extracted text

august 2005

Save the Date!
Herland's 20th
Anniversary Retreat
October 28-30, 2005
Sequoyah State Park
Mark your calendars now for the last
weekend in October and join us as we
celebrate 20 years of Herland Retreats.
Plans are being made for a grand celebration as we re-create some of the most
fun activities from past retreats. And, our
favorite entertainers are being contacted
to play at the Saturday evening concert.
Expect the best!
So, to get you in the spirit, here are a
few Herland Retreat trivia questions:
1. Where was the first Herland Retreat
held? (This one's easy if you read
your last newsletter.)
2. Where was a lavendar bra run up the
flagpole?
3. At which retreat was there a 4:30
virgin?
4. At which retreat were dyke eroticakes
served for breakfast?
5. Who were the performers the last
time a retreat was held at Sequoyah
State Park? Hint: It was in Fall 1988.
6. Where did Herland have its first 4day retreat?
7. Which retreat featured tie-dyeing and
a kazoo band?
8. Which retreat boasted the highest
attendance at 150 womyn?
9. Which retreat featured a dog show/
costume contest?
10. Which entertainer has performed at
the most Herland retreats?
Answers will be in next month's Voice!

volume 23, number 8

Title IX: The Law That Changed Girls' Futures
from the book, Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law that Changed the Future of
Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal

T

hirty-three years after its passage, Title IX, the landmark legislation that
forbids sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds, faces new
challenges. Earlier this year, the Bush administration quietly changed
the rules. To prove they are complying with Title IX, schools now need only
conduct an email survey asking what additional sports programs women would
like. A lack ofresponse from students would signal that they weren' t interested
in sports programs. Previously, a survey was only one factor in measuring
whether women's athletic interests were being met.
While the debate has focused on athletics, Title IX originally wasn' t about
sports at all. In the late 1960's, U.S. Rep. Edith Green, a Democrat from Oregon, was shocked as she heard a panel of
school superintendents speak at a hearing
about a special program for potential high
school dropouts. The program included
only classes for disadvantaged boys because, according to the superintendents,
they "are going to be the breadwinners."
Rep. Green was stunned to learn that under
existing U.S. laws, it was perfectly legal to
discriminate on the basis of sex in any education program.
The superintendent's comments made
Rep. Green determined to change the law,
and in 1970 she held the first hearings on
sex discrimination in education. Despite
the evidence presented (including quotas at many public universities that limited the number of women accepted to 5% or 10%), her male colleagues were
not interested in changing the law.
Then in 1972, Rep. Green waited to even mention sex discrimination until the
education bill was before the entire House Education and Labor Committee.
There, she had key supporters, including Rep. Shirley Chisolm of New York,
the first African-American Congresswoman, and Rep. Patsy Mink, of Hawaii,
the first woman of color elected to Congress. When the full committee gathered, Rep. Green proposed adding a little section to the bill that would ban sex
discrimination in programs at schools receiving federal funds.
Some committee members thought the changes unnecessary, even silly. But
after battles in both the House and the Senate, Title IX was included in the education bill that President Nixon signed in 1972.
Continued on page 2

www.herlandsisters.org
herland sister resources, 2312 nw 39th, Oklahoma city, ok 73112
(405) 521-9696
email: herlandsisters@cox.net
bookstore hours: saturdays 1-5 pm

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The Playing Field

Title IX Faces New Challenges

After Title IX passed in 1972, the number of
women playing sports and entering law and
medical school skyrocketed.

(continued from page 1)

1971

2001

Varsity Sports Boys

3,666,917

3,960,517

Girls

294,015

2,806,998

Boys

645,670

540,597

Girls

132,299

456,169

Baseball

Boys

400,906

451,674

Softball

Girls

9,813

355,960

Soccer

Boys

78,510

339, 101

Girls

700

295 265

1971

2001

170,384

212,140

Women

29977

155 513

Men

10,435

8,581

1 653

7784

85,554

69,390

8 914

65 701

HIGH SCHOOL

Basketball

COLLEGE

Playing Sports Men
Entering
med school
Attending
law school

Women
Men
Women

Source: National Federation of State High School Associations; NCAA;
Association of American Medical Colleges; American Bar Association.

(continued from bottom right)

Once the doors to opportunity were
opened, women surged through them. In
the early 1980s, the number of women
getting undergraduate degrees passed the
number of men and kept going. Ironically, the rush of women into colleges and
universities has made it challenging for
schools to provide equal opportunities on
the playing field. Some complain that
they have had to cut some men's programs in order to afford new sports for
women. This prompted the Bush administration to assess the impact of Title IX
rules on athletics and to allow only a webbased survey to show whether women's
interests were being met.
By its 30th anniversary, Title IX had
become so much a part of the landscape
that many students took it for granted.
When asked about her reaction to President Bush's proposed change to Title IX,
tennis star Jennifer Capriati replied, "I
have no idea what Title IX is. Sorry."

Interpreting the law fell to the Health, Education, and Welfare Department, headed by Secretary Caspar Weinberger. HEW moved slowly to
implement the law, in part because it had never before dealt with a sexdiscrimination law.
As Weinberger was wrestling with whether the new law would apply to
gym classes and competitive sports, one event would help transform the
way men and women looked at girls athletics.
Billie Jean King was one of the best tennis players of the day and her
forceful battles to win respect for women's tennis caught the attention of
Bobby Riggs, a longtime tennis pro and publicity seeker who had won
Wimbledon and the US Open years before. A self-described "male chauvinist pig," Riggs was a blunt critic of feminism in general and women in
sports in particular. The 55-year-old Riggs challenged 29-year-old King
to a match. In a way, the September 1973 match was a giant publicity
stunt. But to many people, much more was on the line: If King won,
women might finally earn credibility as athletes. In the end, King didn't
just beat Riggs, she thrashed him, winning three straight sets, 6-4, 6-3,
6-3.
In the midst of the excitement, Washington regulators were wrestling
with implementing this new Title IX The crucial call as to whether the
law applied to sports teams ultimately fell to Secretary Weinberger, a political conservative who had long opposed big government and heavyhanded meddling in people's business.
As Weinberger listened to arguments on both sides, he found the disparities glaring and unacceptable. It wasn't right that schools provided
facilities, coaches, uniforms, and locker rooms for boys and men but if
girls and women wanted teams, they were expected to raise the money
themselves. An estimated 50,000 men went to college on athletic scholarships, compared with perhaps 500 women. He concluded that sports
teams were school activities covered under Title IX If boys got to play,
then girls should get to play, too. That single decision would change the
course of the new law-and of American sports.
Title IX would face more challenges, from the NCAA, the Reagan administration, and others. But a real breakthrough came in Atlanta in
1996.
The female athletes of the mid-1990s were a different breed than those
who competed before them. Most were born in the early 1970s and grew
up with access to leagues and teams that their mothers only dreamed
about. Dubbed "Title IX babies," many of the team sports players had
attended college on athletic scholarships, or at least had gotten to play on
college teams. And in this Olympic year, the US, the host country, was
committed to their success. The US Olympic Committee supported
women's sports financially like never before.
All the women's teams promised to be competitive but NBC television
figured viewers wanted to see the glamour sports, like men's basketball,
women's gymnastics, swimming, diving, and track during primetime.
Women's soccer and basketball would be shown in the off-hours or late
at night. Women's softball wasn't on the schedule at all.
Even without the cameras, the women brought fans in record numbers.
US women's basketball, softball, and soccer filled stadiums as they each
captured the gold medal. Their heart-pounding success refocused attention on the incredible gains women had made in sports. (continued left)
2

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Herland Activities

Herland Events Calendar

Herland Work Day
Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 6th, at 10 am. That's when
we will be putting the finishing touches on our new cabinets in the
kitchen, getting rid of some junk from the garage, and making a few
repairs. If you have just a few hours to spare, we could use your help.

Herland Hiking
The next Herland Hike is on August13. We plan to do the two-mile
walking path at Dolese Park. We will meet at the parking lot Uust
north of NW 50th) on Dolese Park Street (intersects with NW 50th in
between Meridian and MacArthur) at 10:00 am. Everyone is also invited to meet at Moe's Place, 5012 N. MacArthur for coffee or breakfast at 9:00 am if they so desire.

Herland Supper Club
The August Supper Club will meet Saturday, August 20, at 5:15 pm
at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, to see the
film, Ladies in Lavender. Those wishing to carpool can meet at Berland Sister Resources at 5:00 pm. (Herland is located at 2312 NW
39th Street in OKC.)
Ladies in Lavender is about two sisters, Ursula and Janet (Judi
Dench and Maggie Smith), who live in an old house by the sea in
1930s Cornwall, England. Their pleasant but uneventful routine of
beach walks, reading, sewing, and tea time is interrupted when Andreas (Daniel Bruhl), a young Polish violinist washes ashore, barely
alive.
After the movie, at about 7:15 pm, we will go around the comer to
La Luna's, 409 W. Reno for some great Mexican food.

Tuesday, August 2: PFLAG, Church of the Open
Arms, 7 pm.
Saturday, August 6: Herland Work Day, 10 am.
Come and help make a few repairs.
Monday, August 8: OGLPC Monthly Meeting at
Neighborhood Alliance, 1236 NW 36th, 7 pm.
Tuesday, August 9: Young Lesbians/Gays Support
Group at Church of the Open Arms, 7 pm. Call
Donna at 748-7301 for details.
Saturday, August 13: Herland Hike, Dolese Park,
NW 50th between Meridian & McArthur, 10 am.
Meet for coffee first at Moe's Place, 5012 N.
McArthur, 9 am.
Saturday, August 13: Herland Game Night and
Potluck, 7 pm. Bring a game and a dish to share
and join in the fun. Last time it was Taboo and badminton-no telling what it will be this time!
Saturday, August 20: Herland Supper Club,
movie Ladies in Lavender at OKC Museum of Art,
415 Couch Drive, 5:30 pm, followed by supper at La
Luna's, 409 W. Reno, 7:15 pm.
Sunday, August 21: Herl and Board Meeting at
Herland, 4 pm, everyone welcome.
Tuesday, August 16: Young Lesbians/Gays Support Group at Church of the Open Arms, 7 pm.
Saturday, August 27: Harland Video Night, 7 pm.
We will be showing Chisolm '72, One Fine Day, and
Votes for Women.
Saturday. September 3: State NOW Meeting, OKC
Downtown Library, 3 pm.

Herland Video Night
Come celebrate Women's History Month with Berland on Saturday,
August 27, at 7 pm. For more details, see article page 5.

Astraea Grant

Website of the Month
www ~ victoryfund.org

Berland is pleased to announce that we are the recipients of a $1,000
grant from the Heller/Bernard Fund of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. This is the fourth time since 1993 that Berland has
been bestowed funds from Astraea.
Astraea is the largest lesbian organization in the world. They work
for social, racial, and economic justice in the U.S. and internationally.
Their programs help lesbians and allied communities challenge oppression and claim their human rights.

Anonymous Donation of Laptop
Berland would like to thank very much the anonymous donor of a
new Gateway laptop computer to our organization. The computer
will be used to keep our financial records and other files that are
transferred from outgoing to incoming Sister II every six months. A
big THANK YOU to the generous donor!
3

The Voice is published monthly by Her/and Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 NW39th, 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 Her/and 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. Her/and reseNes the right
to edit or not publish any article. Subscriptions to The
Voice are free upon request although a donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.

august2005

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State NOW Meeting
Saturday, September 3rd, 2005

at 3:00 pm
Oklahoma City Downtown Public
Library, 300 Park Avenue
We will be discussing the developments
of the Supreme Court nominations, current issues, and our membership agenda
for the fall. All new members are welcome! If you are unable to attend, but are
interested in more information, please
contact Oklahoma National Organization
for Women at ameevanderpool. now@gmail.com. Hope to see you
there!

Young LGBT Support
Group Forming
For young adults between the ages of 18 and
30. 2nd &4th Tuesdays, (Aug 9 &23) at
COA, 3131 N Penn. Call Donna at 748-7301
for more information.

Protest Against The Buzz Comments

0

KC radio station 94.7 FM "The Buzz" has a new show, the "Mo
Radio Show" alli.ng from 6-1 Oam weekdays, deejayed by Bryan
"Mo" Modzelewski. On June 29, 2005, Mo asked his listeners to
call in and answer whether they would rather beat a woman or wake up
one morning after having gay sex. Callers' responses matched the "taste"
of the question.
For example, one caller stated that he would "rather beat a woman than
be the woman." Another had an eloquent answer: "Well, I choose beat a
woman because I can think of reasons to beat a woman, and I couldn't
think of a reason to have gay sex."
This is but one example of the extremely hateful comments Mo has
made against women and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual community on his weekday morning show. A group co-sponsored by Church of
the Open Arms held a protest rally at noon on July 8, 2005 on the grass on
the north side of 50 Penn Place. They asked for a sincere on-air apology
from "The Buzz" every hour on the hour for at least 24 hours, as well as a
verbal commitment not to make such statements in the future. They also
asked that the station show their support of the programs in our community that fight the violence that Mo has promoted, by donating at least
$1,000 to the Oklahoma City YWCA to help them fight against domestic
abuse and sexual assault.
Eventually the radio station did apologize to women for seeming to advocate violence against them but did not apologize to gays.

Lost & Found
Have you lost something? Someone left a couple of chairs at our Pride
picnic, and after the Spring Retreat we found a cooler and a blanket that
had not made it home with their owners. Call Herland at 521-9696 and
identify the items, leave your name and phone numbers, and we will see
about getting them back to you, or scheduling a pick-up time for you.

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4

august2005

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Women's History Month and Video Night
by MOC

A

ugust is Women's Herstory Month. It's a long month, 31 days,
unlike Black History Month, which is February, the shortest month
of the year, a fact wryly noted by African Americans and their allies;
who are somewhat bemused at being presented with such an easy joke, such a
great straight line: Yep, American blacks get 28 days; short-changed as
usual.
Ironic as that might be, in August we're looking elsewhere, and we're celebrating that women, all colors and sexual orientations, get 31 big days. So is
it women 's history month? Or wimmin 's herstory month? Or womyn 's history month? Whatever, in August we are celebrating womyn/wimmin/
women. Officially it is Women's History Month.
On Saturday, August 27, we will celebrate Womyn's Herstory Month with
a Video Night celebration at Herland at 7 pm. We will show three or more
videos: the short film Votes for Women (telling of the campaign which basically made women citizens - no, not first class citizens, we're still working
on that one), the even shorter 7-minute movie One Fine Day, an exhilarating
film guaranteed to give you goose bumps and pride in your foremothers and
yourself, and Chisolm '72: Unbought and Unbossed. Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm made history when she vied for the presidency
in 1972. In fact, Congresswoman Chisholm has represented a series of firsts:
She was the first African-American woman elected to Congress and the first
black person and woman to run a serious, high-profile campaign in the U.S.
presidential primary. Her inspiring journey is the subject of this documentary.
A century ago women in the United States did not have the vote. Women
were automatically denied custody of their children in divorce actions.
Spousal rape was a commonality, not a crime. "Barefoot and pregnant" was
not a backwater catchphrase but a condition mandated by poverty and ignorance. Single women (yes, that would include lesbians in great numbers) had
three options: drudgery in factories, drudgery in their married relatives
homes, and prostitution. Our s/heroes worked to change these things.
We don't have a woman president yet, but we are all pretty sure that we
will someday. A short fifty years ago it never occurred to anyone that there
was anything wrong in saying that " ... all little American boys can grow up
to be President." People would brag about it in front of their little girls, never
thinking how it might make them feel; but now everyone knows that we can
all grow up to be president, it'll just be a lot harder for a little girl. She'll
have to do everything a little boy does, twice as well. No problem, Ginger
Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, backwards and in high heels. And
our s/heroes worked to change these attitudes.
Fifty years ago women could not dream of attending West Point or any
other of the Service academies. The woman who would become the first to
sit on the Supreme Court graduated second in her class at Stanford Law
School and was offered nothing but secretarial positions at the prestigious
law firms which hired her classmates as attorneys. A sure compliment fifty
years ago was to tell a woman that she thought like a man, threw like a man,
played cards like a man, ran, did math, drank beer, belched, played music,
anything esteemed by the male culture, like a man.
The work begun by the women's rights movement in the 1800's and continued by the suffragists in the early 1900's was reinforced and continued by the
feminists of the 1970's and 80's. These were the women who fought for our
freedom, citizenship, dignity and opportunity. These are mys/heroes, and we
will meet many of them in the videos we'll be showing on August 27. Hope
to see you there.
5

President Bush's
'Compassionate
Homophobia'

0

n June 21, President Bush addressed the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in
Nashville, Tenn. Praising the convention's
support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, the president said: "Southern Baptists are practicing compassion by defending the family and the sacred institution of
marriage."
Reverend Steven Baines, an elder in the
Disciples of Christ and member of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Religious Leadership Roundtable
responded with disappointment that "the
president and leaders of the Southern
Baptist Convention continue to present
their discrimination against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender Americans in
the guise of compassion."
"The president's speech failed to explain
how a Federal Marriage Amendment that
would block thousands of American families from the protections they need for
their stability and security can be seen as
an act of compassion; just as the Southern Baptist Convention has failed to explain how supporting this discrimination
contributes to its Christian witness. There
is nothing Christian about discrimination.
. "Instead of dressing up their bigotry as
'compassionate homophobia' the president and the Southern Baptist Convention
can show real compassion by guaranteeing full equality for same-sex couples and
their families. This would be more in line
with the ethic of compassion for the marginalized and oppressed that is the foundation of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures the president claims to revere so
strongly."
First convened in 1998, the National
Religious Leadership Roundtable of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is
an interfaith collaboration of more than
forty denominations and faith-related organizations.

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Saint Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
What's this about ¥ ¥ ¥ History
history
Month? Why isn't there a
month as well? Let's be fair here!
Heatedly,
Jerry Atrick
Dear Jerry,
You will be pleased to hear that Congress has finally relented and has declared July as Men 's History Month. To
those who care and take note of these
things, July is a 31-day month - three
days more than Black History Month!
Go Men! - and it is the month before i.e., "ahead of' - Women 's History
Month. Go Men!
July was chosen for Men's History
Month because - er - no reason really,
but possibly something about the Fourth
ofJuly (fireworks as ejaculation metaphor) or even July 14, Bastille Day, but probably not, too reminiscent ofMadame LaFarge and Lorena ... oooh,
never mind.
Anyway, Hallmark has been contacted
with the hope that they will make a series of ''lvien 's History Month" cards,
which will help the rest of us in understanding just what it is about. Hallmark
is ofcourse looking to sports, football,
baseball, men 's basketball, golf- although Tiger Woods is rumored to have
declined in solidarity with Michelle Wie.
It is expected that Men 's History
Month will celebrate those few men
who, against all odds, have struggled to
overcome Affirmative Action and have
been able to rise to CEO, CFO, President, Vice President, Congressman,
Senator, Governor, Mayor, Judge,
Quarterback, and Racetrack Tout.
"Affirmative Action" will be the whipping boy of the month, although sophisticates will strive to be sure that women
think that Affirmative Actioin refers to
giving an unfair advantage to racial
minorities and that racial minorities are
sure that Affirmative Action refers to
giving women the unfair advantage.
The motto for Men's History Month
will be "Since we can't have babies, we
get to have everything else. "
So here's your Men's History Month,
Jerry.
Lovingly,
Sybil

ooo

Peace
fValk, Vi,deo,Speaker
Hiroshima to Iraq .. . 60 Years
of Uranium Weapons
Saturday, August 6
Peace Walk - 10:00 a.m.
Civic Center Park, 201 N. Walker, OKC
Silent walk around the Murrah Memorial
Peace Video - 11:15 a.m .. Saturday, August 6
Downtown Library, 300 W. Park Ave., OKC
"Poison Dust," documenting the effects of the
uranium weapons used by US and British forces in
Iraq. Thirty minute video and discussion.

Monday, August 8
Peace Speaker - 6:30 p.m.
Mayflower Congregational Church
3901NW63, OKC
Shared potluck supper and speaker
Conscientious objector Camilo Mejia led his US
Army squad for five months in Iraq ... then chose
prison rather than to return.

All events are free and open to the public.
Please join us.
sponsored by The Peace House, Spiritual Walk for Peace, Episcopal Peace &
Justice Commission, Mayflower Congregational Church, Social Justice
Committee of the First Unitarian Church, Church ofthe Open Arms,
Oklahoma City Friends Meeting, Joy Mennonite Church.

For more information access www.okpeacehouse.org
or call 405/524-5577

Canada Approves Same-Sex Marriage
Canada's Parliament approved legislation to allow same sex-marriages across the country, despite fierce opposition from conservative politicians and religious groups. Legislators voted by 158-133 to support the bill, which makes Canada only the fourth
country in the world after Belgium and the Netherlands to permit gay marriages.
Most Canadian provinces already allow same-sex marriages, and Canada has become
a popular destination for gay and lesbian couples from countries where these unions are
banned.
The minority Liberal government said it had to draw up the legislation after courts in
eight of the country's I 0 provinces ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional because it violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada's relaxed stance on gay marriage, and on other social issues, stands in contrast to that of the United States, where President George W . Bush wants Congress to
back a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.
"We are a nation of minorities and in a nation of minorities, it is important that you
don't cherry pick rights. A right is a right and that is what this vote tonight is all about,"
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said shortly before the vote.

6

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Gay Marriage Legal
in Spain

T

he law legalizing gay marriage in
Spain has cleared its last bureaucratic fonnality-being published in
an official government registry-and will
take effect in July.
An official of the ruling Socialist party,
which sponsored the law, said the party will
now seek legislation to protect Spain's estimated 8,000 transsexuals.
The gay marriage law, passed Thursday
by the lower house of par1iament, was published Saturday in the gazette, the Boletin
Oficial del Estado, which records all government decisions in Spain. The document
specified that the new law will go into effect
Sunday.
Gay couples are not expected to start
getting married until late th[s month because of the paperwork needed before they
go to town halls and other civil bodies that
marry people in Spain, according to Spain's
main federation of gays and lesbians.
The law gives same-sex couples the right
to wed, adopt children and inherit each
other's property, making their legal status
the same as that of heterosexual couples.
Gay and lesbian groups planned a big
street rally for Saturday evening in Madrid
to celebrate passage of the law, which
makes Spain the third country in the wor1d
to grant full recognition to gay marriage.
The others are the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is expected to follow suit
later this month.
Several European countries and a few
U.S. states recognize civil unions among
same-sex couples but this falls short of
treating them like married couples.
Fierce criticism of the law from the Catholic church continued, with the head of the
Spanish Bishops Conference, Bishop Ricardo Blazquez, branding it unconstitutional.
Speaking on Vatican radio Friday, he said
called the law's passage "a sad day for the
Spanish people because the stability of
marriage has been gravely injured and tremendous confusion over marriage and family has been unleashed."

Attorneys find Dykes on Bikes Offensive
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle Sta.ff Writer

V

ic Germany thought registering a federal trademark for San Francisco's
iconic Dykes on Bikes organization would be no problem. After all, the nonprofit lesbian motorcycle group has become internationally known for riding
in the lead position at San Francisco's pride parade every year for nearly three decades. Instead, the group has spent a humiliating two years slogging through the
swampland of trademark law, with no end in sight, said Germany, president of the
San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent, a.k.a. Dykes on Bikes.
Twice, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the Dykes' application,
on the grounds that "dyke" is vulgar, offensive and "scandalous." Patent office attorneys even point to Webster's dictionary, which says dyke is "often used disparagingly. The examining attorney found it to be offensive to a significant portion of the
lesbian community," said Jessie Roberts, a trademark administrator with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office. "And we're also looking out for the sensitivities of the
general public more than that of a specific applicant."
The applicants, in this case, prefer to call themselves dykes. "We self-identify as
dykes on bikes," said Germany, a 48-year-old San Francisco environmental consultant. "To us, (the government's objection) is completely absurd." The women call
themselves "dykes" for the same reason many gays have laid claim to "queer" -- to
defang a word that has long been a slur.
"I cannot imagine a more ironic twist of thinking than to judge this reclaimed badge
of honor as insulting to the very community who has created its power," Joan Nestle,
co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, wrote in a declaration supporting the
Dykes on Bikes' trademark request. "Lesbians do not need to be protected from their
own cultural creations, their own transformations of stigmas."
The Dykes argue that they are succeeding in weaving the term into the cultural fabric. Roaring up Market Street on their motorcycles before thousands of onlookers at
pride parades, San Francisco's Dykes on Bikes have paved the way for a dozen-plus
similar groups elsewhere. There are Dykes Planning Tykes parents groups, a "Dyke
TV" cable access show, and a site for "the Web-savvy dyke" called Technodyke.com.
The federal paper-shuffling might seem superfluous to any Bay Area resident who
has heard the street chant, "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it." But "queer," a
longtime slur for male homosexuals, is different-at least in the eyes of the federal
trademarkers. In November, the patent office registered a trademark on behalf of the
Bravo Network for the hit television show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
"So what's the difference between 'queer' and 'dyke'?" said Brooke Oliver, the Mission District attorney who is handling the Dykes' case. Germany pointed out that the
case for "Queer Eye" was supported by a deep- pocketed television network. "And
we're a nonprofit group full of working- class women," she said.

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august 2005

Save the Date!
Herland's 20th
Anniversary Retreat
October 28-30, 2005
Sequoyah State Park
Mark your calendars now for the last
weekend in October and join us as we
celebrate 20 years of Herland Retreats.
Plans are being made for a grand celebration as we re-create some of the most
fun activities from past retreats. And, our
favorite entertainers are being contacted
to play at the Saturday evening concert.
Expect the best!
So, to get you in the spirit, here are a
few Herland Retreat trivia questions:
1. Where was the first Herland Retreat
held? (This one's easy if you read
your last newsletter.)
2. Where was a lavendar bra run up the
flagpole?
3. At which retreat was there a 4:30
virgin?
4. At which retreat were dyke eroticakes
served for breakfast?
5. Who were the performers the last
time a retreat was held at Sequoyah
State Park? Hint: It was in Fall 1988.
6. Where did Herland have its first 4day retreat?
7. Which retreat featured tie-dyeing and
a kazoo band?
8. Which retreat boasted the highest
attendance at 150 womyn?
9. Which retreat featured a dog show/
costume contest?
10. Which entertainer has performed at
the most Herland retreats?
Answers will be in next month's Voice!

volume 23, number 8

Title IX: The Law That Changed Girls' Futures
from the book, Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law that Changed the Future of
Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal

T

hirty-three years after its passage, Title IX, the landmark legislation that
forbids sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds, faces new
challenges. Earlier this year, the Bush administration quietly changed
the rules. To prove they are complying with Title IX, schools now need only
conduct an email survey asking what additional sports programs women would
like. A lack ofresponse from students would signal that they weren' t interested
in sports programs. Previously, a survey was only one factor in measuring
whether women's athletic interests were being met.
While the debate has focused on athletics, Title IX originally wasn' t about
sports at all. In the late 1960's, U.S. Rep. Edith Green, a Democrat from Oregon, was shocked as she heard a panel of
school superintendents speak at a hearing
about a special program for potential high
school dropouts. The program included
only classes for disadvantaged boys because, according to the superintendents,
they "are going to be the breadwinners."
Rep. Green was stunned to learn that under
existing U.S. laws, it was perfectly legal to
discriminate on the basis of sex in any education program.
The superintendent's comments made
Rep. Green determined to change the law,
and in 1970 she held the first hearings on
sex discrimination in education. Despite
the evidence presented (including quotas at many public universities that limited the number of women accepted to 5% or 10%), her male colleagues were
not interested in changing the law.
Then in 1972, Rep. Green waited to even mention sex discrimination until the
education bill was before the entire House Education and Labor Committee.
There, she had key supporters, including Rep. Shirley Chisolm of New York,
the first African-American Congresswoman, and Rep. Patsy Mink, of Hawaii,
the first woman of color elected to Congress. When the full committee gathered, Rep. Green proposed adding a little section to the bill that would ban sex
discrimination in programs at schools receiving federal funds.
Some committee members thought the changes unnecessary, even silly. But
after battles in both the House and the Senate, Title IX was included in the education bill that President Nixon signed in 1972.
Continued on page 2

www.herlandsisters.org
herland sister resources, 2312 nw 39th, Oklahoma city, ok 73112
(405) 521-9696
email: herlandsisters@cox.net
bookstore hours: saturdays 1-5 pm

august2005

the herland voice

The Playing Field

Title IX Faces New Challenges

After Title IX passed in 1972, the number of
women playing sports and entering law and
medical school skyrocketed.

(continued from page 1)

1971

2001

Varsity Sports Boys

3,666,917

3,960,517

Girls

294,015

2,806,998

Boys

645,670

540,597

Girls

132,299

456,169

Baseball

Boys

400,906

451,674

Softball

Girls

9,813

355,960

Soccer

Boys

78,510

339, 101

Girls

700

295 265

1971

2001

170,384

212,140

Women

29977

155 513

Men

10,435

8,581

1 653

7784

85,554

69,390

8 914

65 701

HIGH SCHOOL

Basketball

COLLEGE

Playing Sports Men
Entering
med school
Attending
law school

Women
Men
Women

Source: National Federation of State High School Associations; NCAA;
Association of American Medical Colleges; American Bar Association.

(continued from bottom right)

Once the doors to opportunity were
opened, women surged through them. In
the early 1980s, the number of women
getting undergraduate degrees passed the
number of men and kept going. Ironically, the rush of women into colleges and
universities has made it challenging for
schools to provide equal opportunities on
the playing field. Some complain that
they have had to cut some men's programs in order to afford new sports for
women. This prompted the Bush administration to assess the impact of Title IX
rules on athletics and to allow only a webbased survey to show whether women's
interests were being met.
By its 30th anniversary, Title IX had
become so much a part of the landscape
that many students took it for granted.
When asked about her reaction to President Bush's proposed change to Title IX,
tennis star Jennifer Capriati replied, "I
have no idea what Title IX is. Sorry."

Interpreting the law fell to the Health, Education, and Welfare Department, headed by Secretary Caspar Weinberger. HEW moved slowly to
implement the law, in part because it had never before dealt with a sexdiscrimination law.
As Weinberger was wrestling with whether the new law would apply to
gym classes and competitive sports, one event would help transform the
way men and women looked at girls athletics.
Billie Jean King was one of the best tennis players of the day and her
forceful battles to win respect for women's tennis caught the attention of
Bobby Riggs, a longtime tennis pro and publicity seeker who had won
Wimbledon and the US Open years before. A self-described "male chauvinist pig," Riggs was a blunt critic of feminism in general and women in
sports in particular. The 55-year-old Riggs challenged 29-year-old King
to a match. In a way, the September 1973 match was a giant publicity
stunt. But to many people, much more was on the line: If King won,
women might finally earn credibility as athletes. In the end, King didn't
just beat Riggs, she thrashed him, winning three straight sets, 6-4, 6-3,
6-3.
In the midst of the excitement, Washington regulators were wrestling
with implementing this new Title IX The crucial call as to whether the
law applied to sports teams ultimately fell to Secretary Weinberger, a political conservative who had long opposed big government and heavyhanded meddling in people's business.
As Weinberger listened to arguments on both sides, he found the disparities glaring and unacceptable. It wasn't right that schools provided
facilities, coaches, uniforms, and locker rooms for boys and men but if
girls and women wanted teams, they were expected to raise the money
themselves. An estimated 50,000 men went to college on athletic scholarships, compared with perhaps 500 women. He concluded that sports
teams were school activities covered under Title IX If boys got to play,
then girls should get to play, too. That single decision would change the
course of the new law-and of American sports.
Title IX would face more challenges, from the NCAA, the Reagan administration, and others. But a real breakthrough came in Atlanta in
1996.
The female athletes of the mid-1990s were a different breed than those
who competed before them. Most were born in the early 1970s and grew
up with access to leagues and teams that their mothers only dreamed
about. Dubbed "Title IX babies," many of the team sports players had
attended college on athletic scholarships, or at least had gotten to play on
college teams. And in this Olympic year, the US, the host country, was
committed to their success. The US Olympic Committee supported
women's sports financially like never before.
All the women's teams promised to be competitive but NBC television
figured viewers wanted to see the glamour sports, like men's basketball,
women's gymnastics, swimming, diving, and track during primetime.
Women's soccer and basketball would be shown in the off-hours or late
at night. Women's softball wasn't on the schedule at all.
Even without the cameras, the women brought fans in record numbers.
US women's basketball, softball, and soccer filled stadiums as they each
captured the gold medal. Their heart-pounding success refocused attention on the incredible gains women had made in sports. (continued left)
2

august2005

the herland voice

Herland Activities

Herland Events Calendar

Herland Work Day
Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 6th, at 10 am. That's when
we will be putting the finishing touches on our new cabinets in the
kitchen, getting rid of some junk from the garage, and making a few
repairs. If you have just a few hours to spare, we could use your help.

Herland Hiking
The next Herland Hike is on August13. We plan to do the two-mile
walking path at Dolese Park. We will meet at the parking lot Uust
north of NW 50th) on Dolese Park Street (intersects with NW 50th in
between Meridian and MacArthur) at 10:00 am. Everyone is also invited to meet at Moe's Place, 5012 N. MacArthur for coffee or breakfast at 9:00 am if they so desire.

Herland Supper Club
The August Supper Club will meet Saturday, August 20, at 5:15 pm
at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, to see the
film, Ladies in Lavender. Those wishing to carpool can meet at Berland Sister Resources at 5:00 pm. (Herland is located at 2312 NW
39th Street in OKC.)
Ladies in Lavender is about two sisters, Ursula and Janet (Judi
Dench and Maggie Smith), who live in an old house by the sea in
1930s Cornwall, England. Their pleasant but uneventful routine of
beach walks, reading, sewing, and tea time is interrupted when Andreas (Daniel Bruhl), a young Polish violinist washes ashore, barely
alive.
After the movie, at about 7:15 pm, we will go around the comer to
La Luna's, 409 W. Reno for some great Mexican food.

Tuesday, August 2: PFLAG, Church of the Open
Arms, 7 pm.
Saturday, August 6: Herland Work Day, 10 am.
Come and help make a few repairs.
Monday, August 8: OGLPC Monthly Meeting at
Neighborhood Alliance, 1236 NW 36th, 7 pm.
Tuesday, August 9: Young Lesbians/Gays Support
Group at Church of the Open Arms, 7 pm. Call
Donna at 748-7301 for details.
Saturday, August 13: Herland Hike, Dolese Park,
NW 50th between Meridian & McArthur, 10 am.
Meet for coffee first at Moe's Place, 5012 N.
McArthur, 9 am.
Saturday, August 13: Herland Game Night and
Potluck, 7 pm. Bring a game and a dish to share
and join in the fun. Last time it was Taboo and badminton-no telling what it will be this time!
Saturday, August 20: Herland Supper Club,
movie Ladies in Lavender at OKC Museum of Art,
415 Couch Drive, 5:30 pm, followed by supper at La
Luna's, 409 W. Reno, 7:15 pm.
Sunday, August 21: Herl and Board Meeting at
Herland, 4 pm, everyone welcome.
Tuesday, August 16: Young Lesbians/Gays Support Group at Church of the Open Arms, 7 pm.
Saturday, August 27: Harland Video Night, 7 pm.
We will be showing Chisolm '72, One Fine Day, and
Votes for Women.
Saturday. September 3: State NOW Meeting, OKC
Downtown Library, 3 pm.

Herland Video Night
Come celebrate Women's History Month with Berland on Saturday,
August 27, at 7 pm. For more details, see article page 5.

Astraea Grant

Website of the Month
www ~ victoryfund.org

Berland is pleased to announce that we are the recipients of a $1,000
grant from the Heller/Bernard Fund of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. This is the fourth time since 1993 that Berland has
been bestowed funds from Astraea.
Astraea is the largest lesbian organization in the world. They work
for social, racial, and economic justice in the U.S. and internationally.
Their programs help lesbians and allied communities challenge oppression and claim their human rights.

Anonymous Donation of Laptop
Berland would like to thank very much the anonymous donor of a
new Gateway laptop computer to our organization. The computer
will be used to keep our financial records and other files that are
transferred from outgoing to incoming Sister II every six months. A
big THANK YOU to the generous donor!
3

The Voice is published monthly by Her/and Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 NW39th, 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 Her/and 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. Her/and reseNes the right
to edit or not publish any article. Subscriptions to The
Voice are free upon request although a donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.

august2005

the herland voice

State NOW Meeting
Saturday, September 3rd, 2005

at 3:00 pm
Oklahoma City Downtown Public
Library, 300 Park Avenue
We will be discussing the developments
of the Supreme Court nominations, current issues, and our membership agenda
for the fall. All new members are welcome! If you are unable to attend, but are
interested in more information, please
contact Oklahoma National Organization
for Women at ameevanderpool. now@gmail.com. Hope to see you
there!

Young LGBT Support
Group Forming
For young adults between the ages of 18 and
30. 2nd &4th Tuesdays, (Aug 9 &23) at
COA, 3131 N Penn. Call Donna at 748-7301
for more information.

Protest Against The Buzz Comments

0

KC radio station 94.7 FM "The Buzz" has a new show, the "Mo
Radio Show" alli.ng from 6-1 Oam weekdays, deejayed by Bryan
"Mo" Modzelewski. On June 29, 2005, Mo asked his listeners to
call in and answer whether they would rather beat a woman or wake up
one morning after having gay sex. Callers' responses matched the "taste"
of the question.
For example, one caller stated that he would "rather beat a woman than
be the woman." Another had an eloquent answer: "Well, I choose beat a
woman because I can think of reasons to beat a woman, and I couldn't
think of a reason to have gay sex."
This is but one example of the extremely hateful comments Mo has
made against women and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual community on his weekday morning show. A group co-sponsored by Church of
the Open Arms held a protest rally at noon on July 8, 2005 on the grass on
the north side of 50 Penn Place. They asked for a sincere on-air apology
from "The Buzz" every hour on the hour for at least 24 hours, as well as a
verbal commitment not to make such statements in the future. They also
asked that the station show their support of the programs in our community that fight the violence that Mo has promoted, by donating at least
$1,000 to the Oklahoma City YWCA to help them fight against domestic
abuse and sexual assault.
Eventually the radio station did apologize to women for seeming to advocate violence against them but did not apologize to gays.

Lost & Found
Have you lost something? Someone left a couple of chairs at our Pride
picnic, and after the Spring Retreat we found a cooler and a blanket that
had not made it home with their owners. Call Herland at 521-9696 and
identify the items, leave your name and phone numbers, and we will see
about getting them back to you, or scheduling a pick-up time for you.

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august2005

the herland voice

Women's History Month and Video Night
by MOC

A

ugust is Women's Herstory Month. It's a long month, 31 days,
unlike Black History Month, which is February, the shortest month
of the year, a fact wryly noted by African Americans and their allies;
who are somewhat bemused at being presented with such an easy joke, such a
great straight line: Yep, American blacks get 28 days; short-changed as
usual.
Ironic as that might be, in August we're looking elsewhere, and we're celebrating that women, all colors and sexual orientations, get 31 big days. So is
it women 's history month? Or wimmin 's herstory month? Or womyn 's history month? Whatever, in August we are celebrating womyn/wimmin/
women. Officially it is Women's History Month.
On Saturday, August 27, we will celebrate Womyn's Herstory Month with
a Video Night celebration at Herland at 7 pm. We will show three or more
videos: the short film Votes for Women (telling of the campaign which basically made women citizens - no, not first class citizens, we're still working
on that one), the even shorter 7-minute movie One Fine Day, an exhilarating
film guaranteed to give you goose bumps and pride in your foremothers and
yourself, and Chisolm '72: Unbought and Unbossed. Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm made history when she vied for the presidency
in 1972. In fact, Congresswoman Chisholm has represented a series of firsts:
She was the first African-American woman elected to Congress and the first
black person and woman to run a serious, high-profile campaign in the U.S.
presidential primary. Her inspiring journey is the subject of this documentary.
A century ago women in the United States did not have the vote. Women
were automatically denied custody of their children in divorce actions.
Spousal rape was a commonality, not a crime. "Barefoot and pregnant" was
not a backwater catchphrase but a condition mandated by poverty and ignorance. Single women (yes, that would include lesbians in great numbers) had
three options: drudgery in factories, drudgery in their married relatives
homes, and prostitution. Our s/heroes worked to change these things.
We don't have a woman president yet, but we are all pretty sure that we
will someday. A short fifty years ago it never occurred to anyone that there
was anything wrong in saying that " ... all little American boys can grow up
to be President." People would brag about it in front of their little girls, never
thinking how it might make them feel; but now everyone knows that we can
all grow up to be president, it'll just be a lot harder for a little girl. She'll
have to do everything a little boy does, twice as well. No problem, Ginger
Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, backwards and in high heels. And
our s/heroes worked to change these attitudes.
Fifty years ago women could not dream of attending West Point or any
other of the Service academies. The woman who would become the first to
sit on the Supreme Court graduated second in her class at Stanford Law
School and was offered nothing but secretarial positions at the prestigious
law firms which hired her classmates as attorneys. A sure compliment fifty
years ago was to tell a woman that she thought like a man, threw like a man,
played cards like a man, ran, did math, drank beer, belched, played music,
anything esteemed by the male culture, like a man.
The work begun by the women's rights movement in the 1800's and continued by the suffragists in the early 1900's was reinforced and continued by the
feminists of the 1970's and 80's. These were the women who fought for our
freedom, citizenship, dignity and opportunity. These are mys/heroes, and we
will meet many of them in the videos we'll be showing on August 27. Hope
to see you there.
5

President Bush's
'Compassionate
Homophobia'

0

n June 21, President Bush addressed the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in
Nashville, Tenn. Praising the convention's
support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, the president said: "Southern Baptists are practicing compassion by defending the family and the sacred institution of
marriage."
Reverend Steven Baines, an elder in the
Disciples of Christ and member of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Religious Leadership Roundtable
responded with disappointment that "the
president and leaders of the Southern
Baptist Convention continue to present
their discrimination against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender Americans in
the guise of compassion."
"The president's speech failed to explain
how a Federal Marriage Amendment that
would block thousands of American families from the protections they need for
their stability and security can be seen as
an act of compassion; just as the Southern Baptist Convention has failed to explain how supporting this discrimination
contributes to its Christian witness. There
is nothing Christian about discrimination.
. "Instead of dressing up their bigotry as
'compassionate homophobia' the president and the Southern Baptist Convention
can show real compassion by guaranteeing full equality for same-sex couples and
their families. This would be more in line
with the ethic of compassion for the marginalized and oppressed that is the foundation of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures the president claims to revere so
strongly."
First convened in 1998, the National
Religious Leadership Roundtable of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is
an interfaith collaboration of more than
forty denominations and faith-related organizations.

august2005

the herland voice

Saint Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
What's this about ¥ ¥ ¥ History
history
Month? Why isn't there a
month as well? Let's be fair here!
Heatedly,
Jerry Atrick
Dear Jerry,
You will be pleased to hear that Congress has finally relented and has declared July as Men 's History Month. To
those who care and take note of these
things, July is a 31-day month - three
days more than Black History Month!
Go Men! - and it is the month before i.e., "ahead of' - Women 's History
Month. Go Men!
July was chosen for Men's History
Month because - er - no reason really,
but possibly something about the Fourth
ofJuly (fireworks as ejaculation metaphor) or even July 14, Bastille Day, but probably not, too reminiscent ofMadame LaFarge and Lorena ... oooh,
never mind.
Anyway, Hallmark has been contacted
with the hope that they will make a series of ''lvien 's History Month" cards,
which will help the rest of us in understanding just what it is about. Hallmark
is ofcourse looking to sports, football,
baseball, men 's basketball, golf- although Tiger Woods is rumored to have
declined in solidarity with Michelle Wie.
It is expected that Men 's History
Month will celebrate those few men
who, against all odds, have struggled to
overcome Affirmative Action and have
been able to rise to CEO, CFO, President, Vice President, Congressman,
Senator, Governor, Mayor, Judge,
Quarterback, and Racetrack Tout.
"Affirmative Action" will be the whipping boy of the month, although sophisticates will strive to be sure that women
think that Affirmative Actioin refers to
giving an unfair advantage to racial
minorities and that racial minorities are
sure that Affirmative Action refers to
giving women the unfair advantage.
The motto for Men's History Month
will be "Since we can't have babies, we
get to have everything else. "
So here's your Men's History Month,
Jerry.
Lovingly,
Sybil

ooo

Peace
fValk, Vi,deo,Speaker
Hiroshima to Iraq .. . 60 Years
of Uranium Weapons
Saturday, August 6
Peace Walk - 10:00 a.m.
Civic Center Park, 201 N. Walker, OKC
Silent walk around the Murrah Memorial
Peace Video - 11:15 a.m .. Saturday, August 6
Downtown Library, 300 W. Park Ave., OKC
"Poison Dust," documenting the effects of the
uranium weapons used by US and British forces in
Iraq. Thirty minute video and discussion.

Monday, August 8
Peace Speaker - 6:30 p.m.
Mayflower Congregational Church
3901NW63, OKC
Shared potluck supper and speaker
Conscientious objector Camilo Mejia led his US
Army squad for five months in Iraq ... then chose
prison rather than to return.

All events are free and open to the public.
Please join us.
sponsored by The Peace House, Spiritual Walk for Peace, Episcopal Peace &
Justice Commission, Mayflower Congregational Church, Social Justice
Committee of the First Unitarian Church, Church ofthe Open Arms,
Oklahoma City Friends Meeting, Joy Mennonite Church.

For more information access www.okpeacehouse.org
or call 405/524-5577

Canada Approves Same-Sex Marriage
Canada's Parliament approved legislation to allow same sex-marriages across the country, despite fierce opposition from conservative politicians and religious groups. Legislators voted by 158-133 to support the bill, which makes Canada only the fourth
country in the world after Belgium and the Netherlands to permit gay marriages.
Most Canadian provinces already allow same-sex marriages, and Canada has become
a popular destination for gay and lesbian couples from countries where these unions are
banned.
The minority Liberal government said it had to draw up the legislation after courts in
eight of the country's I 0 provinces ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional because it violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada's relaxed stance on gay marriage, and on other social issues, stands in contrast to that of the United States, where President George W . Bush wants Congress to
back a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.
"We are a nation of minorities and in a nation of minorities, it is important that you
don't cherry pick rights. A right is a right and that is what this vote tonight is all about,"
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said shortly before the vote.

6

august2005

the herland voice

Gay Marriage Legal
in Spain

T

he law legalizing gay marriage in
Spain has cleared its last bureaucratic fonnality-being published in
an official government registry-and will
take effect in July.
An official of the ruling Socialist party,
which sponsored the law, said the party will
now seek legislation to protect Spain's estimated 8,000 transsexuals.
The gay marriage law, passed Thursday
by the lower house of par1iament, was published Saturday in the gazette, the Boletin
Oficial del Estado, which records all government decisions in Spain. The document
specified that the new law will go into effect
Sunday.
Gay couples are not expected to start
getting married until late th[s month because of the paperwork needed before they
go to town halls and other civil bodies that
marry people in Spain, according to Spain's
main federation of gays and lesbians.
The law gives same-sex couples the right
to wed, adopt children and inherit each
other's property, making their legal status
the same as that of heterosexual couples.
Gay and lesbian groups planned a big
street rally for Saturday evening in Madrid
to celebrate passage of the law, which
makes Spain the third country in the wor1d
to grant full recognition to gay marriage.
The others are the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is expected to follow suit
later this month.
Several European countries and a few
U.S. states recognize civil unions among
same-sex couples but this falls short of
treating them like married couples.
Fierce criticism of the law from the Catholic church continued, with the head of the
Spanish Bishops Conference, Bishop Ricardo Blazquez, branding it unconstitutional.
Speaking on Vatican radio Friday, he said
called the law's passage "a sad day for the
Spanish people because the stability of
marriage has been gravely injured and tremendous confusion over marriage and family has been unleashed."

Attorneys find Dykes on Bikes Offensive
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle Sta.ff Writer

V

ic Germany thought registering a federal trademark for San Francisco's
iconic Dykes on Bikes organization would be no problem. After all, the nonprofit lesbian motorcycle group has become internationally known for riding
in the lead position at San Francisco's pride parade every year for nearly three decades. Instead, the group has spent a humiliating two years slogging through the
swampland of trademark law, with no end in sight, said Germany, president of the
San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent, a.k.a. Dykes on Bikes.
Twice, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the Dykes' application,
on the grounds that "dyke" is vulgar, offensive and "scandalous." Patent office attorneys even point to Webster's dictionary, which says dyke is "often used disparagingly. The examining attorney found it to be offensive to a significant portion of the
lesbian community," said Jessie Roberts, a trademark administrator with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office. "And we're also looking out for the sensitivities of the
general public more than that of a specific applicant."
The applicants, in this case, prefer to call themselves dykes. "We self-identify as
dykes on bikes," said Germany, a 48-year-old San Francisco environmental consultant. "To us, (the government's objection) is completely absurd." The women call
themselves "dykes" for the same reason many gays have laid claim to "queer" -- to
defang a word that has long been a slur.
"I cannot imagine a more ironic twist of thinking than to judge this reclaimed badge
of honor as insulting to the very community who has created its power," Joan Nestle,
co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, wrote in a declaration supporting the
Dykes on Bikes' trademark request. "Lesbians do not need to be protected from their
own cultural creations, their own transformations of stigmas."
The Dykes argue that they are succeeding in weaving the term into the cultural fabric. Roaring up Market Street on their motorcycles before thousands of onlookers at
pride parades, San Francisco's Dykes on Bikes have paved the way for a dozen-plus
similar groups elsewhere. There are Dykes Planning Tykes parents groups, a "Dyke
TV" cable access show, and a site for "the Web-savvy dyke" called Technodyke.com.
The federal paper-shuffling might seem superfluous to any Bay Area resident who
has heard the street chant, "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it." But "queer," a
longtime slur for male homosexuals, is different-at least in the eyes of the federal
trademarkers. In November, the patent office registered a trademark on behalf of the
Bravo Network for the hit television show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
"So what's the difference between 'queer' and 'dyke'?" said Brooke Oliver, the Mission District attorney who is handling the Dykes' case. Germany pointed out that the
case for "Queer Eye" was supported by a deep- pocketed television network. "And
we're a nonprofit group full of working- class women," she said.

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