Sisters : (1973:Jan.)
- Title
- Sisters : (1973:Jan.)
- Description
- Sisters was "a magazine by and for gay women" published by the San Francisco chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). It contained original art, poetry, articles, news, and photography and served as an alternative to DOB's main publication, The Ladder.
- Date Issued
- 1973-01
- Relation
- Sisters
- Rights
- Contact UCO Chambers Library's Digital Initiatives Working Group at diwg@uco.edu for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.
- Creator
- Estelle, Liane
- Contributor
- Daughters of Bilitis
- Date
- 2025-04-28T15:38:48Z
- Date Available
- 2025-04-28T15:38:48Z
- Subject
- Lesbian art
- Lesbian
- Type
- Periodical
- extracted text
-
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR Y-tlE SAN FRANCISCO
CHAPTER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS
'a,tttz.in, }l_yqnd .for fitty Kf1~
ORIGINAL ... RT, POt'.TR'(,
... a woman's organization for the purpose of
aiding the Lesbian to discover her place in
society and of educating society to understand
and accept her, without prejudice, and ...
ARTICLES, MEWS,
PHOTOG-R.-.PHY
12 ISSUES
-
1005 MARKET ST.• SUITE ZOS • SAN fR-'llCISC(l CA., 'XI03
..--.......
1. To encourage and support the Lesbian in he r
search for her social, economic, personal, interpersonal and vocational identity within society by maintaining and building a library on the
themes of homosexuality and on women; by providing
social functions where she can communicate with
others and expand her social world outside the
bar scene; by providing an organized structure
through which she can work to change society's
limitations upon her lifestyle; by providing a
forum for the interchange of ideas and problems
within her own group.
2. To educate the public to accept and understand the Lesbian as an individual, eventually
leading to the breakdown of taboos, prejudices,
and limitations upon her lifestyle by sponsoring
public discussions; by providing individuals as
speakers and participants in various forms designed to educate the public; by dissemination
of educational and rational literature on the
Lesbian.
I $500
OFFICERS - SFDOB
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Crase
Vice President.; .......... Marley Sooklaris
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charleen Pyron
Assistant Secretary........ Diane Richardson
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allison
Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Wesley
•
~ 3. To encourage and support and participate in
responsible research dealing with homosexuality.
4. To investigate the penal code as it pertains
to the homosexual and to promote changes, providing equitable handling of cases involving
homosexuals, through due process of law, without
prejudice.
TO SAY AND BELIEVE THAT GAY IS GOOD.
This issue of SISTERS is dedicated to
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin for giving
us our first real Lesbian book-11 LESBIAN/WOMAN11
WOMEN IN LAW
DOB LIVES
CONTENTS, JANUARY 1973
Women in Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Frederique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Did You Know . ............................ .P
Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
More Poetry .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
House Fund ... ............................ .P
We Are Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Dear Dad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
It's Been Said Before. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Miscellaneous . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
3
7
9
I0
11
14
16
17
19
22
25
28
The law is an awesome, powerful creature,
built by and for men, reflecting men's view of
a male world. I am a woman and a law student.
The more I learn about this "Law of men", the
more I believe that the law needs women's
outlook. Here's just one striking example of
male ego-tripping in the Law.
California and other western states embrace
the "no-retreat" rule. Generally, this means
that when a person is unlawfully attacked, she
{he) may stand her {his) ground and use force in
reply. Even if the attacker uses deadly force,
the one attacked may also employ deadly force
in reply. Even if the attacked has a safe a venue
of escape she (he) may kill rather than retreat.
"Indeed, the tendency of the American mind seems
to be very strongly against the enforcement of any
r-.1le which requires a person to flee when assailed
... even to save human life ... 11 Runyan v. State,
57 Ind. 80, 84 (L887). "The Law of course, should
not denounce conduct as criminal when it accords
with the behavior of reasonable men ... the manly
thing is to hold one I s ground, and hence society
should not demand what smacks of cowardice. 11
Model Penal Code 3. 04, Comment 3, at p. 24
(Tent. Draft. No. 8, L958). (Note: the Model
Penal Code adopted the no-retreat rule only when
non-deadly force is used.) The Law of man condones the sacrificing of Life rather than ego.
The law of man, I think, has rather displaced
values. What would the Law of women say?
Would we have the strength to risk being called
a coward, the humanity to retreat and thereby
spare the life of our agressor? I think so,
-3-
since it is only the weak who need to "prove"
their strength.
How much better to be humane than "manly."
Yet the law stands and who will change it? Can
we afford to rely on male judges to overturn a
rule which " ... accords with the conduct of
reasonable men." ?
The law also enforces the so-called "doublestandard" of sexual conduct. In People v.
Beardsley 150 Mich. 206, 113 N. W. 1128 {1907)
the defendant, Beardsley, was a .married man
who had a two day drinking bout and sexual
affair with the deceased, Blanche Burns. Blanche
became ill, Beardsley failed to call a doctor, and
she died. The court, found the defendant not
guilty of criminal negligence using reasoning
based on the famous double-standard.
In a section of rather biased portrait painting,
the judge described Blanche as " ... a woman past
30 years of age . She had been twice married,
She was accustomed to visiting saloons and to the
use of intoxicants ... Her entire conduct indicates
that she had ample experience in such affairs. 11
Beardsley is described 11 • • • a married man. 11
For the Court to find Beardsley guilty, it
would have to find that, at least while having
their affair, they stood in the relationship of
husband and wife, and he therefore had a duty
to care for her. "Such an inference would be
very repugnant to our moral sense, 11 the Court
says, after making it rather clear that it is really
Blanche who is morally repugnant. The "whore"
is damned and the man is free; a too familiar tale.
These are only two examples of the mentality,
the philosophy, behind the thinking of the courts
of men. The legally sanctioned, blatant discri-
mination by men against women is too well known
to need another recital. What I find most frightening is that white, male, heterosexual judges
rule our lives, bodies and conduct on the basis of
their own ingrained philosophies with hardly a
word spoken in our defense.
The law and the courts need a breath of fresh
air. The all-male, clubby atmosphere of the
courtroom must be broken. The voice of women
is necessary to humanize the male Law.
I, for one, am not content to trust my fate to
a few II liberated 11 or "liberal-radical"men. Women
need women to handle their legal problems, to
plead their causes and to enlighten others with their
decisions from the bench as judges.
More and more law schools are actively
searching out qualified women candidates for admittance. (Don't discount your abilities or potential.) If you have ever considered the law as a
career and would like to know more about law
school, the Bar, and women in law, please write
to: Women's Association, Golden Gate University,
School of Law, 536 Mission St., S. F. CA. 94105
Join those of us now working and studying the
law. Make 11 see you at the Bar" an invitation to the
courtroom, not the backroom.
- -Linda Betzer
The word "family" comes from the Oscan
fame1 1 , a servant, slave, or possession.
The word 11 father 11 - - "pat er" -- means
owner, possessor, master. The Roman
'pater familias 1 was thus an "owner of slaves.
1
-5-4-
11
P.-c;i.;t::rty of the c~;11ter
BOOK REVIEW
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LAVENDER WOMAN\~~
LESBIAN NEWS PAPER \
~
y
----~
~
The Gay Crusaders, by Kay Tobin and Randy
Wicker, Paperback Library, c. 1972, $1. 25.
tj)
THE LESBIAN PAPER OF CHICAGO
$3. 00 FOR ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION
SEND TO: LAVENDAR WOMAN
c/o Betty Peters
2916 N. Burling
Chicago, Ill. 60657
AMAZON QUARTERLY
A new lesbian-feminist arts journal
coming out this Fall with stories,
plays, essays, reviews, poetry, blackand-white drawings and prints.
Send manuscripts and graphics to:
554 Valle Vista
Oakland, Ca. 94610
Bulk order rates
I yr. sub. $4.
From the scattered press coverage of the gay
movement there has been a rather fractured view
of gay leaders. Even gay media tend to assume
that we all know who 1 s who.
Now there 1 s a new book out to help get a more
in-depth picture. Kay Tobin's and Randy Wicker's
The Gay Crusaders interviewed fifteen leaders
regarding their personal lives, professional goals
and political hopes.
Reverend Troy Perry of the Metropolitan Comm·
unity Church of Los Angeles describes his fantastic
success, in building a congregation of gay people,
and tells of his other hopes for the movement.
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, well-known founders
of DOB, discuss past history and current projects.
Barb Gittings, as a member of the Task Force on
Gay Liberation of the American Library Association, is liberating libraries by getting prohomosexual material of quality into libraries.
(Could be that's why this book was found in the
library.) Frank Kameny fights for gay rights through
constitutional and legal channels, and was the first
publically acknowledged homosexual to run for
Congress. Craig Rodwell tells of the great progress
of his Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in New York
City. Jim Owles of the GAA/NY stresses political
action to end discrimination, repeal laws against
sodomy, end harassment of gay bars, etc. Dick
Michaels of the Ad vacate feels the paper is so
successful that he'll eventually be able to issue
stock in it.
-7-
A symposium at the end of the book shows the
contrast of opinions on such topics as displaying
affection in public, what is looked for in a lover,
aged gays, psychiatry and cures, and revolution
vs. reform.
Positive view of gay leaders are presented
here in fifteen portraits. It's refreshing to read
some success stories for a change.
--Sue Timmerman
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wo.s itrto.\\~ unco.\\ed for.
-8-
-9-
DID YOU KNOW ...
That according to Greek myth there once lived a
nation of women warriors called Amazons? Ancient
accounts differ as to where they lived but it was
somewhere east of the Greek regions of Asia Minor.
The word 11 Amazon 11 means 11 breastless 11 since the
women destroyed (by burning off) the right breast of
their female children to prevent it from getting in the
way of the bowstring. They either destroyed or sent
away male children they had as a result of encounters
with neighboring tribes. They had no dealings with
men except for breeding and as opponents in war.
Aeschylus calls them 11 the warring Amazons, menhaters. 11
The Amazons were the daughters of 11 that most
peace-loving nymph, sweet Harmony. 11 But their
father was Ares, the terrible god of war, whose ways
they followed and not their mothers'.
There were among the Greeks many legends of encounter with the Amazons. Most of the legends tell of
the women warriors being finally conquered, seduced,
enslaved, etc., by male heroes.
The Encyclopedia Britannica states: 11 The only
plausible explanation of the story of the Amazons is
that it is a variety of the familiar tale of a distant
land where everything is done the wrong way about,
thus the women fight, which is man's business. 11 ( ! )
Could it be the Amazons really existed at one time
and that they knew compromise with men would mean
their slavery as women?
--Sharon Crase
r-
Let's Play
11 Beat
The Clock 11
Here I am misplaced amongst aliens
in the gray world of
downtown.
A goat caught up in a herd of cows
going numbly and dumbly
to slaughter
by way of strangulation by
adding machine tapes.
And then I see a bit of color and breathing
space surrounding
you
in an aura of freedom
HI HI HI HI HI See Remember me,
a sister Lesbian
aren't these people weird
quick let 1 s talk of things in a moment of
reprieve
before we are forced to remember
the clock
that punches us
--Sheri
---------------------------------------------- .
~•
Subscription Department
MS-P
370 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
rIease put my name on the subsc1iption list for Ms. Magazine. I understand I
w1U receive Volume 1, Number 1 ·of Ms . when publication begins in the late
Spring of 1972 and at that time, you will bill me just $9 00 for the first 12 issues.
Ms.
Mr. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I
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I
Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State .
Zip _ _ _ __
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-10-
-11-
are you afraid of me?
each transparent fear to send you hidingmy hand tracing the outline
of your spine.
my mouth tasting the curves
upon your neck.
my holding would not hurt you ...
are you frightened then
because our bodies are so alike?
because I am a woman, too
and in so many ways
you' ve been taught not to love women?
you say you love me
yet, you1 re hardly ever with me
you once called us lovers
but you will not touch me
it must be that you 1 re frightened of me ...
are you then, also frightened of yourself?
--Joss
like the tree
i 1m aging
like the coat
i'm worn
from my nest my
youth has flown
i pray for spring ...
~\
--D. Gaertner
C>
mmmmm
rushing
running
slipping
drifting
drifting
falling
swirling
slipping
deep
cavernous
pit
so warm
so you
--Marley
-12-
-13-
l
Wednesday Night Raps:
(. 50 Members
$ L 00 Non-members)
I 0th - Starting I 973 DOB
off on the right foot.
Sharon
17th - Speak out. Get it
off your chest.
Marley
24th - Lesbian mother rap.
Jody
I
7
14
21
31st - Ex- WAVE discusses 1·
281
women in armed force Book
Paula
Club
8
Board
Mtg.
7 n.m.
15
22
Orientation
29
2
f
Ij
3
I
4
I
51
0fffce
t:;1osed
12
LL
Bus.
Mtg.
8
Rap
7 p.m.
16
Small
Group
7
23
I
17
Rap
7 p. m.
24
Rap
7 p.
18'
I
Jan. 8 - Board meeting 7pm (Board members only)
12 - Business meeting 8pm (All women welcome)
I 005 Market St. #208.
16 - Consciousness raising groups forming. All
interested women please come. 7pm 1005 Mkt.
20 · COFFEE HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT. Claudia
(best woman singer in SF) will sing. Es-presso
coffee, Irish coffee, etc. will be served- -at
Marley's I743-8th Ave. SF 8pm $1. 50.
25
I
L3
I
I
HOUSE FUND
I
"--goal $7500. ~
I
U --now $1584. 26
19 ISOL 20
I
I
m.1
30
I
I
LO
9
6
I coffee
I
26 I
I
I
27
31
Rap
7 p. m.
~
Jan.. 20 - SOL PARTY ("Slightly Older Lesbians" 35 plus)
in Merry Marin County - Terra Linda. Come &
enjoy goodies or bring your pleasure. Please
call 472-2321 or 931-5527 for info. RSVP 4pm
28 - Book Club Rap - Read "Martian Chronicles" by
Ray Bradbury. At Sharon's place 12 noon
47 West Portal Ave. #3.
it's been nearly three years now
you went off
and so did i
the airport strange- -not the
warmest for
remembering
maybe twenty minutes maybe less
just time enough to stand
in front of a camera lens
click
how are you?
click
i mean for real?
click
i want to embrace you
click
it was always hard
- -D. Gaertner
I see you
And sometimes
I don't like what I see
But I love you
Because you let me
see it
HOUSE FUND
It's time to renew your pledges! Last year
many women pledged to send from $1. 00 to $25. 00
a month to San Francisco's D.O. B. House Fund.
Many of the pledges are still faithfully coming in,
but many are not.
Either members have forgotten about their
pledges or the importance of a home for Lesbians
and other women, or else they are unaware of our
goal.
S. F. D. O. B. is 17 years old and has never
had anything more than a small space in a devoted
member's home or a small rented office. Our only
source of income is from SISTERS subscriptions
and from occasional fund-raising functions. We
NEED a HOME! ! ! ! ! ! We need a building which
will always be open to women; a place to hold
women's activities, parties, raps, etc.; and a
space to bed down visitors.
D. O. B. will be around as long as there is a
need for such an organization. Therefore, even
if you feel D. O. B. no longer has anything to
offer~• can't you help your future sisters by
pledging just a little every month?????
We now have $1,584.26 in the House Fund.
That is a long way from a reasonable downpayment on a HOME, but we are getting there.
S.F.D.O.B. "THANKS" those women who have
made the first step toward our goal possible.
Please continue to give, or if -you haven't
already pledged, please fill out the pledge form
and mail it in NOW.
--Marley
-16-
- 17-
Believe me, you will feel as good as we in
San Francisco do when the red line on the thermometer moves up and up and up and ....... .
- -Sharon Crase
-t. ~e
CR.ESP
ON
~
present~
THE
STl(EE.T
~
0 i
IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN PROMISE DOB AT LEAS'!
ONE SMALL DOLLAR (OR MORE) A MONTH, PAYABLE
BY THE 15th DAY OF EACH MONTH, THEN CLIP OUT
THIS COUPON AND MAIL IT TODAY. IF YOU DON'T
HELP, NO ONE WILL ..... .
I promise to send$ _ _ _ _ _ per month to
"House Fund", DOB, 1005 Market, Rm. 208,
San Francisco, Ca. 94103.
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY_______S'rATE_______ ZIP
WE ARE UNIQUE
How well are we oriented to self-preservation
techniques? By now many of you have heard about
the earthquake predictions for San Francisco. Dr.
Reuben Greenspan has predicted that a severe
quake will hit San Francisco on January 4, 1973 at
9 a.m.
Dr. Greenspan was only two minutes off in
predicting the Alaskan quake of 1964. In a study
of fifteen quakes that he predicted in 1935 {appeared
in 11 New York Times 11 ) 58% (or nine quakes) occurred
exactly as foretold, 34% (or five quakes) occurred
but with variation, and 8% (or one quake) did not
occur at all.
I'm not into scaring you with these facts. I
just want you to consider the possibility of disaster
and l.ook over the following list of things to do or
know about in order to help yourself or people
around you.
Dorothy Gellert, a volunteer for the Red Cross,
has given us the following information on first aid
and earthquake safety:
1.
2.
3.
----------------------------------
All contributions are tax deductible.
4.
EARTHQUAKE SAFETY TIPS
Keep calm (panic causes the most injuries.)
Have a flashlight, first aid kit and transister
radio available.
Doorways collapse, (contrary to what many of
us have been told) so get under a heavy desk
or piece of furniture. If you're in a building,
get away from the windows.
Stay away from the downtown area and high
buildings (bricks and glass will fall.)
- I 9-
5. If you're in a car, stop it in an open area.
6. Get to open areas, perhaps on top of a hill,
away from cable wires or anything that can
fall.
7. Find gas, water and electricity valves so you
can turn them off if pipes break.
8. Don't light a match if gas Leak is indicated.
9. If you need help, call the police or turn on the
radio for information.
LO. Only use the phone in case of emergency.
Phone lines will be used mainly by firemen,
hospitals, police, etc.
11. Don't use elevators. They are not safe during
quakes.
12. Store some food and water in unbreakable safe
spots.
FIRST AID
SHOCK SYMPTOMS:
Skin cold and clammy, pupils dilated, irregular
breathing, nausea. Treat anyone who is injured
for shock, to be safe.
l. Have patient lie down flat.
2. Cover with a blanket. Don't over-heat the
patient, but try to keep temperature from
lowering.
3. If there is no injury to the head or chest,
elevate feet six inches.
4. Keep patient calm and comfortable. Do not
give anything to drink.
5. Call the police or hospital.
BLEEDING:
l. Apply direct pressure over wound.
2. Two main pressure points are under the arm
pits and the groin. Press these areas, or around
the wound and watch to see what area slows
down the flow of blood.
3. Applying a tourniquet can cause more damage
if done improperly. Only do it as a last
re sort, and don't tie it so tight that all
circulation is cut off.
FAINTING:
l. Treat for shock (just in case).
2. Turn head to side in case ingestion occurs,
so patient won't choke on it.
3. To prevent fainting: sit down and breathe
deeply, then put head between knees so that
the blood goes to the head.
BURNS:
l. Don't put on oil or ointment. A doctor will
have to clean it off later when the wound is
examined.
2. Apply cold water, or use ice packs.
3. Treat for shock.
4. Wrap clean cloth over burn and get a doctor.
GLASS IN EYES OR FLESH:
l. Eyes: don't blink. Keep face down so glass
won't sink deeper into the socket. (Rest
head on desk over arms.)
2. Bandage, after removing surrounding loose
glass.
3. When a big piece of glass is lodged in the
flesh it can act as a plug and keep the blood
from flowing. So don't pull it out until you
see a doctor.
The Red Cross has free classes in first aid,
and some very complete books on the subject are
available.
Remember, don't panic. Keep calm. Circulation has lasted this long, and we're unique; so
we' 11 be around to share with one another and
keep sisterhood alive and strong.
- - Kathi Hoffman
-21-20-
DEAR DAD
(The only necessary word of explanation is about
the first paragraph. My father called me from
home on a Friday afternoon. That morning I had
mailed him a small card simply stating that I had
discovered I am gay and telling him how joyous I
was over the discovery. Two weeks later, having
heard nothing from him, I mailed this letter.)
My dearest Dad:
November l 972
It is two o'clock in the morning and I can't sleep.
I can't keep my mind off you. I haven't been able to
keep my mind off you since that Friday afternoon
we talked, knowing that that morning I had mailed
the card to you. I surprised myself, for I was utterly delighted to hear your voice. I didn't want to
express it over the phone, but for the first time
in my life I felt your equal.
For years and years and years I've felt that you
and Mom did not really see me, did not really know
me; that there was some part of me buried deep inside that I couldn't get out to show you. And I resented that you (I'm speaking of you only from now
on) didn't see me and I became more and more reluctant and afraid to show myself at all- -all the
while never realizing that I wasn't seeing myself
and that the problem was there, with me, not
with you.
Dad, Dad, I've spent my whole life, except for
the past two months, being so divorced from the
person I am and the female I am. I don't think I
can adequately express all the pain I felt while
growing up: all the awkwardness, the realization
that some how I wasn't like the other girls, the
-22-
horrible feeling that I just didn't fit anywhere. Each
culture determines for itself what it will accept as
masculine and feminine behavior and the respective
cultures sometimes differ markedly from one another.
How do you think I felt, knowing that I was a girl yet
knowing that I fit none of the acceptable American
stereotypes of what a girl is supposed to be? I
hated dresses and purses and playing dolls. I couldn't carry myself gracefully and sitting with my knees
together was physical and mental torture. I couldn't
be what I was supposed to be and I didn't know what
was wrong and I didn't know who I was and it 1 s been
that way ever since I can remember and it has been
hell.
And who are the people, outside of family, that I
have Loved the most? With such ease and warmth
their names flow from me: Christie, Sherry, Marcia,
Maureen, Carol.
I have no idea what it's Like to be heterosexual.
No male has ever thrilled my heart as have these
girls and women. When I was little I didn't have
the slightest ounce of curiosity about boys' bodies.
I will never forget being very aware of Christie's
well-developed front at the age of eleven. Women's
bodies have always seemed so lovely to me, so soft,
so wonderfully shaped, so exquisite. There is nothing attractive or interesting or desirable about
a man's body.
Making Love with a man has always been mental
and sometimes even physical torture. Making
Love with a woman became the completion I had
unknowingly been waiting for all these miserable
years. As I told my friend Sandy:"Now life makes
sense to me! Now I feel whole!"
Now I am whole.
Changes are happening already. I am less physically tense than I have ever been; my movements
are slower and more graceful. My self-confidence
-23-
and self-respect are growing. I am beginning to
form deep friendships again. And the most wonderful boost to my ego has been the realization that deep
down I do believe I'm OK; because that 1 s the only
way I could have so happily embraced my homosexuality in this very ho stile society.
Dad, you must realize that, happy as I am about
this, it was a shock for me too. I too had to make
the discovery that the realities of Lesbianism are
far different from the stereotypes of it. I had to
make the awesome decision as to who to tell and
who not to tell; I decided to tell everybody.
For the first time in twenty-four years I am one
with myself and I accept that oneness and I know
what I want from life. As a young male homosexual
put it:"When you keep one part of yourself secret,
that becomes the most important part of you. 11 I
don't want that to happen to me.
Dad, I finally make sense to myself and am
coming to like myself. Will you take your stereotype
of a Lesbian and impose it on me or will you take
what you know of me and erase your stereotype of
Lesbian?
Do you love me?
With tears and love
KATHY
~ , ~ ~ presenh
fvrdrHER-IN-LAW
~~
The
Fur I es
Su1scR1ae
Box 18843
S.E. Station
Wash., D.C. 20003
name
address
4e~, it's tr1Ae I wo.,rt~
~Ou to ma.rr~ Q. OOc.tor'"
6ut I oidn 1+ rr.eo." ...
2.i
IT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE ...
Remember the history books that depicted
Suffragettes as tight-lipped old maids who marched
around carrying Temperance signs? Well, history
is being re-written and HERstory is emerging now.
The quotes below are from a new book titled 11 Voices
From Women's Liberation 11 (compiled and edited by
Leslie B. Tanner). These quotes are only samplings
from a sizable body of women's writings well worth
examining.
11 1 shall venture the assertion that until women
assume the place in society which good sense and
feeling alike assign to them, human improvement
must advance but feebly. It is in vain that we
would circumscribe . the power of one half our race,
and that half by far the most important and influential. 11 --Frances Wright (1830)
11 1 ask no favors for my sex ... All I ask of our
brethren is that they take their feet from off our
necks. 11 --Sarah Moore Grimke (1838)
11 Man has exercised the most unlimited and
brutal power over woman, in the peculiar character
of husband- -a word in most countries synonymous
with tyrant ... 11 --Sarah Moore Grimke (1837)
"The government of this country, in common
with all others, has never recognized or attempted
to protect women as persons possessing the rights
of humanity. 11 --Jane Elizabeth Jones (1850)
11 The
wrongs of woman have too long slumbered .
They now begin to cry for redress. Let them, then,
not ask as favor, but demand as right, that every
civil obstacle be moved out of the way."
- - Lucretia Mott (1850)
$ S.00 1 yr. sub.
$ 1S.00 institutions
Canada and overseas a little more
-24-
-25-
"We mean treason; we mean secession, and on
a thousand times grander scale than was that of
the South. We are plotting revolution; we will
overthrow this bogus Republic and plant a government of righteousness ... 11 --Victoria Woodhull (1871)
Please send me SISTERS for _ _ _ _year(s) at
$5. 00 per year ... $10. 00 Canada and Overseas,
effective January, 1973.
name
address
city
zip
state
Order from DOB, 1005 Market #208, S, F., CA.
94103. Mailed in a plain envelope.
OUT NOW -- Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin's
new book
''LESBIAN/WOMAN''
Glide publications, $7. 95.
17 years of Lesbian Liberation.
ORDER NOW FROM SF DOB - - Make check
payable to SF /DOB.
Send to: DOB, 1005 Market #208, S. F. 94103
Women's Liberation ls More Than Brale·s'sness
Get a woman's eye view on issues,
events and trends ... and a monthly
report on the movement in
other countries ...
SUBSCRIBE TO
MCQ91'ity
Report
SEND $3 (FOR 12 ISSUES) TO: MAJORITY REPORT
89-19 171 STREET, JAMAICA, N.Y. 11432--TODAY!
The Tide Collectiv
11241/2 N. Ogd
el
-26-
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SPEAKERS BUREAU wants speakers for high
schools, colleges, church groups, etc. Call
861-8689 or 566-3531. Leave message. (No
pay but lots of ego strokes!) --Marley
WEDNESDAY NIGHT rap leaders and rap topics.
FEEDBACK about your magazine.
DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS
...-~t
DOB San Francisco: 1005 Market #208·1
San Francisco, Ca. 94103
(415) 861-8689
DOB Los Angeles: 1910 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, Ca. 90007
(213) 737-9159
DOB Boston: 419 Boylston St. #406,
Boston, Mass. 02116
DOB New Jersey: P.O. Box 62
Fanwood, New Jersey 07023
WRITE YOUR NEAREST CHAPTER FOR MORE
.INFORMATION
,,..............
.,, .,, "" ,,.......'",.....'",.....,,.....,,,.....,,,....."',.....,,,.....,,.......,,,....,,.............
, . "" ,,,....,,............................
,, '' ,, ,. , . .,, .,,,............
,, , .. ,, ,,,...................
,, ,, , . ,, "',.....,,,.......,,,...
..,....,...........................,.....,......,....,....,...........,......,.....,....,....,......,.............,....,..........,.....,_,,._,......,....,......,.....,.....,......,...
I\, , , l'I, I\, , , ,I\, I\. 1, I'll, ,I\, , , l'llo l'I #\, , .. 1, l'I, I'\ #\, I\ l'I. I\, I\, l'I, , , , , l't I\. I\, f'\, I\, l'I, I\, l't, #\. ., .. #\,
Reminders
EARTHQUAKE! Reuben Greenspan has predicted
one for the- Bay Area to register 7. 4 on the
Richter scale on Thurs., Jan. 4, 1973. Won't
hurt to leave town for a day or two.
COFFEEHOUSE ENTERTAINMENT at Marley's
(providing her house is still standing!) on Jan. 20.
See calendar.
PEN FRIENDS. For those who want to write
other gay women--send name, address including
ZIP to Ms. Paula McCorkel, 1005 Market St.,
Room 208, San Francisco, CA 94103, Please
send $1. 00 to help pay for postage.
MEMBERSHIP IN SAN FRANCISCO DOB
Single Membership: $7.00. Includes
half-price to social functions,
library privileges and SISTERS for
one year.
Couples: $10.00. Includes half-price
to social functions, library privileges
and SISTERS for one year.
MEMBERSHIP LIMITED TO THOSE 18 YEARS OR OLDER
Cover by:
Dona Gaertner
.--~~~
~
FITS PIIINTINC
-
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR Y-tlE SAN FRANCISCO
CHAPTER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS
'a,tttz.in, }l_yqnd .for fitty Kf1~
ORIGINAL ... RT, POt'.TR'(,
... a woman's organization for the purpose of
aiding the Lesbian to discover her place in
society and of educating society to understand
and accept her, without prejudice, and ...
ARTICLES, MEWS,
PHOTOG-R.-.PHY
12 ISSUES
-
1005 MARKET ST.• SUITE ZOS • SAN fR-'llCISC(l CA., 'XI03
..--.......
1. To encourage and support the Lesbian in he r
search for her social, economic, personal, interpersonal and vocational identity within society by maintaining and building a library on the
themes of homosexuality and on women; by providing
social functions where she can communicate with
others and expand her social world outside the
bar scene; by providing an organized structure
through which she can work to change society's
limitations upon her lifestyle; by providing a
forum for the interchange of ideas and problems
within her own group.
2. To educate the public to accept and understand the Lesbian as an individual, eventually
leading to the breakdown of taboos, prejudices,
and limitations upon her lifestyle by sponsoring
public discussions; by providing individuals as
speakers and participants in various forms designed to educate the public; by dissemination
of educational and rational literature on the
Lesbian.
I $500
OFFICERS - SFDOB
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Crase
Vice President.; .......... Marley Sooklaris
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charleen Pyron
Assistant Secretary........ Diane Richardson
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allison
Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Wesley
•
~ 3. To encourage and support and participate in
responsible research dealing with homosexuality.
4. To investigate the penal code as it pertains
to the homosexual and to promote changes, providing equitable handling of cases involving
homosexuals, through due process of law, without
prejudice.
TO SAY AND BELIEVE THAT GAY IS GOOD.
This issue of SISTERS is dedicated to
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin for giving
us our first real Lesbian book-11 LESBIAN/WOMAN11
WOMEN IN LAW
DOB LIVES
CONTENTS, JANUARY 1973
Women in Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Frederique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Did You Know . ............................ .P
Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
More Poetry .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
House Fund ... ............................ .P
We Are Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Dear Dad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
It's Been Said Before. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
Miscellaneous . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p
3
7
9
I0
11
14
16
17
19
22
25
28
The law is an awesome, powerful creature,
built by and for men, reflecting men's view of
a male world. I am a woman and a law student.
The more I learn about this "Law of men", the
more I believe that the law needs women's
outlook. Here's just one striking example of
male ego-tripping in the Law.
California and other western states embrace
the "no-retreat" rule. Generally, this means
that when a person is unlawfully attacked, she
{he) may stand her {his) ground and use force in
reply. Even if the attacker uses deadly force,
the one attacked may also employ deadly force
in reply. Even if the attacked has a safe a venue
of escape she (he) may kill rather than retreat.
"Indeed, the tendency of the American mind seems
to be very strongly against the enforcement of any
r-.1le which requires a person to flee when assailed
... even to save human life ... 11 Runyan v. State,
57 Ind. 80, 84 (L887). "The Law of course, should
not denounce conduct as criminal when it accords
with the behavior of reasonable men ... the manly
thing is to hold one I s ground, and hence society
should not demand what smacks of cowardice. 11
Model Penal Code 3. 04, Comment 3, at p. 24
(Tent. Draft. No. 8, L958). (Note: the Model
Penal Code adopted the no-retreat rule only when
non-deadly force is used.) The Law of man condones the sacrificing of Life rather than ego.
The law of man, I think, has rather displaced
values. What would the Law of women say?
Would we have the strength to risk being called
a coward, the humanity to retreat and thereby
spare the life of our agressor? I think so,
-3-
since it is only the weak who need to "prove"
their strength.
How much better to be humane than "manly."
Yet the law stands and who will change it? Can
we afford to rely on male judges to overturn a
rule which " ... accords with the conduct of
reasonable men." ?
The law also enforces the so-called "doublestandard" of sexual conduct. In People v.
Beardsley 150 Mich. 206, 113 N. W. 1128 {1907)
the defendant, Beardsley, was a .married man
who had a two day drinking bout and sexual
affair with the deceased, Blanche Burns. Blanche
became ill, Beardsley failed to call a doctor, and
she died. The court, found the defendant not
guilty of criminal negligence using reasoning
based on the famous double-standard.
In a section of rather biased portrait painting,
the judge described Blanche as " ... a woman past
30 years of age . She had been twice married,
She was accustomed to visiting saloons and to the
use of intoxicants ... Her entire conduct indicates
that she had ample experience in such affairs. 11
Beardsley is described 11 • • • a married man. 11
For the Court to find Beardsley guilty, it
would have to find that, at least while having
their affair, they stood in the relationship of
husband and wife, and he therefore had a duty
to care for her. "Such an inference would be
very repugnant to our moral sense, 11 the Court
says, after making it rather clear that it is really
Blanche who is morally repugnant. The "whore"
is damned and the man is free; a too familiar tale.
These are only two examples of the mentality,
the philosophy, behind the thinking of the courts
of men. The legally sanctioned, blatant discri-
mination by men against women is too well known
to need another recital. What I find most frightening is that white, male, heterosexual judges
rule our lives, bodies and conduct on the basis of
their own ingrained philosophies with hardly a
word spoken in our defense.
The law and the courts need a breath of fresh
air. The all-male, clubby atmosphere of the
courtroom must be broken. The voice of women
is necessary to humanize the male Law.
I, for one, am not content to trust my fate to
a few II liberated 11 or "liberal-radical"men. Women
need women to handle their legal problems, to
plead their causes and to enlighten others with their
decisions from the bench as judges.
More and more law schools are actively
searching out qualified women candidates for admittance. (Don't discount your abilities or potential.) If you have ever considered the law as a
career and would like to know more about law
school, the Bar, and women in law, please write
to: Women's Association, Golden Gate University,
School of Law, 536 Mission St., S. F. CA. 94105
Join those of us now working and studying the
law. Make 11 see you at the Bar" an invitation to the
courtroom, not the backroom.
- -Linda Betzer
The word "family" comes from the Oscan
fame1 1 , a servant, slave, or possession.
The word 11 father 11 - - "pat er" -- means
owner, possessor, master. The Roman
'pater familias 1 was thus an "owner of slaves.
1
-5-4-
11
P.-c;i.;t::rty of the c~;11ter
BOOK REVIEW
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LAVENDER WOMAN\~~
LESBIAN NEWS PAPER \
~
y
----~
~
The Gay Crusaders, by Kay Tobin and Randy
Wicker, Paperback Library, c. 1972, $1. 25.
tj)
THE LESBIAN PAPER OF CHICAGO
$3. 00 FOR ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION
SEND TO: LAVENDAR WOMAN
c/o Betty Peters
2916 N. Burling
Chicago, Ill. 60657
AMAZON QUARTERLY
A new lesbian-feminist arts journal
coming out this Fall with stories,
plays, essays, reviews, poetry, blackand-white drawings and prints.
Send manuscripts and graphics to:
554 Valle Vista
Oakland, Ca. 94610
Bulk order rates
I yr. sub. $4.
From the scattered press coverage of the gay
movement there has been a rather fractured view
of gay leaders. Even gay media tend to assume
that we all know who 1 s who.
Now there 1 s a new book out to help get a more
in-depth picture. Kay Tobin's and Randy Wicker's
The Gay Crusaders interviewed fifteen leaders
regarding their personal lives, professional goals
and political hopes.
Reverend Troy Perry of the Metropolitan Comm·
unity Church of Los Angeles describes his fantastic
success, in building a congregation of gay people,
and tells of his other hopes for the movement.
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, well-known founders
of DOB, discuss past history and current projects.
Barb Gittings, as a member of the Task Force on
Gay Liberation of the American Library Association, is liberating libraries by getting prohomosexual material of quality into libraries.
(Could be that's why this book was found in the
library.) Frank Kameny fights for gay rights through
constitutional and legal channels, and was the first
publically acknowledged homosexual to run for
Congress. Craig Rodwell tells of the great progress
of his Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in New York
City. Jim Owles of the GAA/NY stresses political
action to end discrimination, repeal laws against
sodomy, end harassment of gay bars, etc. Dick
Michaels of the Ad vacate feels the paper is so
successful that he'll eventually be able to issue
stock in it.
-7-
A symposium at the end of the book shows the
contrast of opinions on such topics as displaying
affection in public, what is looked for in a lover,
aged gays, psychiatry and cures, and revolution
vs. reform.
Positive view of gay leaders are presented
here in fifteen portraits. It's refreshing to read
some success stories for a change.
--Sue Timmerman
~~
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L<?sbia.r1 seoc. te.c.Y\n~wes
~t 't'he C~r i~i rn~.s po.r-+'1
wo.s itrto.\\~ unco.\\ed for.
-8-
-9-
DID YOU KNOW ...
That according to Greek myth there once lived a
nation of women warriors called Amazons? Ancient
accounts differ as to where they lived but it was
somewhere east of the Greek regions of Asia Minor.
The word 11 Amazon 11 means 11 breastless 11 since the
women destroyed (by burning off) the right breast of
their female children to prevent it from getting in the
way of the bowstring. They either destroyed or sent
away male children they had as a result of encounters
with neighboring tribes. They had no dealings with
men except for breeding and as opponents in war.
Aeschylus calls them 11 the warring Amazons, menhaters. 11
The Amazons were the daughters of 11 that most
peace-loving nymph, sweet Harmony. 11 But their
father was Ares, the terrible god of war, whose ways
they followed and not their mothers'.
There were among the Greeks many legends of encounter with the Amazons. Most of the legends tell of
the women warriors being finally conquered, seduced,
enslaved, etc., by male heroes.
The Encyclopedia Britannica states: 11 The only
plausible explanation of the story of the Amazons is
that it is a variety of the familiar tale of a distant
land where everything is done the wrong way about,
thus the women fight, which is man's business. 11 ( ! )
Could it be the Amazons really existed at one time
and that they knew compromise with men would mean
their slavery as women?
--Sharon Crase
r-
Let's Play
11 Beat
The Clock 11
Here I am misplaced amongst aliens
in the gray world of
downtown.
A goat caught up in a herd of cows
going numbly and dumbly
to slaughter
by way of strangulation by
adding machine tapes.
And then I see a bit of color and breathing
space surrounding
you
in an aura of freedom
HI HI HI HI HI See Remember me,
a sister Lesbian
aren't these people weird
quick let 1 s talk of things in a moment of
reprieve
before we are forced to remember
the clock
that punches us
--Sheri
---------------------------------------------- .
~•
Subscription Department
MS-P
370 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
rIease put my name on the subsc1iption list for Ms. Magazine. I understand I
w1U receive Volume 1, Number 1 ·of Ms . when publication begins in the late
Spring of 1972 and at that time, you will bill me just $9 00 for the first 12 issues.
Ms.
Mr. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I
I
I
I
I
Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State .
Zip _ _ _ __
I
I
I
I
I
-----------------------------------------------I
-10-
-11-
are you afraid of me?
each transparent fear to send you hidingmy hand tracing the outline
of your spine.
my mouth tasting the curves
upon your neck.
my holding would not hurt you ...
are you frightened then
because our bodies are so alike?
because I am a woman, too
and in so many ways
you' ve been taught not to love women?
you say you love me
yet, you1 re hardly ever with me
you once called us lovers
but you will not touch me
it must be that you 1 re frightened of me ...
are you then, also frightened of yourself?
--Joss
like the tree
i 1m aging
like the coat
i'm worn
from my nest my
youth has flown
i pray for spring ...
~\
--D. Gaertner
C>
mmmmm
rushing
running
slipping
drifting
drifting
falling
swirling
slipping
deep
cavernous
pit
so warm
so you
--Marley
-12-
-13-
l
Wednesday Night Raps:
(. 50 Members
$ L 00 Non-members)
I 0th - Starting I 973 DOB
off on the right foot.
Sharon
17th - Speak out. Get it
off your chest.
Marley
24th - Lesbian mother rap.
Jody
I
7
14
21
31st - Ex- WAVE discusses 1·
281
women in armed force Book
Paula
Club
8
Board
Mtg.
7 n.m.
15
22
Orientation
29
2
f
Ij
3
I
4
I
51
0fffce
t:;1osed
12
LL
Bus.
Mtg.
8
Rap
7 p.m.
16
Small
Group
7
23
I
17
Rap
7 p. m.
24
Rap
7 p.
18'
I
Jan. 8 - Board meeting 7pm (Board members only)
12 - Business meeting 8pm (All women welcome)
I 005 Market St. #208.
16 - Consciousness raising groups forming. All
interested women please come. 7pm 1005 Mkt.
20 · COFFEE HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT. Claudia
(best woman singer in SF) will sing. Es-presso
coffee, Irish coffee, etc. will be served- -at
Marley's I743-8th Ave. SF 8pm $1. 50.
25
I
L3
I
I
HOUSE FUND
I
"--goal $7500. ~
I
U --now $1584. 26
19 ISOL 20
I
I
m.1
30
I
I
LO
9
6
I coffee
I
26 I
I
I
27
31
Rap
7 p. m.
~
Jan.. 20 - SOL PARTY ("Slightly Older Lesbians" 35 plus)
in Merry Marin County - Terra Linda. Come &
enjoy goodies or bring your pleasure. Please
call 472-2321 or 931-5527 for info. RSVP 4pm
28 - Book Club Rap - Read "Martian Chronicles" by
Ray Bradbury. At Sharon's place 12 noon
47 West Portal Ave. #3.
it's been nearly three years now
you went off
and so did i
the airport strange- -not the
warmest for
remembering
maybe twenty minutes maybe less
just time enough to stand
in front of a camera lens
click
how are you?
click
i mean for real?
click
i want to embrace you
click
it was always hard
- -D. Gaertner
I see you
And sometimes
I don't like what I see
But I love you
Because you let me
see it
HOUSE FUND
It's time to renew your pledges! Last year
many women pledged to send from $1. 00 to $25. 00
a month to San Francisco's D.O. B. House Fund.
Many of the pledges are still faithfully coming in,
but many are not.
Either members have forgotten about their
pledges or the importance of a home for Lesbians
and other women, or else they are unaware of our
goal.
S. F. D. O. B. is 17 years old and has never
had anything more than a small space in a devoted
member's home or a small rented office. Our only
source of income is from SISTERS subscriptions
and from occasional fund-raising functions. We
NEED a HOME! ! ! ! ! ! We need a building which
will always be open to women; a place to hold
women's activities, parties, raps, etc.; and a
space to bed down visitors.
D. O. B. will be around as long as there is a
need for such an organization. Therefore, even
if you feel D. O. B. no longer has anything to
offer~• can't you help your future sisters by
pledging just a little every month?????
We now have $1,584.26 in the House Fund.
That is a long way from a reasonable downpayment on a HOME, but we are getting there.
S.F.D.O.B. "THANKS" those women who have
made the first step toward our goal possible.
Please continue to give, or if -you haven't
already pledged, please fill out the pledge form
and mail it in NOW.
--Marley
-16-
- 17-
Believe me, you will feel as good as we in
San Francisco do when the red line on the thermometer moves up and up and up and ....... .
- -Sharon Crase
-t. ~e
CR.ESP
ON
~
present~
THE
STl(EE.T
~
0 i
IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN PROMISE DOB AT LEAS'!
ONE SMALL DOLLAR (OR MORE) A MONTH, PAYABLE
BY THE 15th DAY OF EACH MONTH, THEN CLIP OUT
THIS COUPON AND MAIL IT TODAY. IF YOU DON'T
HELP, NO ONE WILL ..... .
I promise to send$ _ _ _ _ _ per month to
"House Fund", DOB, 1005 Market, Rm. 208,
San Francisco, Ca. 94103.
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY_______S'rATE_______ ZIP
WE ARE UNIQUE
How well are we oriented to self-preservation
techniques? By now many of you have heard about
the earthquake predictions for San Francisco. Dr.
Reuben Greenspan has predicted that a severe
quake will hit San Francisco on January 4, 1973 at
9 a.m.
Dr. Greenspan was only two minutes off in
predicting the Alaskan quake of 1964. In a study
of fifteen quakes that he predicted in 1935 {appeared
in 11 New York Times 11 ) 58% (or nine quakes) occurred
exactly as foretold, 34% (or five quakes) occurred
but with variation, and 8% (or one quake) did not
occur at all.
I'm not into scaring you with these facts. I
just want you to consider the possibility of disaster
and l.ook over the following list of things to do or
know about in order to help yourself or people
around you.
Dorothy Gellert, a volunteer for the Red Cross,
has given us the following information on first aid
and earthquake safety:
1.
2.
3.
----------------------------------
All contributions are tax deductible.
4.
EARTHQUAKE SAFETY TIPS
Keep calm (panic causes the most injuries.)
Have a flashlight, first aid kit and transister
radio available.
Doorways collapse, (contrary to what many of
us have been told) so get under a heavy desk
or piece of furniture. If you're in a building,
get away from the windows.
Stay away from the downtown area and high
buildings (bricks and glass will fall.)
- I 9-
5. If you're in a car, stop it in an open area.
6. Get to open areas, perhaps on top of a hill,
away from cable wires or anything that can
fall.
7. Find gas, water and electricity valves so you
can turn them off if pipes break.
8. Don't light a match if gas Leak is indicated.
9. If you need help, call the police or turn on the
radio for information.
LO. Only use the phone in case of emergency.
Phone lines will be used mainly by firemen,
hospitals, police, etc.
11. Don't use elevators. They are not safe during
quakes.
12. Store some food and water in unbreakable safe
spots.
FIRST AID
SHOCK SYMPTOMS:
Skin cold and clammy, pupils dilated, irregular
breathing, nausea. Treat anyone who is injured
for shock, to be safe.
l. Have patient lie down flat.
2. Cover with a blanket. Don't over-heat the
patient, but try to keep temperature from
lowering.
3. If there is no injury to the head or chest,
elevate feet six inches.
4. Keep patient calm and comfortable. Do not
give anything to drink.
5. Call the police or hospital.
BLEEDING:
l. Apply direct pressure over wound.
2. Two main pressure points are under the arm
pits and the groin. Press these areas, or around
the wound and watch to see what area slows
down the flow of blood.
3. Applying a tourniquet can cause more damage
if done improperly. Only do it as a last
re sort, and don't tie it so tight that all
circulation is cut off.
FAINTING:
l. Treat for shock (just in case).
2. Turn head to side in case ingestion occurs,
so patient won't choke on it.
3. To prevent fainting: sit down and breathe
deeply, then put head between knees so that
the blood goes to the head.
BURNS:
l. Don't put on oil or ointment. A doctor will
have to clean it off later when the wound is
examined.
2. Apply cold water, or use ice packs.
3. Treat for shock.
4. Wrap clean cloth over burn and get a doctor.
GLASS IN EYES OR FLESH:
l. Eyes: don't blink. Keep face down so glass
won't sink deeper into the socket. (Rest
head on desk over arms.)
2. Bandage, after removing surrounding loose
glass.
3. When a big piece of glass is lodged in the
flesh it can act as a plug and keep the blood
from flowing. So don't pull it out until you
see a doctor.
The Red Cross has free classes in first aid,
and some very complete books on the subject are
available.
Remember, don't panic. Keep calm. Circulation has lasted this long, and we're unique; so
we' 11 be around to share with one another and
keep sisterhood alive and strong.
- - Kathi Hoffman
-21-20-
DEAR DAD
(The only necessary word of explanation is about
the first paragraph. My father called me from
home on a Friday afternoon. That morning I had
mailed him a small card simply stating that I had
discovered I am gay and telling him how joyous I
was over the discovery. Two weeks later, having
heard nothing from him, I mailed this letter.)
My dearest Dad:
November l 972
It is two o'clock in the morning and I can't sleep.
I can't keep my mind off you. I haven't been able to
keep my mind off you since that Friday afternoon
we talked, knowing that that morning I had mailed
the card to you. I surprised myself, for I was utterly delighted to hear your voice. I didn't want to
express it over the phone, but for the first time
in my life I felt your equal.
For years and years and years I've felt that you
and Mom did not really see me, did not really know
me; that there was some part of me buried deep inside that I couldn't get out to show you. And I resented that you (I'm speaking of you only from now
on) didn't see me and I became more and more reluctant and afraid to show myself at all- -all the
while never realizing that I wasn't seeing myself
and that the problem was there, with me, not
with you.
Dad, Dad, I've spent my whole life, except for
the past two months, being so divorced from the
person I am and the female I am. I don't think I
can adequately express all the pain I felt while
growing up: all the awkwardness, the realization
that some how I wasn't like the other girls, the
-22-
horrible feeling that I just didn't fit anywhere. Each
culture determines for itself what it will accept as
masculine and feminine behavior and the respective
cultures sometimes differ markedly from one another.
How do you think I felt, knowing that I was a girl yet
knowing that I fit none of the acceptable American
stereotypes of what a girl is supposed to be? I
hated dresses and purses and playing dolls. I couldn't carry myself gracefully and sitting with my knees
together was physical and mental torture. I couldn't
be what I was supposed to be and I didn't know what
was wrong and I didn't know who I was and it 1 s been
that way ever since I can remember and it has been
hell.
And who are the people, outside of family, that I
have Loved the most? With such ease and warmth
their names flow from me: Christie, Sherry, Marcia,
Maureen, Carol.
I have no idea what it's Like to be heterosexual.
No male has ever thrilled my heart as have these
girls and women. When I was little I didn't have
the slightest ounce of curiosity about boys' bodies.
I will never forget being very aware of Christie's
well-developed front at the age of eleven. Women's
bodies have always seemed so lovely to me, so soft,
so wonderfully shaped, so exquisite. There is nothing attractive or interesting or desirable about
a man's body.
Making Love with a man has always been mental
and sometimes even physical torture. Making
Love with a woman became the completion I had
unknowingly been waiting for all these miserable
years. As I told my friend Sandy:"Now life makes
sense to me! Now I feel whole!"
Now I am whole.
Changes are happening already. I am less physically tense than I have ever been; my movements
are slower and more graceful. My self-confidence
-23-
and self-respect are growing. I am beginning to
form deep friendships again. And the most wonderful boost to my ego has been the realization that deep
down I do believe I'm OK; because that 1 s the only
way I could have so happily embraced my homosexuality in this very ho stile society.
Dad, you must realize that, happy as I am about
this, it was a shock for me too. I too had to make
the discovery that the realities of Lesbianism are
far different from the stereotypes of it. I had to
make the awesome decision as to who to tell and
who not to tell; I decided to tell everybody.
For the first time in twenty-four years I am one
with myself and I accept that oneness and I know
what I want from life. As a young male homosexual
put it:"When you keep one part of yourself secret,
that becomes the most important part of you. 11 I
don't want that to happen to me.
Dad, I finally make sense to myself and am
coming to like myself. Will you take your stereotype
of a Lesbian and impose it on me or will you take
what you know of me and erase your stereotype of
Lesbian?
Do you love me?
With tears and love
KATHY
~ , ~ ~ presenh
fvrdrHER-IN-LAW
~~
The
Fur I es
Su1scR1ae
Box 18843
S.E. Station
Wash., D.C. 20003
name
address
4e~, it's tr1Ae I wo.,rt~
~Ou to ma.rr~ Q. OOc.tor'"
6ut I oidn 1+ rr.eo." ...
2.i
IT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE ...
Remember the history books that depicted
Suffragettes as tight-lipped old maids who marched
around carrying Temperance signs? Well, history
is being re-written and HERstory is emerging now.
The quotes below are from a new book titled 11 Voices
From Women's Liberation 11 (compiled and edited by
Leslie B. Tanner). These quotes are only samplings
from a sizable body of women's writings well worth
examining.
11 1 shall venture the assertion that until women
assume the place in society which good sense and
feeling alike assign to them, human improvement
must advance but feebly. It is in vain that we
would circumscribe . the power of one half our race,
and that half by far the most important and influential. 11 --Frances Wright (1830)
11 1 ask no favors for my sex ... All I ask of our
brethren is that they take their feet from off our
necks. 11 --Sarah Moore Grimke (1838)
11 Man has exercised the most unlimited and
brutal power over woman, in the peculiar character
of husband- -a word in most countries synonymous
with tyrant ... 11 --Sarah Moore Grimke (1837)
"The government of this country, in common
with all others, has never recognized or attempted
to protect women as persons possessing the rights
of humanity. 11 --Jane Elizabeth Jones (1850)
11 The
wrongs of woman have too long slumbered .
They now begin to cry for redress. Let them, then,
not ask as favor, but demand as right, that every
civil obstacle be moved out of the way."
- - Lucretia Mott (1850)
$ S.00 1 yr. sub.
$ 1S.00 institutions
Canada and overseas a little more
-24-
-25-
"We mean treason; we mean secession, and on
a thousand times grander scale than was that of
the South. We are plotting revolution; we will
overthrow this bogus Republic and plant a government of righteousness ... 11 --Victoria Woodhull (1871)
Please send me SISTERS for _ _ _ _year(s) at
$5. 00 per year ... $10. 00 Canada and Overseas,
effective January, 1973.
name
address
city
zip
state
Order from DOB, 1005 Market #208, S, F., CA.
94103. Mailed in a plain envelope.
OUT NOW -- Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin's
new book
''LESBIAN/WOMAN''
Glide publications, $7. 95.
17 years of Lesbian Liberation.
ORDER NOW FROM SF DOB - - Make check
payable to SF /DOB.
Send to: DOB, 1005 Market #208, S. F. 94103
Women's Liberation ls More Than Brale·s'sness
Get a woman's eye view on issues,
events and trends ... and a monthly
report on the movement in
other countries ...
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SPEAKERS BUREAU wants speakers for high
schools, colleges, church groups, etc. Call
861-8689 or 566-3531. Leave message. (No
pay but lots of ego strokes!) --Marley
WEDNESDAY NIGHT rap leaders and rap topics.
FEEDBACK about your magazine.
DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS
...-~t
DOB San Francisco: 1005 Market #208·1
San Francisco, Ca. 94103
(415) 861-8689
DOB Los Angeles: 1910 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, Ca. 90007
(213) 737-9159
DOB Boston: 419 Boylston St. #406,
Boston, Mass. 02116
DOB New Jersey: P.O. Box 62
Fanwood, New Jersey 07023
WRITE YOUR NEAREST CHAPTER FOR MORE
.INFORMATION
,,..............
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Reminders
EARTHQUAKE! Reuben Greenspan has predicted
one for the- Bay Area to register 7. 4 on the
Richter scale on Thurs., Jan. 4, 1973. Won't
hurt to leave town for a day or two.
COFFEEHOUSE ENTERTAINMENT at Marley's
(providing her house is still standing!) on Jan. 20.
See calendar.
PEN FRIENDS. For those who want to write
other gay women--send name, address including
ZIP to Ms. Paula McCorkel, 1005 Market St.,
Room 208, San Francisco, CA 94103, Please
send $1. 00 to help pay for postage.
MEMBERSHIP IN SAN FRANCISCO DOB
Single Membership: $7.00. Includes
half-price to social functions,
library privileges and SISTERS for
one year.
Couples: $10.00. Includes half-price
to social functions, library privileges
and SISTERS for one year.
MEMBERSHIP LIMITED TO THOSE 18 YEARS OR OLDER
Cover by:
Dona Gaertner
.--~~~
~
FITS PIIINTINC
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- 1970-1979
- Media
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Sisters_1973.01.pdf
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