extracted text

November. 2000

HERLAND LEGAL
DEFENSE FUND
The Herland Legal Defense Fund, which was instrumental in funding the Fox v. Fox case which won a substantial victory for gay and lesbian parents in the Oklahoma
Supreme Court, has reorganized, and has two festive
fundraising events planned for November On Saturday,
November 11 , Diversity Coffee Shop will be the site for a
"Tasting Party" - HLDF members will prepare delicious
recipes from theHLDF cookbook, "Family Cookin" -all
to the music ofFeggy Johnson, Victor Zuniga and Tammy
Black. It's not often we get to hear Peggy sing Blender
Blues while savoring the same
Friday, November 17, Partners will be the venue for a
musical evening, music provided by Peggy Johnson, Victor
Zuniga, the fabulous Darenda and others. A special
mystery musical guest will perform-you'll have to come out
to discover who he is ... Also that evening HLDF will
conduct a Silent Auction, with a variety ofreally wonderful
auction items.
These two events will be evenings filled with fun, and at
the same time will contribute to a cause that is vitally
important to many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered communities.
The Herland Legal Defense Fund's purpose is to
promote lesbian and gay equal rights through the legal
system by providing community education, professional
education and referrals and direct financial assistance in
cases involving lesbian issues within the jurisdiction of
Oklahoma. We are particularly interested in cases which
can make effective use ofexisting positive lesbian precedents such as Fox.
For more information about the Herland Legal Defense
Fund call Herland (405-521-9696) or email
Herland@mailroom.com.
D

Volume 18 Number 10

Berland Sister Resources

AN ABBREVIATED TIMELINE OF US
WOMEN'S STRUGGLE FOR THE VOTE
1776-1807: Ne\v Jersey grants women the vote in its state
constitution.
July 19 and 20, 1848: Three hundred people attend the first
convention held to discuss women's rights, in Seneca Falls,
New York. 68 women and 32 men sign the "Declaration of
Sentiments," including the first formal demand made in the
United States for women' s right to vote.
1878: Senator A.A. Sargent( California) introduces a woman
suffrage amendment, the wording
of which remains
unchanged until
passed by Congress
in 1919.
July 23, 1890:
Wyoming is admitted to the Union,
becoming the first
state since New .
Vote November 7 I
Jersey to grant
women full enfranchisement in its state constitution.
1893: Colorado adopts woman suffrage.
1896: Utah joins the Union, granting women full suffrage.
1896: Idaho adopts woman suffrage.
1910: Washington State adopts woman suffrage.
November 19ll :Women' s suffrage campaign succeeds in
California by only 3,587 votes.
1912: Oregon, Kansas and Arizona adopt woman suffrage.
1913: The Territory of Alaska adopts woman suffrage.
1913: Illinois becomes the first state to grant presidential
suffrage by legislative enactment.
1914: Montana and Nevada adopt woman suffrage.
1917: New uork State adopts woman suffrage.
1918: Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma adopt woman
suffrage.
August 18, 1920: Tennessee becomes the 36th state to
ratify the 19th Amendment.
·August 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment granting women
the right to vote is signed into law by Secretary of State
D
Bainbridge Colby.

www.herlandsisters.org

2312 N.W. 39. OKC. OK 73112

ST. SYBIL

Check These Out!

Dear Saint Sybil,
I would like to submit the following list to you and ask
you, why bother??? TheTopFourReasonsnotto Vote in
the November Election: George Bush, Dick Cheney, Al
Gore and Joe Lieberman. Really now, is there a gnat's
breadth of difference between them? The Democrats bow
to Big Business and give us GATT and NAFT A, and the
phony prosperity they
brought. Republicans brought
us detente with China and
probably only a Republican
can bring us detente with
Cuba. . . I think I'm staying
home in November. Can
'\.
you talk me out ofmy apathy
and despair?
Vera Cynical,
Dear Vera,
Here' sanother list for you
thereintheHeartland. Thisis
for you Oklahomans, but
there is another list just like it for every state in the Union:
Top Ten Reasons to Vote in the November Elections:
Debbie Blackbum, Bill Graves, Joan Greenwood, Maxine
Homer, Tim Pope, John Sellars, Leonard Sullivan, Opio
Toure, Penny Williams and Robert Worthen.
All ten of these people are incumbent State Reps or
Senators; they all have opposition for office this year; and
while I would never dream oftelling anyone how they should
vote,especiallynotinanewsletterwitha501c(3)toprotect,
they are all either pretty dam good or pretty dam awful, and
anyone interested in voting should be able to figure out which
camp they are in pretty dam easily.
Vera, you' re right that the candidates at the top ofthe
tickets are dam nigh interchangeable, but at the state and
local level, who gets elected makes a huge difference in the
quality ofthe lives ofyou and all your fellow citizens. Read
and inform yourselfand VOTE November 7. Thanks.
Peace & Love,
Sybil
D

-Deb Willis

Visit us on the web
at

WWW.HERLANDSISTERS.ORG
Page 2 Her/and Voice November, 2000

With the weather cooling consider snuggling up with a
hot mystery, available from the Metropolitan Library System.
Detective Kate Delafield returns in Katherine V.
Forrest' sS/eepingBones ( 1999). Delafield investigates a
case involving the stabbing death of an elderly man at the
La Brea Tar Pits, which leads her to the reappearance of
the possibly genuine remainsofanimportant anthropological find, Peking man.
Jane Lawless, restaurateur and amateur detective,
becomes involved in a murder investigation in Ellen Hart's
Hunting the Witch ( 1999). Thickening the plot is the
involvement ofJane' sex-lover, Dr Julia Martinsen, who is
attempting to rekindle their relationship while keeping Jane
in the dark about her involvement with the murder victim.
In Lambda-award winning author J.M Redmann's
newest mystery Lost Daughters (1999), New Orleans
private investigator Micky Knight takes on two cases
searching for missing family members which lead to further
investigating of the not-so-coincidental murders oftwo
patients from the clinic run by Micky' s lover.
Author Baxter Clare debuts withBleedingOut (2000).
Set in a tough Los Angeles precinct, Lieutenant L.A.
"Frank" Franco tracks a serial rapist and killer. A nonrelated shooting brings up long buried emotions surrounding the murder ofher lover, Maggie, and results in Frank
being relieved from duty. Now Frank must pursue the
rapist outside the purview ofthe LAPD.
Until next time, happy sleuthing.
Deb is a librarian at the Midwest City Library. You can reach her
there (73 2-4828 x 3) or via email at windeater@planetow.com.

Herland Board of Directors :
Laura Choate
Joanna Fife, Secretary
Jacqueline Gatewood

DTH

D

Pat Reaves, Co-Chair
Jerri Schaben
Denise Smith
Judy Walden

Ginger McGovern, Treasurer

The Voice Is published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312
N.W. 39th. Oklahoma City. OK 73112.
The Voice is offered as an
open forum for community discourse. Articles reflect the opinions
of the author and not necessarily those of Hertand Sister Resources.
Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed and must
be signed by the writer with full name and address. Upon request,
letters or articles may be printed under a pseudonym or anonymously. Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request although
a donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.

IN

REVIEW

by Ji/I Gamer

Carrie Newcomer will be appearing at the Blue Door
on December 3rd. Newcomer is one ofmy favorite singer/
songwriters. She' s a poet who was blessed with a
gorgeous deep voice to express her gift ofwords. To be
in a small intimate room with Carrie Newcomer singing to
you is the stuff that makes life worth living. I've been
fortunate to have that experience twice, once traveling to
Dallas to hear her. I'm looking forward to this show and
I' d like to share a little bit about her music so that some of
you will hopefully venture out to hear her, or ifyou don't get
this in time to catch her show, will buy one of her CDs.
As I mentioned, I consider Newcomer a poet. Her
words can be so beautiful, and universal at the same time '
andohthatvoice. OnNewcomer'slatestCD, TheAgeof
Possibility, the author Barbara Kingsolver writes the liner
notes and says, "It ' s the rarest kind ofmusician who can
use the power ofwords and the irresistible pull ofmusic to
wrap up the things you and I have always known and
whisper to us: Yes, I know. Me too. " Newcomer writes
the kind of songs I can just read the lyrics to and feel
complete. The fact that she then uses her incredible voice
to sing them is just icing on the cake.
Newcomer has 7 CDs released on Rounder/Philo
records. She' s also an artist with a social conscience. She
donated all the proceeds from a live acoustic CD, Bare to
the Bones, to Planned Parenthood. On this tour, she's
donating 10% of all concert CD sales to the National
Coalition for Literacy, and donated 10% ofCD sales from
her last tourto local hunger, health and homeless organizations.
My favorite songs ofhers are scattered throughout all
her CDs. Newcomer has a lot oflove songs, but she also
writes songs with a message. Every once in a while, some
ofher songs gets bogged down by the message, but for the
most part, Newcomer usually pulls it offsmoothly. She also
sings some good old rock and roll, a few funny songs here
and there, and then she takes it down and sings songs so
honestandbeautifultheytakemybreathaway. Oneofher
early message songs, "In the City," talks ofhomelessness
coexisting with great wealth, and has my favorite lines, "We
can be perfect, we can be stronger, Saints are sinners who
just tried longer." After hearing about the killing of an
abortion doctor, she wrote "Wisdom is Watching" "He
stepped into the circle, he read between the lines, With a
bloodlust religion saying, 'Vengeance is mine', But God is
.

watching, Wisdom is weeping, This is not what was meant,
this is not what was said." One ofthe most tender songs and
one ofmy all-time favorites is "YesofYes," and with lines
like "When the morning comes, like a moment blessed,
Breathing next to you, my Yes ofYes, And hold you like
some promise made, It's a way of, way ofpraying", all is right
with the world. In a later song, "Close Your Eyes," she
writes, "So how I got this job I'll never know, But when it
calls you can't refuse to go." Singing is not an easy
profession, but Newcomer was born to do it, and it's
obvious she has so much to say and writing and singing songs
is the way her gift comes out.
I could go on and on about Carrie Newcomer, but go
hear herforyourself Ifyou can't make her show, go buy one
of her CDs or order one from Rounder Records. I think
you' II be moved by much she's written. And ifyou' re not,
just sit and listen to that exquisite, gorgeous voice, and be
moved by that. If you are touched by music like I am, it
doesn'tgetmuchbetterthanthat.
D

**NEW**
**VIDEO**
Filmed
at
Sooner
Theater
in
Norman
Oklahoma

$20
+$4
shipping
Only 1
shipping
charge/ order
so get
To Order Video by Credit Card
several for
www.VickieShaw.c.om
Christmas
gifts.
or Mail Check / Money Order to :
Vicki Shaw P.0. Box 8006

Her/and Voice November, 2000 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

art Our Su
~PLU~BING

r.

844-1951

- "FORALL YOURPLUMBINGNEEDS"

orters!

Thanks, Chas,for the great new Her/and I-shirt design!

I VERTIGO I
"Clothing for 1t1y lifesry!e. "
on the web at

www.geocities.com/ vertigowear /

~)Istre_
fQR€st tR€c\SUR€S

REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

• inccrw.e It ofls • .:andla • impodl
t

e.mpm c°"""

.llJ ._,... Slrwl

Nonnma. OK 73069

a'lfStak 6; akmca • jnlclrf
t ~ & un•ual glfls
, ~ ace ••pplica

NalMlul Rb {405) 447-S 111

Page 4 Her/and Voice November, 2000

321-2148
P.O.Box5119
Norman, Okla. 73070

Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats



November. 2000

HERLAND LEGAL
DEFENSE FUND
The Herland Legal Defense Fund, which was instrumental in funding the Fox v. Fox case which won a substantial victory for gay and lesbian parents in the Oklahoma
Supreme Court, has reorganized, and has two festive
fundraising events planned for November On Saturday,
November 11 , Diversity Coffee Shop will be the site for a
"Tasting Party" - HLDF members will prepare delicious
recipes from theHLDF cookbook, "Family Cookin" -all
to the music ofFeggy Johnson, Victor Zuniga and Tammy
Black. It's not often we get to hear Peggy sing Blender
Blues while savoring the same
Friday, November 17, Partners will be the venue for a
musical evening, music provided by Peggy Johnson, Victor
Zuniga, the fabulous Darenda and others. A special
mystery musical guest will perform-you'll have to come out
to discover who he is ... Also that evening HLDF will
conduct a Silent Auction, with a variety ofreally wonderful
auction items.
These two events will be evenings filled with fun, and at
the same time will contribute to a cause that is vitally
important to many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered communities.
The Herland Legal Defense Fund's purpose is to
promote lesbian and gay equal rights through the legal
system by providing community education, professional
education and referrals and direct financial assistance in
cases involving lesbian issues within the jurisdiction of
Oklahoma. We are particularly interested in cases which
can make effective use ofexisting positive lesbian precedents such as Fox.
For more information about the Herland Legal Defense
Fund call Herland (405-521-9696) or email
Herland@mailroom.com.
D

Volume 18 Number 10

Berland Sister Resources

AN ABBREVIATED TIMELINE OF US
WOMEN'S STRUGGLE FOR THE VOTE
1776-1807: Ne\v Jersey grants women the vote in its state
constitution.
July 19 and 20, 1848: Three hundred people attend the first
convention held to discuss women's rights, in Seneca Falls,
New York. 68 women and 32 men sign the "Declaration of
Sentiments," including the first formal demand made in the
United States for women' s right to vote.
1878: Senator A.A. Sargent( California) introduces a woman
suffrage amendment, the wording
of which remains
unchanged until
passed by Congress
in 1919.
July 23, 1890:
Wyoming is admitted to the Union,
becoming the first
state since New .
Vote November 7 I
Jersey to grant
women full enfranchisement in its state constitution.
1893: Colorado adopts woman suffrage.
1896: Utah joins the Union, granting women full suffrage.
1896: Idaho adopts woman suffrage.
1910: Washington State adopts woman suffrage.
November 19ll :Women' s suffrage campaign succeeds in
California by only 3,587 votes.
1912: Oregon, Kansas and Arizona adopt woman suffrage.
1913: The Territory of Alaska adopts woman suffrage.
1913: Illinois becomes the first state to grant presidential
suffrage by legislative enactment.
1914: Montana and Nevada adopt woman suffrage.
1917: New uork State adopts woman suffrage.
1918: Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma adopt woman
suffrage.
August 18, 1920: Tennessee becomes the 36th state to
ratify the 19th Amendment.
·August 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment granting women
the right to vote is signed into law by Secretary of State
D
Bainbridge Colby.

www.herlandsisters.org

2312 N.W. 39. OKC. OK 73112

ST. SYBIL

Check These Out!

Dear Saint Sybil,
I would like to submit the following list to you and ask
you, why bother??? TheTopFourReasonsnotto Vote in
the November Election: George Bush, Dick Cheney, Al
Gore and Joe Lieberman. Really now, is there a gnat's
breadth of difference between them? The Democrats bow
to Big Business and give us GATT and NAFT A, and the
phony prosperity they
brought. Republicans brought
us detente with China and
probably only a Republican
can bring us detente with
Cuba. . . I think I'm staying
home in November. Can
'\.
you talk me out ofmy apathy
and despair?
Vera Cynical,
Dear Vera,
Here' sanother list for you
thereintheHeartland. Thisis
for you Oklahomans, but
there is another list just like it for every state in the Union:
Top Ten Reasons to Vote in the November Elections:
Debbie Blackbum, Bill Graves, Joan Greenwood, Maxine
Homer, Tim Pope, John Sellars, Leonard Sullivan, Opio
Toure, Penny Williams and Robert Worthen.
All ten of these people are incumbent State Reps or
Senators; they all have opposition for office this year; and
while I would never dream oftelling anyone how they should
vote,especiallynotinanewsletterwitha501c(3)toprotect,
they are all either pretty dam good or pretty dam awful, and
anyone interested in voting should be able to figure out which
camp they are in pretty dam easily.
Vera, you' re right that the candidates at the top ofthe
tickets are dam nigh interchangeable, but at the state and
local level, who gets elected makes a huge difference in the
quality ofthe lives ofyou and all your fellow citizens. Read
and inform yourselfand VOTE November 7. Thanks.
Peace & Love,
Sybil
D

-Deb Willis

Visit us on the web
at

WWW.HERLANDSISTERS.ORG
Page 2 Her/and Voice November, 2000

With the weather cooling consider snuggling up with a
hot mystery, available from the Metropolitan Library System.
Detective Kate Delafield returns in Katherine V.
Forrest' sS/eepingBones ( 1999). Delafield investigates a
case involving the stabbing death of an elderly man at the
La Brea Tar Pits, which leads her to the reappearance of
the possibly genuine remainsofanimportant anthropological find, Peking man.
Jane Lawless, restaurateur and amateur detective,
becomes involved in a murder investigation in Ellen Hart's
Hunting the Witch ( 1999). Thickening the plot is the
involvement ofJane' sex-lover, Dr Julia Martinsen, who is
attempting to rekindle their relationship while keeping Jane
in the dark about her involvement with the murder victim.
In Lambda-award winning author J.M Redmann's
newest mystery Lost Daughters (1999), New Orleans
private investigator Micky Knight takes on two cases
searching for missing family members which lead to further
investigating of the not-so-coincidental murders oftwo
patients from the clinic run by Micky' s lover.
Author Baxter Clare debuts withBleedingOut (2000).
Set in a tough Los Angeles precinct, Lieutenant L.A.
"Frank" Franco tracks a serial rapist and killer. A nonrelated shooting brings up long buried emotions surrounding the murder ofher lover, Maggie, and results in Frank
being relieved from duty. Now Frank must pursue the
rapist outside the purview ofthe LAPD.
Until next time, happy sleuthing.
Deb is a librarian at the Midwest City Library. You can reach her
there (73 2-4828 x 3) or via email at windeater@planetow.com.

Herland Board of Directors :
Laura Choate
Joanna Fife, Secretary
Jacqueline Gatewood

DTH

D

Pat Reaves, Co-Chair
Jerri Schaben
Denise Smith
Judy Walden

Ginger McGovern, Treasurer

The Voice Is published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312
N.W. 39th. Oklahoma City. OK 73112.
The Voice is offered as an
open forum for community discourse. Articles reflect the opinions
of the author and not necessarily those of Hertand Sister Resources.
Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed and must
be signed by the writer with full name and address. Upon request,
letters or articles may be printed under a pseudonym or anonymously. Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request although
a donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.

IN

REVIEW

by Ji/I Gamer

Carrie Newcomer will be appearing at the Blue Door
on December 3rd. Newcomer is one ofmy favorite singer/
songwriters. She' s a poet who was blessed with a
gorgeous deep voice to express her gift ofwords. To be
in a small intimate room with Carrie Newcomer singing to
you is the stuff that makes life worth living. I've been
fortunate to have that experience twice, once traveling to
Dallas to hear her. I'm looking forward to this show and
I' d like to share a little bit about her music so that some of
you will hopefully venture out to hear her, or ifyou don't get
this in time to catch her show, will buy one of her CDs.
As I mentioned, I consider Newcomer a poet. Her
words can be so beautiful, and universal at the same time '
andohthatvoice. OnNewcomer'slatestCD, TheAgeof
Possibility, the author Barbara Kingsolver writes the liner
notes and says, "It ' s the rarest kind ofmusician who can
use the power ofwords and the irresistible pull ofmusic to
wrap up the things you and I have always known and
whisper to us: Yes, I know. Me too. " Newcomer writes
the kind of songs I can just read the lyrics to and feel
complete. The fact that she then uses her incredible voice
to sing them is just icing on the cake.
Newcomer has 7 CDs released on Rounder/Philo
records. She' s also an artist with a social conscience. She
donated all the proceeds from a live acoustic CD, Bare to
the Bones, to Planned Parenthood. On this tour, she's
donating 10% of all concert CD sales to the National
Coalition for Literacy, and donated 10% ofCD sales from
her last tourto local hunger, health and homeless organizations.
My favorite songs ofhers are scattered throughout all
her CDs. Newcomer has a lot oflove songs, but she also
writes songs with a message. Every once in a while, some
ofher songs gets bogged down by the message, but for the
most part, Newcomer usually pulls it offsmoothly. She also
sings some good old rock and roll, a few funny songs here
and there, and then she takes it down and sings songs so
honestandbeautifultheytakemybreathaway. Oneofher
early message songs, "In the City," talks ofhomelessness
coexisting with great wealth, and has my favorite lines, "We
can be perfect, we can be stronger, Saints are sinners who
just tried longer." After hearing about the killing of an
abortion doctor, she wrote "Wisdom is Watching" "He
stepped into the circle, he read between the lines, With a
bloodlust religion saying, 'Vengeance is mine', But God is
.

watching, Wisdom is weeping, This is not what was meant,
this is not what was said." One ofthe most tender songs and
one ofmy all-time favorites is "YesofYes," and with lines
like "When the morning comes, like a moment blessed,
Breathing next to you, my Yes ofYes, And hold you like
some promise made, It's a way of, way ofpraying", all is right
with the world. In a later song, "Close Your Eyes," she
writes, "So how I got this job I'll never know, But when it
calls you can't refuse to go." Singing is not an easy
profession, but Newcomer was born to do it, and it's
obvious she has so much to say and writing and singing songs
is the way her gift comes out.
I could go on and on about Carrie Newcomer, but go
hear herforyourself Ifyou can't make her show, go buy one
of her CDs or order one from Rounder Records. I think
you' II be moved by much she's written. And ifyou' re not,
just sit and listen to that exquisite, gorgeous voice, and be
moved by that. If you are touched by music like I am, it
doesn'tgetmuchbetterthanthat.
D

**NEW**
**VIDEO**
Filmed
at
Sooner
Theater
in
Norman
Oklahoma

$20
+$4
shipping
Only 1
shipping
charge/ order
so get
To Order Video by Credit Card
several for
www.VickieShaw.c.om
Christmas
gifts.
or Mail Check / Money Order to :
Vicki Shaw P.0. Box 8006

Her/and Voice November, 2000 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

art Our Su
~PLU~BING

r.

844-1951

- "FORALL YOURPLUMBINGNEEDS"

orters!

Thanks, Chas,for the great new Her/and I-shirt design!

I VERTIGO I
"Clothing for 1t1y lifesry!e. "
on the web at

www.geocities.com/ vertigowear /

~)Istre_
fQR€st tR€c\SUR€S

REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

• inccrw.e It ofls • .:andla • impodl
t

e.mpm c°"""

.llJ ._,... Slrwl

Nonnma. OK 73069

a'lfStak 6; akmca • jnlclrf
t ~ & un•ual glfls
, ~ ace ••pplica

NalMlul Rb {405) 447-S 111

Page 4 Her/and Voice November, 2000

321-2148
P.O.Box5119
Norman, Okla. 73070

Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats