter from Old Mexico on the
post-country cable station and it definitely caught my ear.
With help on background vocals by Emmylou Harris and
Alison Krauss, Satcher's voice is gorgeous on this song of
reminiscing about love left behind "She'll be anniversary
roses, and diamonds on Christmas Eve, I' II only be something
that you' II never show, Just a box of love letters from old

HERLAND

Mexico." It's immediately followed by the sensuous "Slow
Way Home" about rekindling passion. "I know it's crazy but
get that blanket from the trunk, Come on now baby, oh it looks
as if the moon was expecting us, Forget your job, the house,
the dog, the telephone, Lay down in my arms and let's take
the slow way home." "Burn Me Down" is a sultry passionfilled torch song that melts with words like "Surely you know
how they take my breath, And that I look away just to save
myself." And my absolute favorite heartbreak song is "Goin'
Down Hard" "Oh, sad songs and whiskey, Are just mirrors
and smoke, But I need something to lean on, While I Fall
Apart." She also does a great version of"Ode to Billie Jo,"
not a song I'd go out of my way to find, but it fits in well on
this collection and she sings it well.
I wouldn't call Satcher traditional country, nor would
I even call her "alternative" country. In some ways she
sounds as if she's been sanitized in hopes of getting a radio
hit. Her songs are the same old familiar refrain, and none of
them leave any question about what they're all about.
However, even in that arena, she does stand out, partly
because of her voice, alternating between the lilt of Dolly
Parton and the depth ofEmmylou Harris or Patty Loveless,
and partly because of her skill at songwriting. I do recommend the CD though, if only for her voice alone. I look
0
forward to more from her!

FALL RETREAT

5ePTcMeER 14-16, RoMAN Nose
Please choose the registration amount most
appropriate for you. On-site registration will be $65.
The deadline for pre-registration is September 10.
Registration is non-refundable after September 12.
Registration fee enclosed (payable to Herl and):
- $15 _$25 _$35 _$45 _$60
_Saturday only Registration $25

STA~

PARK

Single Person's
Annual Income

Pre-registration
per person

Household Annual
Income

under $6,500
$6,500 - $13,250
$13,250 - $19,500
$19,500 - $30,000
over $30,000

$15
$25
$35
$45

under $13,300
$13,300 - $18,000
$18,000 - $26,000

$60

$26,000 - $50,000
over $50,000

Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _State_ _Zip_ _ __
__I need a scholarship to attend.
__I'm enclosing and additional$
to help provide scholarships.
__I'm bringing __ children (girls of all ages and boys under 10 are welcome)

Please send your completed registration to: Hertand, 2312 NW 39, Oklahoma City, OK73112
Page

3

Herl and Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39
Oklahoma City, OK 73112

NonProfit Org .
U.S. Postage

PAID
Oklahoma City, OK
Permit No. 861

Address Service Requested

Herland Fall Retreat
September 14-16
Registration Information Inside!
Support our
Supporters

REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

321-2148
P.O. Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070

Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats