extracted text

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5
MAY 1987

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

A Meditation on Healing
by An Painter
I t seems to me that healing is
something we think of as physically
directed, as in actively healing a
wound.
Healing' s end-product is
health, however.
And we invoke
"healing" when we are wounded.
Suppose we thought of healing as a
process of Becoming health--coming
into good health, or bad health, for
instance .
Then healing would no
longer be proximal to wounding .
Healing might be a continuous
evolution of the sense of well-being.
We would not wait until we are
wounded to beg in healing ourselves.
And what a revolutionary thought that
is.
Healing ourselves, healing each
other.
Very different kinds 01'
things.
Bringing health to another
is a political act; bringing ourselves to good health is charity .
Easy to think about what the other
person needs:
crisis lines, legal
help, support for our friends during
the aftermath of violence, friendship
or companionship, groups like Al
Anon, a shared meal.
And I'm not
sure some women think of themselves
as worthy.
But why not?
Why not
heal the inner self?
Indeed, bring
the self to health before going out
and volunteering at the careline, or
the rape crisis center.
This is violence:
killing the
soul of another human being; treating
someone as a consumable, wrapped in
plastic with a tear-off seal and a
single use warranty.
These are the
victims of violence: people who hate
and people who use. Violence is also
dissociation, alienation, and
fragmentation . And for those who are
more literal, violence is also
physical. Ubiquitous, isn't it?

I think Becoming health (notice I
don't say 'acquiring' it, as if I
could walk into the 7-1 .1 and say,
"Give me a Diet Coke and a health,
please") implies an evolution towards
a state of encounter.
One of the
stations along the way is purification.
One de-toxif ies the body.
And the mind, and the heart and the
spirit, though I'm not sure I'm
talking about four different things
here.
Another station is integration.
When violence is done upon
one, a part of one's self is split
off--that's the part that gets
trashed.
And we strive to reintegrate that part into our selves.
And for some of us, it's like saying
hello to a piece of one's self that
one never saw before:
"Hello, you
must be my sexuality.
Pleased to
meet you," or "Hello, I didn't catch
your name.
Heart, did you say?"
Wholeness is a station of this
passion.
I become, you become, a
whole person.
This can feel quite
strange.
After all, one may never
have been whole before.
One can get
on the path of this evolution
anywhere.
Renewal.
Somewhere in a
brain cell or two lurks the memory
that one was whole, once.
It may
only be a genetic memory it is true,
and it's not even a conscious memory.
But the feeling and sensation of
renewal is conscious.
It's right on
the surface of health.
I can think of these things which
my friends do: they go to sweats for
purification; they smudge with
juniper.
They explore Orthodox
Judaism and try out a mikva, a
purification bath; they purify their
minds by chanting; they purify their
spirits by walking in beauty.
They
purify their hearts in prayer groups,
in Long Dances, in devotional
meditation. My friends have come to

spirituality by contemplative
practice and by community.
Either
one seems to arrive in the same
place.
I think of the state of encounter
as a long drawn out recognition of
our true selves.
One touches the
Good and achieves ' self-love.
The
encounter is with ourselves.
The
Good can be Christ-love or Higher
Knowledge or Light but the experience
of touching it is the same moment . I
think the encounter can be with
another person, in ·the presence of
the good.
I would call this love.
One becomes one's self and therefore
one can become the Other, transcending the alienation of consciousness .
I don't think I've mentioned the
wo rds religion or power. Now there's
a r e volutionary th~ught .

sister lode
Vol. VII, No .

Feb. 1987

Note: sisterl9d~ ceased
publication after this
issue due to lack of
funds and inadequate
community support.

It

was published from 1978-

1987 in Albuquerque and
featured feminist news,
art, and poetry.

1

We encourage the exchange of information, personal opinions on issues of concern to the Oklahoma women's community, and your stories and
experiences.
The editor reserves the right to edit and condense letters according to space limitations. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and signed
by the author(s). Include your address and phone
number. If you wish to be published anonymously,
indicate so, but include your name, etc., for our
information, in case the editor has questions.

Collective
May

at

Meeting
10:30
a . JD.
t h e f<.e t r e a . . t

Volunteers needed to work the
bookstore.

Please come and find

out how you can be involved.

Mail or deliver your letters to HSR, Inc., 1630
N.W. 19, Okla. City, OK 73106. Deadline is the
15th of each month.

Saferide is the only alternative
available for women students. Over
500 women used the service in the
last four months.
info from: the guardian
by dar

rape rules changed
ANNAPOLIS, MD--After sixteen years
of feminist lobbying, the Maryland
General Assembly has finally passed
law that prohibits judges from
reading "Lord Hale" instructions to
juries in rape cases. "Lord Hale"
instructions warn the jurors that
"rape is an accusation easily to be
made and hard to be proved, and
harder to be defended by the party
accused though never so innocent."
The instructions are named aftei
the 17th century English jurist
Lord Matthew Hale who made a name
for himself in his own time for his
high conviction rate for women
accused of being witches. His
famous quote on rape has been cited
by virtually every legal scholar
writing on rape since and was regularly read to juries in the United
States until feminist organizing on
the issue of rape in the early
1970's.

Prior to the passage of this
legislation, a Maryland judges used
their "discretion" in deciding
whether to read the rule to juries
despite its enormously prejudicial
impact . As Susan Brownmiller com·rr nted in 1975: "Since four out of
five rapes go unreported, it is
fair to say categorically that
women do not find rape ' an accusation easily to be made.' Those
who do report their rape soon find,
however, that it is indeed 'hard to
be proved.' As for the party accused, though never so innocent or
never so guilty, except for the
tradition of Southern interracial
cases, by and large a successful
legal defense is nothing short· of a
cinch." Maybe this is the instruc~ion that should be read to juries
in Maryland rape prosecutions.
by debra ratterman
info from: washinrton
post (2-20-87

saferide attacked
EUGENE, OR--Project Saferide, a
nighttime shuttle for University of
Oregon women, has come under attack
from conservative groups for its
policy of allowing only women drivers and riders.
Last Spring, eight men assaulted the Saferide vans during Gay
and Lesbian Pride Week because they
said it served primarily lesbians.
In addition, several candidates in
campus elections ran unsuccessfully
on platforms to eliminate the program.
Most recently, an editorial in
the Oregon Daily Emerald attacked
the service saying:
Rat her than def ine r ape in
terms of i1omen being the
victims and men the attackers,
i t shou Ld be defin ed in terms
of people being i'apists.
Also, most men are not rapists
and can be trusted.

Shannon Meehan, the coordinator of Project Saferide, .. points
to the lies embi:,dded in this
gender-neutral depiction of rape.
In the real world, one in three
W?nen_wi11· be raped during their
11fet1me and over 99% of rapists
are men. She notes that last year
the Eugene Rape Crisis Network
received 374 sexual assault reports
and 759 reports of attempted attacks. Since the campus police
discontinued its escort service,

case dismissed
SAN DIEGO, CA--A San Diego aourt
has thrown out all criminal charges against Pamela Rae Stewart
Monson, the first to be woman pro-secuted for "fetal abuse." (see
oob nov. 1986) Manson's son was
born brain dead last November and
the prosecutor, Harry Elias, alleged that she caused the death by
failing to follow her doctor's
orders.
Judge E. Mac Amos ruled that
the statute under which she was
charged did not apply to the facts
of this case but had been intended
by the California legislature to
assure that fathers paid for the
support of their children. JThe
law made it a misdemeanor for a
parent to "willfully omit" to
furnish necessary medical attention for a child and included a
"fetus" as a child for the purposes of the statute . A violation
is punishable by a $2000 fine and
one year in jail.
Richard Boesin, Manson's attorney, said he hoped the ruling
would send a message that this
kind of prosecution is counterproductive and " will do nothing but
terrorize the hearts and minds of
pregnant women."
info from: new york times
(2-27-87)

PUBLISHED BY: HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
CIRCULATION: 600
ADVERTISING: LORAL REVES, 495-1094
NEWSLETTER STAFF:

BARBARA C., HARMONY COOK,

MARION H., CINDI J., GINGER McGOVERN, DONA W.

UERLAND News
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!

The Herland

Spring Retreat is this weekend at
Roman Nose State Park and you can
register at the gate.

Drive up and

look for us at the group camp.
There are work exchanges available for all who need them.

The

Saturday evening concert features
Mary Black, Donna DeSalvo, and Peggy
Johnson .

Workshops include juggling

and poetry.

There will be Open Mike,

games, raffles, and poetry readings.
Herland will also have some
chili.for sale for

those who don't

want to bother ' cooking Friday nite.

And if you plan on going to the Cris
Williamson concert ln Tulsa on May 29
there will be someone at the Retreat
selling tickets ... Anyone who has
friends in the Los Angeles area will
want to let them know that Nancy Day
is headed that way the first part of
May.

She will be at the Coronet

Theatre on May 3, At My Place (Santa
Monica) on May 6, Vermies (Pasadena) on
May 8, and Paradigm on May 9.

She

was such a warm and gracious performer
in OKC and we wish her luck in her
California debut.
EXUBE ME!
Yes you. Are you looking for sarething to do?
Santhing new? lb you want nnre excitenE!lt in
your life? Over 00) beautiful people read the
Herland llDilthly newsletter. Each and everyone of
you have tirings you like to do. Write us or call
733-9331 and leave a rressage as to what you \oKJUld
like to see Herland do for you. Herland has 15
board rrenbers who strive to bring the WC1IEI1' s
camrunity infomation, entertaimEnt, and a place
to feel at ease and relax. The nnre input \\e
receive fran the camrunity the better \\e can
serve. lb saretlring good for yourself and the
1
\o.UIEI1 s camrunity by
getting involved
with
Herland today.

HSR LIBRARY NEWS
Spring has finally arrived and as you do
your spring cleaning, why not return
those books you checked out from Herland
eons ago? It would not only give you additional space on your shelves but it would
also enable Herland to update the Library.
We desperately need your help beginning
May 9
through May 23 . The HSR Lending Library will grant a grace period for
all overdue books (no late charges). We
think, or should we say hope, that all the
70+ books now overdue will be returned.
As soon as the grace period ends the
library will be closed for approximately
3-4 weeks (no books will be checked out
during this time) so that all our books
can be catalogued and classified according
to the Dewey Decimal system. This will
indeed be a major task and all volunteers
will be appreciated.
·~
So why not take a moment and return any HSR
books you have that are overdue . The HSR
Lending Library is so important to all of
us, so let's unite to complete this project.
HSR LENDING LIBRARY POLICY
1. Check out only 1_ books for a two week
period.
2. Recheck books for an additional one
week.
3. When checking out books you must be
either a Friend of Herland or have become
a member of the Herland Library by filling
out a membership form and paying the $5.00
annual membership fee.
4. There is a 5¢ a day late charge for
overdue books (not to exceed the cost of
the book).
5. If for any reason, a Library book
entrusted to you is damaged or lost, it
must be replaced at the current price, or
come to some reasonable settlement with
Herland.
6. Library books cannot be checked out to
anyone who already has overdue books.
Thank you for your cooperation in following
these rules so that the HSR Lending Library
will be beneficial to all of us.

READERS' fORUM
VIRGIN BIRTH:

THE LESBIAN MOTHER

I had lunch with my father last
and mentioned that I was unsure
of which occupation I wanted to pursue.
I said that when I finished
this semester, I was not going to
concern myself with a major, but just
focus on basic courses for a while.
My father immediately informed me
that,
"there is plenty of time for
all that; what ~ really need is to
get married and fulfill your reproductive duty." •... Now, being
the
Lesbian-Feminist that I am, I was
outraged, to say the least.
His
statement is one of true chauvinism
and sexism, (and every other -ism
degrading to womyn).
After I quite
fuming I began to analyze my feelings
on the subject of my "reproductive
duty."
First of all, I don't believe
I have a #@*U reproductive duty!
I am a free women, a lesbian who
will make my own decisions about
my body.
We often need what we
are told we need, instead of discovering our needs on our own.
"Just because you are a lesbian
doesn't mean you can't have children;
and just because you're a womon
doesn't mean you have to." •. We
have options.
We don't have to marry
a man to have a child.
We don't have
to violate our bodies by having sex
with a man.
We have adoption, donor
insemination, 'surrogate mot hers, and
many more.
I've thought of rebelling against
my father by deliberately not having
children.
However, "I do want a
daughter someday."
I think my lover
and I will make beautiful mothers.
I have decided on donor insemination
as my way of getting pregnant.
To me
this is a special alternative, and it
enables us lesbians to truly have
children of virgin-birth.
w~ek

AFT~N

I wasn't sure who I wanted to
thank more, you or Nancy Day, but
I had to thank someone and I didn't
have an address.
Saying "she was
inspirational" doesn't even begin
to explain my appreciation.
I was
deeply moved in more ways than I
can remember.
I just wanted to
say thank you the best way I knew
how, so here is a poem I wroteactually, it pretty much wrote
itself- to show my appreciation.
Times like this I really wish I
had the talent she does so you'd
really understand how much it
meant.
Anyway, it may not be
professional, but it's sincere.
She reached within
and touched the part
that fills the heart
with love
She bled for us
And as she shared
no scar was spared
the knife
she bled for us
A symphony of lifetimes
or surpassing shame
of love
she bled for us ••.
she bled for
us

lndivid'uols-Couples-Groups

Helen Ho18ale
Cerlified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor

'U'&~~'lr

WAGNER

For more information read:
Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The New

pa~n

New Group Forming On

©ID<!i
O!tJ'lrO!Jil©~\7

For Information coll 366-0923

..

Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times.
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland. We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books, no
workshops, no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women,
Gaia's
Guide, a-nd Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City, and
no Herland library. If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now, then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on. BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and--O:nd them worthy,
please help us with our growth.

So I ask you.
Do you want us to
continue, and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you. Yet there are over 600 persons
receiving the newsletter. If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves, try new things, plan concerts, sponsor workshops, and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer, and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12 . Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today, or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation, when we are
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective

Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
cause.

YES.' 1: wanl lo ht!/p Her/and wifh
an annu3/ dona lion ol' I 12.

.;......;.;....__YcS ! I wanf fo help He1.Jand wilh
6-monrh donafion of 16.

~

Your fax-deduclib/e donafion enfdles ~ou
fo use of fhe lend/nq li-Orary as well as
discounls on sfore §Jock and eoncerf f/el<els.

your newsletter unless you send
us a change of address (just
sending one to the Post Office
won't do it).
This form may also be used to
add a name to the mailing list.

• Name:
lldtlress:
Cif!I_:
St11fe:

Phone:

Mail To: Her/and Sisler Resources, Inc.
1630 Al. w. 19
•
OKC, OK 73106
THANKS.' (lier/and will send qou a receipf
•
lor gour faK purposes.)

State=

REGIONAL EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY WOMEN'S PEACE ENCAMPMENT
NATIONAL H-BOMB TRUCK-WATCH AT PANTEX
A two-day women's peace encampment at
the Pantex nuclea.r weapons assembly plant
near Amarillo, TX, May 9 and 10, will bring
together women on Mother's Day weekend for
originally
intended for the
the purpose
observance: to decry the suffering caused by
war and to work for peace. The
women's
encampment will initiate and set the tone for
a one-week national "H-bomb Truck Watch,"
May 10 to 17, also based at Pantex.
The "Mother's Day Peace Encampment" is
being sponsored by the Red River
Peace
Network of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
bring together women concerned about the
continuing nuclear arms race and the future
of humankind on the planet.
"For centuries,
men have left home to go to war; now women
are leaving home for peace," said Mavis
Belisle of Dallas, a planner for the Mother's
Day action.
Pantex is the final assembly point for
all U.S. nuclear bombs and warheads, and has
been the focus for several years of an annual
"peace pilgrimage" and encampment coordinated
by R.R.P.N. to commemorate the Aug. 6 and
Aug. 9 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and to call for an end to the nuclear threat.
The
planned

" H-Bomb
Truck
for May 10 -17.

WIMINFEST '87
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-24 at the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque
Join us in a three-day festival of women's
music, comedy and culture.
The Hate to Practice Players
Jo Ann Loulan
Sue Fink
The Washington Sisters
Teresa Trull with Bonnie Hayes
Jasmine
Ferron with Novi
MAXINE FELDMAN,
the original, outrageous
Amazon will emcee
the weekend.

All events are interpreted for the hearing-impaired .

Tickets for individual concerts are $10.00.
Festival pass for the whole weekend is $25.00.
For mail-order tickets,
,;
WIMIN, 301 Solano NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

Watch" is being
Interested appli-

cants are invited to call Lillian Pawlik,
Benedictine Peace ~ouse, OKC, at 524-5577 for
more information.

\\bmen In Movement In NewMexico

Cris Mlrandli 360·'4009 IRESI

u.. Krieg

360·0886(RE~

Quality Service With That Personal Touch

Ink Well 101fint{ng
TERI HOELTZEL
SUSAN BROOKS
Owners

CUSTOM SILKSCREENING
942-5693
P.O. BOX 270033
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

T·SHIRTS • UNIFORMS ·SWEATSHIRTS

ftel

111

d$lfn a J,;J fol ru !

LOCAL NEWS

WOMEN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE BY DOCTORS
P.O . Box 700235
73107

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After hearing•first-hand accounts
of
sexual abuse by doctors in Oklahoma, we
formed an organization called WASAD (Women

Martha
Steeger,
a
long-time
political
activist
for women's
issues,
has filed
suit against
the Ada public schools
charging
that she was not considered for
an
assistant
principal's
position
because of her sex.

Against Sexual Abuse By Doctors). We also
undertook a study to determine the extent of
of
We heard from a number
this abuse.
victims around the state.
We discovered there is nothing in the
concerning
Oklahoma Medical Practice Act
sexual abuse by doctors. We drew up a proposal for changes in the Medical Practice
Act and submitted it to Senator Bernest Cain.
Senator Cain introduced a bill to effect
The
bill
these changes on February 23.
A second bill concerns
number is SB 161.

In 1983,
Ms. Steeger, who had nine
and
a
half
years
experience
teaching and a
master's degree,
applied
for
a
position
as
assistant
principal
with the Ada
Public Schools.
There were only
two other applicants--both male.

chan9es in the makeup and tenure
Board of Medical Examiners. This

When she
first
talked to the
superintendent about
the
job, he
told her that as a
woman with a
family
she
~ouldn't
want
the
position.
Even
though
she
continued to pursue the position,
Ms.
Steeger was not interviewed.
Both
male
applicants
were
interviewed and
one recommended
for the job.

of the
is bill

number SB162.
We are forming a task force and we
your help.
passage of
you

1.

Ms. Steeger filed suit on June 25,
1986.
The trial date has been set
for June 30,1987.
Women's groups are being asked for
assistance with the cost of the
suit.
Oklahoma NOW has .e stablished
an "equity fund".
Contributions
may
be
sent to:
WOMEN'S EQUITY FUND
c/o Candy Tucker
1516 NW 48
OKC, OK 73118

need

Our initial goal is to sa·~ur:e
the bill. Here are some things

can do :
Follow the progress of these bills .

2.

Attend Committee hearings at the
to support the legislation.

Capitol

3.

Write a letter stating your support

4.

the bills.
Telephone Senator Cain,
Don McCorkle,521-2711, to

5.

support.
this
Channel
community.

of

521-5719, and
voice
your

information

to

your

Future goals of WASAD are the education
of the public and professionals about sexual
abuse by doctors; prevention of abuse;
and
action victims can take.
Please call ASAP and let us know how you
can help. Thankyou.
MaryBeth Pickney (528-5733)
Mary Menges Myers (943-5695)

r------1

848-6429

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 13'12

I

I

C.P.A.

I

II

_________..

I,..
T

Loral C. Reeves
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 7.3127

40.5/49.5-1094

I

Lilith Publications is looking for writers
to contribute chapters (2000 words) and original
black ink drawings for the Guide to Gracious
Lesbian Living. Topics to include the A-Z of
lesbian life,
all from a seriously humorous
perspective. Deadline May I, 1987 for September
publication. Inquiries welcome. 32 Lipton St.,
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3G 2G5. (Phone: 204774-7960.
Sing Heavenly Muse!, a journal of women's
poetry and prose, announces a poetry competition
with three awards of $500 each and publication.
Lise! Mueller will be the judge. Contestants
must have published at least five poems in two
or more publications and may not have published
a book_ of poetry. Send SASE to SHM, PO Box
13299, Minneapolis MN 55414 for complete guide1 ines.
Pebbles, Jan & Gina (current California
prisoners) are doing a book about women behind
bars to be called What's a Nice Girl Like You
Doing In a Place Like This. Women prisoners and
former prisoners who want to tell their stories
are invited to send a summary of their "crime"
and their time, as well as art and writings.
Contact Pebbles, Jan & Gina at What's A Nice
Girl, 2144 Shattuck Ave. Room 504, Box 2077,
Berkeley CA 94704.
Cyndra MacDowall is currently undertaking
research into women's sexual imagery (both
heterosexual and lesbian) and is particularly
interested in imagery made by women for women,
in photographic media (both historical and contemporary). She is interested in hearing from
anyone who has information on this subject and
who wou ld be interested in sharing research
information and suggestions. Please write WSIP,
c/o The Toronto Photographers Workshop, 80 Spadina Ave. Room #310, Toronto ONT M5J 2J3.

ll

KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
FOR WOMEN
The International Women's Guesthouse Registry (IWGR)
is
the
first
women's
guesthouse
networking
service,
providing
up-to-date,
confidential
listings of women-owned
and
operated
Bed & Breakfasts, inns, and
campgrounds in the U.S. and abroad.
Women-only
guesthouses
are extremely popular,
both as
vacation
spots and as weekend retreats.
Yet,
many women are unable to locate them
when planning trips.
Fountain Institute for Women, a
n-0n-profit
organization dedicated to
the
advancement
of
women,
founded
IWGR
to meet the increasing needs of
lesbian travlers.
Let
them know which
state or
region you're
interested
in,
and
they'll
mail
you
their listing of
women-owned
accommodations registered within that area.
There is a
$3
service
charge per state/region re- ·
quested (payable
to Fountain Institute for Women).
Free assistance is available to
women who
are interested in starting
their own B&B in their home or apartment.
Your only investment is a $15
annual
registration fee.
Write
for
more information.
Fountain Institute also publishes "TravelTalk", a
free,
quarterly
newsletter
for lesbians who love
to
travel
or
just enjoy reading
about
exciting places.
Send all request to:
FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
P.O. Box 700,
Rego Park, N.Y. 11374

1601 S. Broadway. Unll D •Edmond. Okla. 73013

"LOVE MAY BR m,JNO, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
Pro£ essional Analysis or Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette

Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Normon, Oklo.
321·21'48

Individual ...
Couples ... Group ...
Family Therapy

' '
'V

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

BY

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TULSA
PERFORMING
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• CHAPMAN THEATER •

TICKETS GO ON SALE AT PAC BOX OFFICE MAY 1
CALL (918) 592-7111 FOR .MORE INFORMATION
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VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5
MAY 1987

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

A Meditation on Healing
by An Painter
I t seems to me that healing is
something we think of as physically
directed, as in actively healing a
wound.
Healing' s end-product is
health, however.
And we invoke
"healing" when we are wounded.
Suppose we thought of healing as a
process of Becoming health--coming
into good health, or bad health, for
instance .
Then healing would no
longer be proximal to wounding .
Healing might be a continuous
evolution of the sense of well-being.
We would not wait until we are
wounded to beg in healing ourselves.
And what a revolutionary thought that
is.
Healing ourselves, healing each
other.
Very different kinds 01'
things.
Bringing health to another
is a political act; bringing ourselves to good health is charity .
Easy to think about what the other
person needs:
crisis lines, legal
help, support for our friends during
the aftermath of violence, friendship
or companionship, groups like Al
Anon, a shared meal.
And I'm not
sure some women think of themselves
as worthy.
But why not?
Why not
heal the inner self?
Indeed, bring
the self to health before going out
and volunteering at the careline, or
the rape crisis center.
This is violence:
killing the
soul of another human being; treating
someone as a consumable, wrapped in
plastic with a tear-off seal and a
single use warranty.
These are the
victims of violence: people who hate
and people who use. Violence is also
dissociation, alienation, and
fragmentation . And for those who are
more literal, violence is also
physical. Ubiquitous, isn't it?

I think Becoming health (notice I
don't say 'acquiring' it, as if I
could walk into the 7-1 .1 and say,
"Give me a Diet Coke and a health,
please") implies an evolution towards
a state of encounter.
One of the
stations along the way is purification.
One de-toxif ies the body.
And the mind, and the heart and the
spirit, though I'm not sure I'm
talking about four different things
here.
Another station is integration.
When violence is done upon
one, a part of one's self is split
off--that's the part that gets
trashed.
And we strive to reintegrate that part into our selves.
And for some of us, it's like saying
hello to a piece of one's self that
one never saw before:
"Hello, you
must be my sexuality.
Pleased to
meet you," or "Hello, I didn't catch
your name.
Heart, did you say?"
Wholeness is a station of this
passion.
I become, you become, a
whole person.
This can feel quite
strange.
After all, one may never
have been whole before.
One can get
on the path of this evolution
anywhere.
Renewal.
Somewhere in a
brain cell or two lurks the memory
that one was whole, once.
It may
only be a genetic memory it is true,
and it's not even a conscious memory.
But the feeling and sensation of
renewal is conscious.
It's right on
the surface of health.
I can think of these things which
my friends do: they go to sweats for
purification; they smudge with
juniper.
They explore Orthodox
Judaism and try out a mikva, a
purification bath; they purify their
minds by chanting; they purify their
spirits by walking in beauty.
They
purify their hearts in prayer groups,
in Long Dances, in devotional
meditation. My friends have come to

spirituality by contemplative
practice and by community.
Either
one seems to arrive in the same
place.
I think of the state of encounter
as a long drawn out recognition of
our true selves.
One touches the
Good and achieves ' self-love.
The
encounter is with ourselves.
The
Good can be Christ-love or Higher
Knowledge or Light but the experience
of touching it is the same moment . I
think the encounter can be with
another person, in ·the presence of
the good.
I would call this love.
One becomes one's self and therefore
one can become the Other, transcending the alienation of consciousness .
I don't think I've mentioned the
wo rds religion or power. Now there's
a r e volutionary th~ught .

sister lode
Vol. VII, No .

Feb. 1987

Note: sisterl9d~ ceased
publication after this
issue due to lack of
funds and inadequate
community support.

It

was published from 1978-

1987 in Albuquerque and
featured feminist news,
art, and poetry.

1

We encourage the exchange of information, personal opinions on issues of concern to the Oklahoma women's community, and your stories and
experiences.
The editor reserves the right to edit and condense letters according to space limitations. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and signed
by the author(s). Include your address and phone
number. If you wish to be published anonymously,
indicate so, but include your name, etc., for our
information, in case the editor has questions.

Collective
May

at

Meeting
10:30
a . JD.
t h e f<.e t r e a . . t

Volunteers needed to work the
bookstore.

Please come and find

out how you can be involved.

Mail or deliver your letters to HSR, Inc., 1630
N.W. 19, Okla. City, OK 73106. Deadline is the
15th of each month.

Saferide is the only alternative
available for women students. Over
500 women used the service in the
last four months.
info from: the guardian
by dar

rape rules changed
ANNAPOLIS, MD--After sixteen years
of feminist lobbying, the Maryland
General Assembly has finally passed
law that prohibits judges from
reading "Lord Hale" instructions to
juries in rape cases. "Lord Hale"
instructions warn the jurors that
"rape is an accusation easily to be
made and hard to be proved, and
harder to be defended by the party
accused though never so innocent."
The instructions are named aftei
the 17th century English jurist
Lord Matthew Hale who made a name
for himself in his own time for his
high conviction rate for women
accused of being witches. His
famous quote on rape has been cited
by virtually every legal scholar
writing on rape since and was regularly read to juries in the United
States until feminist organizing on
the issue of rape in the early
1970's.

Prior to the passage of this
legislation, a Maryland judges used
their "discretion" in deciding
whether to read the rule to juries
despite its enormously prejudicial
impact . As Susan Brownmiller com·rr nted in 1975: "Since four out of
five rapes go unreported, it is
fair to say categorically that
women do not find rape ' an accusation easily to be made.' Those
who do report their rape soon find,
however, that it is indeed 'hard to
be proved.' As for the party accused, though never so innocent or
never so guilty, except for the
tradition of Southern interracial
cases, by and large a successful
legal defense is nothing short· of a
cinch." Maybe this is the instruc~ion that should be read to juries
in Maryland rape prosecutions.
by debra ratterman
info from: washinrton
post (2-20-87

saferide attacked
EUGENE, OR--Project Saferide, a
nighttime shuttle for University of
Oregon women, has come under attack
from conservative groups for its
policy of allowing only women drivers and riders.
Last Spring, eight men assaulted the Saferide vans during Gay
and Lesbian Pride Week because they
said it served primarily lesbians.
In addition, several candidates in
campus elections ran unsuccessfully
on platforms to eliminate the program.
Most recently, an editorial in
the Oregon Daily Emerald attacked
the service saying:
Rat her than def ine r ape in
terms of i1omen being the
victims and men the attackers,
i t shou Ld be defin ed in terms
of people being i'apists.
Also, most men are not rapists
and can be trusted.

Shannon Meehan, the coordinator of Project Saferide, .. points
to the lies embi:,dded in this
gender-neutral depiction of rape.
In the real world, one in three
W?nen_wi11· be raped during their
11fet1me and over 99% of rapists
are men. She notes that last year
the Eugene Rape Crisis Network
received 374 sexual assault reports
and 759 reports of attempted attacks. Since the campus police
discontinued its escort service,

case dismissed
SAN DIEGO, CA--A San Diego aourt
has thrown out all criminal charges against Pamela Rae Stewart
Monson, the first to be woman pro-secuted for "fetal abuse." (see
oob nov. 1986) Manson's son was
born brain dead last November and
the prosecutor, Harry Elias, alleged that she caused the death by
failing to follow her doctor's
orders.
Judge E. Mac Amos ruled that
the statute under which she was
charged did not apply to the facts
of this case but had been intended
by the California legislature to
assure that fathers paid for the
support of their children. JThe
law made it a misdemeanor for a
parent to "willfully omit" to
furnish necessary medical attention for a child and included a
"fetus" as a child for the purposes of the statute . A violation
is punishable by a $2000 fine and
one year in jail.
Richard Boesin, Manson's attorney, said he hoped the ruling
would send a message that this
kind of prosecution is counterproductive and " will do nothing but
terrorize the hearts and minds of
pregnant women."
info from: new york times
(2-27-87)

PUBLISHED BY: HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
CIRCULATION: 600
ADVERTISING: LORAL REVES, 495-1094
NEWSLETTER STAFF:

BARBARA C., HARMONY COOK,

MARION H., CINDI J., GINGER McGOVERN, DONA W.

UERLAND News
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!

The Herland

Spring Retreat is this weekend at
Roman Nose State Park and you can
register at the gate.

Drive up and

look for us at the group camp.
There are work exchanges available for all who need them.

The

Saturday evening concert features
Mary Black, Donna DeSalvo, and Peggy
Johnson .

Workshops include juggling

and poetry.

There will be Open Mike,

games, raffles, and poetry readings.
Herland will also have some
chili.for sale for

those who don't

want to bother ' cooking Friday nite.

And if you plan on going to the Cris
Williamson concert ln Tulsa on May 29
there will be someone at the Retreat
selling tickets ... Anyone who has
friends in the Los Angeles area will
want to let them know that Nancy Day
is headed that way the first part of
May.

She will be at the Coronet

Theatre on May 3, At My Place (Santa
Monica) on May 6, Vermies (Pasadena) on
May 8, and Paradigm on May 9.

She

was such a warm and gracious performer
in OKC and we wish her luck in her
California debut.
EXUBE ME!
Yes you. Are you looking for sarething to do?
Santhing new? lb you want nnre excitenE!lt in
your life? Over 00) beautiful people read the
Herland llDilthly newsletter. Each and everyone of
you have tirings you like to do. Write us or call
733-9331 and leave a rressage as to what you \oKJUld
like to see Herland do for you. Herland has 15
board rrenbers who strive to bring the WC1IEI1' s
camrunity infomation, entertaimEnt, and a place
to feel at ease and relax. The nnre input \\e
receive fran the camrunity the better \\e can
serve. lb saretlring good for yourself and the
1
\o.UIEI1 s camrunity by
getting involved
with
Herland today.

HSR LIBRARY NEWS
Spring has finally arrived and as you do
your spring cleaning, why not return
those books you checked out from Herland
eons ago? It would not only give you additional space on your shelves but it would
also enable Herland to update the Library.
We desperately need your help beginning
May 9
through May 23 . The HSR Lending Library will grant a grace period for
all overdue books (no late charges). We
think, or should we say hope, that all the
70+ books now overdue will be returned.
As soon as the grace period ends the
library will be closed for approximately
3-4 weeks (no books will be checked out
during this time) so that all our books
can be catalogued and classified according
to the Dewey Decimal system. This will
indeed be a major task and all volunteers
will be appreciated.
·~
So why not take a moment and return any HSR
books you have that are overdue . The HSR
Lending Library is so important to all of
us, so let's unite to complete this project.
HSR LENDING LIBRARY POLICY
1. Check out only 1_ books for a two week
period.
2. Recheck books for an additional one
week.
3. When checking out books you must be
either a Friend of Herland or have become
a member of the Herland Library by filling
out a membership form and paying the $5.00
annual membership fee.
4. There is a 5¢ a day late charge for
overdue books (not to exceed the cost of
the book).
5. If for any reason, a Library book
entrusted to you is damaged or lost, it
must be replaced at the current price, or
come to some reasonable settlement with
Herland.
6. Library books cannot be checked out to
anyone who already has overdue books.
Thank you for your cooperation in following
these rules so that the HSR Lending Library
will be beneficial to all of us.

READERS' fORUM
VIRGIN BIRTH:

THE LESBIAN MOTHER

I had lunch with my father last
and mentioned that I was unsure
of which occupation I wanted to pursue.
I said that when I finished
this semester, I was not going to
concern myself with a major, but just
focus on basic courses for a while.
My father immediately informed me
that,
"there is plenty of time for
all that; what ~ really need is to
get married and fulfill your reproductive duty." •... Now, being
the
Lesbian-Feminist that I am, I was
outraged, to say the least.
His
statement is one of true chauvinism
and sexism, (and every other -ism
degrading to womyn).
After I quite
fuming I began to analyze my feelings
on the subject of my "reproductive
duty."
First of all, I don't believe
I have a #@*U reproductive duty!
I am a free women, a lesbian who
will make my own decisions about
my body.
We often need what we
are told we need, instead of discovering our needs on our own.
"Just because you are a lesbian
doesn't mean you can't have children;
and just because you're a womon
doesn't mean you have to." •. We
have options.
We don't have to marry
a man to have a child.
We don't have
to violate our bodies by having sex
with a man.
We have adoption, donor
insemination, 'surrogate mot hers, and
many more.
I've thought of rebelling against
my father by deliberately not having
children.
However, "I do want a
daughter someday."
I think my lover
and I will make beautiful mothers.
I have decided on donor insemination
as my way of getting pregnant.
To me
this is a special alternative, and it
enables us lesbians to truly have
children of virgin-birth.
w~ek

AFT~N

I wasn't sure who I wanted to
thank more, you or Nancy Day, but
I had to thank someone and I didn't
have an address.
Saying "she was
inspirational" doesn't even begin
to explain my appreciation.
I was
deeply moved in more ways than I
can remember.
I just wanted to
say thank you the best way I knew
how, so here is a poem I wroteactually, it pretty much wrote
itself- to show my appreciation.
Times like this I really wish I
had the talent she does so you'd
really understand how much it
meant.
Anyway, it may not be
professional, but it's sincere.
She reached within
and touched the part
that fills the heart
with love
She bled for us
And as she shared
no scar was spared
the knife
she bled for us
A symphony of lifetimes
or surpassing shame
of love
she bled for us ••.
she bled for
us

lndivid'uols-Couples-Groups

Helen Ho18ale
Cerlified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor

'U'&~~'lr

WAGNER

For more information read:
Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The New

pa~n

New Group Forming On

©ID<!i
O!tJ'lrO!Jil©~\7

For Information coll 366-0923

..

Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times.
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland. We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books, no
workshops, no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women,
Gaia's
Guide, a-nd Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City, and
no Herland library. If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now, then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on. BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and--O:nd them worthy,
please help us with our growth.

So I ask you.
Do you want us to
continue, and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you. Yet there are over 600 persons
receiving the newsletter. If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves, try new things, plan concerts, sponsor workshops, and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer, and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12 . Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today, or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation, when we are
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective

Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
cause.

YES.' 1: wanl lo ht!/p Her/and wifh
an annu3/ dona lion ol' I 12.

.;......;.;....__YcS ! I wanf fo help He1.Jand wilh
6-monrh donafion of 16.

~

Your fax-deduclib/e donafion enfdles ~ou
fo use of fhe lend/nq li-Orary as well as
discounls on sfore §Jock and eoncerf f/el<els.

your newsletter unless you send
us a change of address (just
sending one to the Post Office
won't do it).
This form may also be used to
add a name to the mailing list.

• Name:
lldtlress:
Cif!I_:
St11fe:

Phone:

Mail To: Her/and Sisler Resources, Inc.
1630 Al. w. 19
•
OKC, OK 73106
THANKS.' (lier/and will send qou a receipf
•
lor gour faK purposes.)

State=

REGIONAL EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY WOMEN'S PEACE ENCAMPMENT
NATIONAL H-BOMB TRUCK-WATCH AT PANTEX
A two-day women's peace encampment at
the Pantex nuclea.r weapons assembly plant
near Amarillo, TX, May 9 and 10, will bring
together women on Mother's Day weekend for
originally
intended for the
the purpose
observance: to decry the suffering caused by
war and to work for peace. The
women's
encampment will initiate and set the tone for
a one-week national "H-bomb Truck Watch,"
May 10 to 17, also based at Pantex.
The "Mother's Day Peace Encampment" is
being sponsored by the Red River
Peace
Network of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
bring together women concerned about the
continuing nuclear arms race and the future
of humankind on the planet.
"For centuries,
men have left home to go to war; now women
are leaving home for peace," said Mavis
Belisle of Dallas, a planner for the Mother's
Day action.
Pantex is the final assembly point for
all U.S. nuclear bombs and warheads, and has
been the focus for several years of an annual
"peace pilgrimage" and encampment coordinated
by R.R.P.N. to commemorate the Aug. 6 and
Aug. 9 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and to call for an end to the nuclear threat.
The
planned

" H-Bomb
Truck
for May 10 -17.

WIMINFEST '87
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-24 at the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque
Join us in a three-day festival of women's
music, comedy and culture.
The Hate to Practice Players
Jo Ann Loulan
Sue Fink
The Washington Sisters
Teresa Trull with Bonnie Hayes
Jasmine
Ferron with Novi
MAXINE FELDMAN,
the original, outrageous
Amazon will emcee
the weekend.

All events are interpreted for the hearing-impaired .

Tickets for individual concerts are $10.00.
Festival pass for the whole weekend is $25.00.
For mail-order tickets,
,;
WIMIN, 301 Solano NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

Watch" is being
Interested appli-

cants are invited to call Lillian Pawlik,
Benedictine Peace ~ouse, OKC, at 524-5577 for
more information.

\\bmen In Movement In NewMexico

Cris Mlrandli 360·'4009 IRESI

u.. Krieg

360·0886(RE~

Quality Service With That Personal Touch

Ink Well 101fint{ng
TERI HOELTZEL
SUSAN BROOKS
Owners

CUSTOM SILKSCREENING
942-5693
P.O. BOX 270033
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

T·SHIRTS • UNIFORMS ·SWEATSHIRTS

ftel

111

d$lfn a J,;J fol ru !

LOCAL NEWS

WOMEN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE BY DOCTORS
P.O . Box 700235
73107

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After hearing•first-hand accounts
of
sexual abuse by doctors in Oklahoma, we
formed an organization called WASAD (Women

Martha
Steeger,
a
long-time
political
activist
for women's
issues,
has filed
suit against
the Ada public schools
charging
that she was not considered for
an
assistant
principal's
position
because of her sex.

Against Sexual Abuse By Doctors). We also
undertook a study to determine the extent of
of
We heard from a number
this abuse.
victims around the state.
We discovered there is nothing in the
concerning
Oklahoma Medical Practice Act
sexual abuse by doctors. We drew up a proposal for changes in the Medical Practice
Act and submitted it to Senator Bernest Cain.
Senator Cain introduced a bill to effect
The
bill
these changes on February 23.
A second bill concerns
number is SB 161.

In 1983,
Ms. Steeger, who had nine
and
a
half
years
experience
teaching and a
master's degree,
applied
for
a
position
as
assistant
principal
with the Ada
Public Schools.
There were only
two other applicants--both male.

chan9es in the makeup and tenure
Board of Medical Examiners. This

When she
first
talked to the
superintendent about
the
job, he
told her that as a
woman with a
family
she
~ouldn't
want
the
position.
Even
though
she
continued to pursue the position,
Ms.
Steeger was not interviewed.
Both
male
applicants
were
interviewed and
one recommended
for the job.

of the
is bill

number SB162.
We are forming a task force and we
your help.
passage of
you

1.

Ms. Steeger filed suit on June 25,
1986.
The trial date has been set
for June 30,1987.
Women's groups are being asked for
assistance with the cost of the
suit.
Oklahoma NOW has .e stablished
an "equity fund".
Contributions
may
be
sent to:
WOMEN'S EQUITY FUND
c/o Candy Tucker
1516 NW 48
OKC, OK 73118

need

Our initial goal is to sa·~ur:e
the bill. Here are some things

can do :
Follow the progress of these bills .

2.

Attend Committee hearings at the
to support the legislation.

Capitol

3.

Write a letter stating your support

4.

the bills.
Telephone Senator Cain,
Don McCorkle,521-2711, to

5.

support.
this
Channel
community.

of

521-5719, and
voice
your

information

to

your

Future goals of WASAD are the education
of the public and professionals about sexual
abuse by doctors; prevention of abuse;
and
action victims can take.
Please call ASAP and let us know how you
can help. Thankyou.
MaryBeth Pickney (528-5733)
Mary Menges Myers (943-5695)

r------1

848-6429

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 13'12

I

I

C.P.A.

I

II

_________..

I,..
T

Loral C. Reeves
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 7.3127

40.5/49.5-1094

I

Lilith Publications is looking for writers
to contribute chapters (2000 words) and original
black ink drawings for the Guide to Gracious
Lesbian Living. Topics to include the A-Z of
lesbian life,
all from a seriously humorous
perspective. Deadline May I, 1987 for September
publication. Inquiries welcome. 32 Lipton St.,
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3G 2G5. (Phone: 204774-7960.
Sing Heavenly Muse!, a journal of women's
poetry and prose, announces a poetry competition
with three awards of $500 each and publication.
Lise! Mueller will be the judge. Contestants
must have published at least five poems in two
or more publications and may not have published
a book_ of poetry. Send SASE to SHM, PO Box
13299, Minneapolis MN 55414 for complete guide1 ines.
Pebbles, Jan & Gina (current California
prisoners) are doing a book about women behind
bars to be called What's a Nice Girl Like You
Doing In a Place Like This. Women prisoners and
former prisoners who want to tell their stories
are invited to send a summary of their "crime"
and their time, as well as art and writings.
Contact Pebbles, Jan & Gina at What's A Nice
Girl, 2144 Shattuck Ave. Room 504, Box 2077,
Berkeley CA 94704.
Cyndra MacDowall is currently undertaking
research into women's sexual imagery (both
heterosexual and lesbian) and is particularly
interested in imagery made by women for women,
in photographic media (both historical and contemporary). She is interested in hearing from
anyone who has information on this subject and
who wou ld be interested in sharing research
information and suggestions. Please write WSIP,
c/o The Toronto Photographers Workshop, 80 Spadina Ave. Room #310, Toronto ONT M5J 2J3.

ll

KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
FOR WOMEN
The International Women's Guesthouse Registry (IWGR)
is
the
first
women's
guesthouse
networking
service,
providing
up-to-date,
confidential
listings of women-owned
and
operated
Bed & Breakfasts, inns, and
campgrounds in the U.S. and abroad.
Women-only
guesthouses
are extremely popular,
both as
vacation
spots and as weekend retreats.
Yet,
many women are unable to locate them
when planning trips.
Fountain Institute for Women, a
n-0n-profit
organization dedicated to
the
advancement
of
women,
founded
IWGR
to meet the increasing needs of
lesbian travlers.
Let
them know which
state or
region you're
interested
in,
and
they'll
mail
you
their listing of
women-owned
accommodations registered within that area.
There is a
$3
service
charge per state/region re- ·
quested (payable
to Fountain Institute for Women).
Free assistance is available to
women who
are interested in starting
their own B&B in their home or apartment.
Your only investment is a $15
annual
registration fee.
Write
for
more information.
Fountain Institute also publishes "TravelTalk", a
free,
quarterly
newsletter
for lesbians who love
to
travel
or
just enjoy reading
about
exciting places.
Send all request to:
FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
P.O. Box 700,
Rego Park, N.Y. 11374

1601 S. Broadway. Unll D •Edmond. Okla. 73013

"LOVE MAY BR m,JNO, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
Pro£ essional Analysis or Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette

Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Normon, Oklo.
321·21'48

Individual ...
Couples ... Group ...
Family Therapy

' '
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SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

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PERFORMING
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• CHAPMAN THEATER •

TICKETS GO ON SALE AT PAC BOX OFFICE MAY 1
CALL (918) 592-7111 FOR .MORE INFORMATION
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VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5
MAY 1987

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

A Meditation on Healing
by An Painter
I t seems to me that healing is
something we think of as physically
directed, as in actively healing a
wound.
Healing' s end-product is
health, however.
And we invoke
"healing" when we are wounded.
Suppose we thought of healing as a
process of Becoming health--coming
into good health, or bad health, for
instance .
Then healing would no
longer be proximal to wounding .
Healing might be a continuous
evolution of the sense of well-being.
We would not wait until we are
wounded to beg in healing ourselves.
And what a revolutionary thought that
is.
Healing ourselves, healing each
other.
Very different kinds 01'
things.
Bringing health to another
is a political act; bringing ourselves to good health is charity .
Easy to think about what the other
person needs:
crisis lines, legal
help, support for our friends during
the aftermath of violence, friendship
or companionship, groups like Al
Anon, a shared meal.
And I'm not
sure some women think of themselves
as worthy.
But why not?
Why not
heal the inner self?
Indeed, bring
the self to health before going out
and volunteering at the careline, or
the rape crisis center.
This is violence:
killing the
soul of another human being; treating
someone as a consumable, wrapped in
plastic with a tear-off seal and a
single use warranty.
These are the
victims of violence: people who hate
and people who use. Violence is also
dissociation, alienation, and
fragmentation . And for those who are
more literal, violence is also
physical. Ubiquitous, isn't it?

I think Becoming health (notice I
don't say 'acquiring' it, as if I
could walk into the 7-1 .1 and say,
"Give me a Diet Coke and a health,
please") implies an evolution towards
a state of encounter.
One of the
stations along the way is purification.
One de-toxif ies the body.
And the mind, and the heart and the
spirit, though I'm not sure I'm
talking about four different things
here.
Another station is integration.
When violence is done upon
one, a part of one's self is split
off--that's the part that gets
trashed.
And we strive to reintegrate that part into our selves.
And for some of us, it's like saying
hello to a piece of one's self that
one never saw before:
"Hello, you
must be my sexuality.
Pleased to
meet you," or "Hello, I didn't catch
your name.
Heart, did you say?"
Wholeness is a station of this
passion.
I become, you become, a
whole person.
This can feel quite
strange.
After all, one may never
have been whole before.
One can get
on the path of this evolution
anywhere.
Renewal.
Somewhere in a
brain cell or two lurks the memory
that one was whole, once.
It may
only be a genetic memory it is true,
and it's not even a conscious memory.
But the feeling and sensation of
renewal is conscious.
It's right on
the surface of health.
I can think of these things which
my friends do: they go to sweats for
purification; they smudge with
juniper.
They explore Orthodox
Judaism and try out a mikva, a
purification bath; they purify their
minds by chanting; they purify their
spirits by walking in beauty.
They
purify their hearts in prayer groups,
in Long Dances, in devotional
meditation. My friends have come to

spirituality by contemplative
practice and by community.
Either
one seems to arrive in the same
place.
I think of the state of encounter
as a long drawn out recognition of
our true selves.
One touches the
Good and achieves ' self-love.
The
encounter is with ourselves.
The
Good can be Christ-love or Higher
Knowledge or Light but the experience
of touching it is the same moment . I
think the encounter can be with
another person, in ·the presence of
the good.
I would call this love.
One becomes one's self and therefore
one can become the Other, transcending the alienation of consciousness .
I don't think I've mentioned the
wo rds religion or power. Now there's
a r e volutionary th~ught .

sister lode
Vol. VII, No .

Feb. 1987

Note: sisterl9d~ ceased
publication after this
issue due to lack of
funds and inadequate
community support.

It

was published from 1978-

1987 in Albuquerque and
featured feminist news,
art, and poetry.

1

We encourage the exchange of information, personal opinions on issues of concern to the Oklahoma women's community, and your stories and
experiences.
The editor reserves the right to edit and condense letters according to space limitations. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and signed
by the author(s). Include your address and phone
number. If you wish to be published anonymously,
indicate so, but include your name, etc., for our
information, in case the editor has questions.

Collective
May

at

Meeting
10:30
a . JD.
t h e f<.e t r e a . . t

Volunteers needed to work the
bookstore.

Please come and find

out how you can be involved.

Mail or deliver your letters to HSR, Inc., 1630
N.W. 19, Okla. City, OK 73106. Deadline is the
15th of each month.

Saferide is the only alternative
available for women students. Over
500 women used the service in the
last four months.
info from: the guardian
by dar

rape rules changed
ANNAPOLIS, MD--After sixteen years
of feminist lobbying, the Maryland
General Assembly has finally passed
law that prohibits judges from
reading "Lord Hale" instructions to
juries in rape cases. "Lord Hale"
instructions warn the jurors that
"rape is an accusation easily to be
made and hard to be proved, and
harder to be defended by the party
accused though never so innocent."
The instructions are named aftei
the 17th century English jurist
Lord Matthew Hale who made a name
for himself in his own time for his
high conviction rate for women
accused of being witches. His
famous quote on rape has been cited
by virtually every legal scholar
writing on rape since and was regularly read to juries in the United
States until feminist organizing on
the issue of rape in the early
1970's.

Prior to the passage of this
legislation, a Maryland judges used
their "discretion" in deciding
whether to read the rule to juries
despite its enormously prejudicial
impact . As Susan Brownmiller com·rr nted in 1975: "Since four out of
five rapes go unreported, it is
fair to say categorically that
women do not find rape ' an accusation easily to be made.' Those
who do report their rape soon find,
however, that it is indeed 'hard to
be proved.' As for the party accused, though never so innocent or
never so guilty, except for the
tradition of Southern interracial
cases, by and large a successful
legal defense is nothing short· of a
cinch." Maybe this is the instruc~ion that should be read to juries
in Maryland rape prosecutions.
by debra ratterman
info from: washinrton
post (2-20-87

saferide attacked
EUGENE, OR--Project Saferide, a
nighttime shuttle for University of
Oregon women, has come under attack
from conservative groups for its
policy of allowing only women drivers and riders.
Last Spring, eight men assaulted the Saferide vans during Gay
and Lesbian Pride Week because they
said it served primarily lesbians.
In addition, several candidates in
campus elections ran unsuccessfully
on platforms to eliminate the program.
Most recently, an editorial in
the Oregon Daily Emerald attacked
the service saying:
Rat her than def ine r ape in
terms of i1omen being the
victims and men the attackers,
i t shou Ld be defin ed in terms
of people being i'apists.
Also, most men are not rapists
and can be trusted.

Shannon Meehan, the coordinator of Project Saferide, .. points
to the lies embi:,dded in this
gender-neutral depiction of rape.
In the real world, one in three
W?nen_wi11· be raped during their
11fet1me and over 99% of rapists
are men. She notes that last year
the Eugene Rape Crisis Network
received 374 sexual assault reports
and 759 reports of attempted attacks. Since the campus police
discontinued its escort service,

case dismissed
SAN DIEGO, CA--A San Diego aourt
has thrown out all criminal charges against Pamela Rae Stewart
Monson, the first to be woman pro-secuted for "fetal abuse." (see
oob nov. 1986) Manson's son was
born brain dead last November and
the prosecutor, Harry Elias, alleged that she caused the death by
failing to follow her doctor's
orders.
Judge E. Mac Amos ruled that
the statute under which she was
charged did not apply to the facts
of this case but had been intended
by the California legislature to
assure that fathers paid for the
support of their children. JThe
law made it a misdemeanor for a
parent to "willfully omit" to
furnish necessary medical attention for a child and included a
"fetus" as a child for the purposes of the statute . A violation
is punishable by a $2000 fine and
one year in jail.
Richard Boesin, Manson's attorney, said he hoped the ruling
would send a message that this
kind of prosecution is counterproductive and " will do nothing but
terrorize the hearts and minds of
pregnant women."
info from: new york times
(2-27-87)

PUBLISHED BY: HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
CIRCULATION: 600
ADVERTISING: LORAL REVES, 495-1094
NEWSLETTER STAFF:

BARBARA C., HARMONY COOK,

MARION H., CINDI J., GINGER McGOVERN, DONA W.

UERLAND News
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!

The Herland

Spring Retreat is this weekend at
Roman Nose State Park and you can
register at the gate.

Drive up and

look for us at the group camp.
There are work exchanges available for all who need them.

The

Saturday evening concert features
Mary Black, Donna DeSalvo, and Peggy
Johnson .

Workshops include juggling

and poetry.

There will be Open Mike,

games, raffles, and poetry readings.
Herland will also have some
chili.for sale for

those who don't

want to bother ' cooking Friday nite.

And if you plan on going to the Cris
Williamson concert ln Tulsa on May 29
there will be someone at the Retreat
selling tickets ... Anyone who has
friends in the Los Angeles area will
want to let them know that Nancy Day
is headed that way the first part of
May.

She will be at the Coronet

Theatre on May 3, At My Place (Santa
Monica) on May 6, Vermies (Pasadena) on
May 8, and Paradigm on May 9.

She

was such a warm and gracious performer
in OKC and we wish her luck in her
California debut.
EXUBE ME!
Yes you. Are you looking for sarething to do?
Santhing new? lb you want nnre excitenE!lt in
your life? Over 00) beautiful people read the
Herland llDilthly newsletter. Each and everyone of
you have tirings you like to do. Write us or call
733-9331 and leave a rressage as to what you \oKJUld
like to see Herland do for you. Herland has 15
board rrenbers who strive to bring the WC1IEI1' s
camrunity infomation, entertaimEnt, and a place
to feel at ease and relax. The nnre input \\e
receive fran the camrunity the better \\e can
serve. lb saretlring good for yourself and the
1
\o.UIEI1 s camrunity by
getting involved
with
Herland today.

HSR LIBRARY NEWS
Spring has finally arrived and as you do
your spring cleaning, why not return
those books you checked out from Herland
eons ago? It would not only give you additional space on your shelves but it would
also enable Herland to update the Library.
We desperately need your help beginning
May 9
through May 23 . The HSR Lending Library will grant a grace period for
all overdue books (no late charges). We
think, or should we say hope, that all the
70+ books now overdue will be returned.
As soon as the grace period ends the
library will be closed for approximately
3-4 weeks (no books will be checked out
during this time) so that all our books
can be catalogued and classified according
to the Dewey Decimal system. This will
indeed be a major task and all volunteers
will be appreciated.
·~
So why not take a moment and return any HSR
books you have that are overdue . The HSR
Lending Library is so important to all of
us, so let's unite to complete this project.
HSR LENDING LIBRARY POLICY
1. Check out only 1_ books for a two week
period.
2. Recheck books for an additional one
week.
3. When checking out books you must be
either a Friend of Herland or have become
a member of the Herland Library by filling
out a membership form and paying the $5.00
annual membership fee.
4. There is a 5¢ a day late charge for
overdue books (not to exceed the cost of
the book).
5. If for any reason, a Library book
entrusted to you is damaged or lost, it
must be replaced at the current price, or
come to some reasonable settlement with
Herland.
6. Library books cannot be checked out to
anyone who already has overdue books.
Thank you for your cooperation in following
these rules so that the HSR Lending Library
will be beneficial to all of us.

READERS' fORUM
VIRGIN BIRTH:

THE LESBIAN MOTHER

I had lunch with my father last
and mentioned that I was unsure
of which occupation I wanted to pursue.
I said that when I finished
this semester, I was not going to
concern myself with a major, but just
focus on basic courses for a while.
My father immediately informed me
that,
"there is plenty of time for
all that; what ~ really need is to
get married and fulfill your reproductive duty." •... Now, being
the
Lesbian-Feminist that I am, I was
outraged, to say the least.
His
statement is one of true chauvinism
and sexism, (and every other -ism
degrading to womyn).
After I quite
fuming I began to analyze my feelings
on the subject of my "reproductive
duty."
First of all, I don't believe
I have a #@*U reproductive duty!
I am a free women, a lesbian who
will make my own decisions about
my body.
We often need what we
are told we need, instead of discovering our needs on our own.
"Just because you are a lesbian
doesn't mean you can't have children;
and just because you're a womon
doesn't mean you have to." •. We
have options.
We don't have to marry
a man to have a child.
We don't have
to violate our bodies by having sex
with a man.
We have adoption, donor
insemination, 'surrogate mot hers, and
many more.
I've thought of rebelling against
my father by deliberately not having
children.
However, "I do want a
daughter someday."
I think my lover
and I will make beautiful mothers.
I have decided on donor insemination
as my way of getting pregnant.
To me
this is a special alternative, and it
enables us lesbians to truly have
children of virgin-birth.
w~ek

AFT~N

I wasn't sure who I wanted to
thank more, you or Nancy Day, but
I had to thank someone and I didn't
have an address.
Saying "she was
inspirational" doesn't even begin
to explain my appreciation.
I was
deeply moved in more ways than I
can remember.
I just wanted to
say thank you the best way I knew
how, so here is a poem I wroteactually, it pretty much wrote
itself- to show my appreciation.
Times like this I really wish I
had the talent she does so you'd
really understand how much it
meant.
Anyway, it may not be
professional, but it's sincere.
She reached within
and touched the part
that fills the heart
with love
She bled for us
And as she shared
no scar was spared
the knife
she bled for us
A symphony of lifetimes
or surpassing shame
of love
she bled for us ••.
she bled for
us

lndivid'uols-Couples-Groups

Helen Ho18ale
Cerlified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor

'U'&~~'lr

WAGNER

For more information read:
Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The New

pa~n

New Group Forming On

©ID<!i
O!tJ'lrO!Jil©~\7

For Information coll 366-0923

..

Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times.
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland. We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books, no
workshops, no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women,
Gaia's
Guide, a-nd Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City, and
no Herland library. If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now, then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on. BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and--O:nd them worthy,
please help us with our growth.

So I ask you.
Do you want us to
continue, and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you. Yet there are over 600 persons
receiving the newsletter. If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves, try new things, plan concerts, sponsor workshops, and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer, and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12 . Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today, or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation, when we are
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective

Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
cause.

YES.' 1: wanl lo ht!/p Her/and wifh
an annu3/ dona lion ol' I 12.

.;......;.;....__YcS ! I wanf fo help He1.Jand wilh
6-monrh donafion of 16.

~

Your fax-deduclib/e donafion enfdles ~ou
fo use of fhe lend/nq li-Orary as well as
discounls on sfore §Jock and eoncerf f/el<els.

your newsletter unless you send
us a change of address (just
sending one to the Post Office
won't do it).
This form may also be used to
add a name to the mailing list.

• Name:
lldtlress:
Cif!I_:
St11fe:

Phone:

Mail To: Her/and Sisler Resources, Inc.
1630 Al. w. 19
•
OKC, OK 73106
THANKS.' (lier/and will send qou a receipf
•
lor gour faK purposes.)

State=

REGIONAL EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY WOMEN'S PEACE ENCAMPMENT
NATIONAL H-BOMB TRUCK-WATCH AT PANTEX
A two-day women's peace encampment at
the Pantex nuclea.r weapons assembly plant
near Amarillo, TX, May 9 and 10, will bring
together women on Mother's Day weekend for
originally
intended for the
the purpose
observance: to decry the suffering caused by
war and to work for peace. The
women's
encampment will initiate and set the tone for
a one-week national "H-bomb Truck Watch,"
May 10 to 17, also based at Pantex.
The "Mother's Day Peace Encampment" is
being sponsored by the Red River
Peace
Network of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
bring together women concerned about the
continuing nuclear arms race and the future
of humankind on the planet.
"For centuries,
men have left home to go to war; now women
are leaving home for peace," said Mavis
Belisle of Dallas, a planner for the Mother's
Day action.
Pantex is the final assembly point for
all U.S. nuclear bombs and warheads, and has
been the focus for several years of an annual
"peace pilgrimage" and encampment coordinated
by R.R.P.N. to commemorate the Aug. 6 and
Aug. 9 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and to call for an end to the nuclear threat.
The
planned

" H-Bomb
Truck
for May 10 -17.

WIMINFEST '87
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-24 at the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque
Join us in a three-day festival of women's
music, comedy and culture.
The Hate to Practice Players
Jo Ann Loulan
Sue Fink
The Washington Sisters
Teresa Trull with Bonnie Hayes
Jasmine
Ferron with Novi
MAXINE FELDMAN,
the original, outrageous
Amazon will emcee
the weekend.

All events are interpreted for the hearing-impaired .

Tickets for individual concerts are $10.00.
Festival pass for the whole weekend is $25.00.
For mail-order tickets,
,;
WIMIN, 301 Solano NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

Watch" is being
Interested appli-

cants are invited to call Lillian Pawlik,
Benedictine Peace ~ouse, OKC, at 524-5577 for
more information.

\\bmen In Movement In NewMexico

Cris Mlrandli 360·'4009 IRESI

u.. Krieg

360·0886(RE~

Quality Service With That Personal Touch

Ink Well 101fint{ng
TERI HOELTZEL
SUSAN BROOKS
Owners

CUSTOM SILKSCREENING
942-5693
P.O. BOX 270033
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

T·SHIRTS • UNIFORMS ·SWEATSHIRTS

ftel

111

d$lfn a J,;J fol ru !

LOCAL NEWS

WOMEN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE BY DOCTORS
P.O . Box 700235
73107

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After hearing•first-hand accounts
of
sexual abuse by doctors in Oklahoma, we
formed an organization called WASAD (Women

Martha
Steeger,
a
long-time
political
activist
for women's
issues,
has filed
suit against
the Ada public schools
charging
that she was not considered for
an
assistant
principal's
position
because of her sex.

Against Sexual Abuse By Doctors). We also
undertook a study to determine the extent of
of
We heard from a number
this abuse.
victims around the state.
We discovered there is nothing in the
concerning
Oklahoma Medical Practice Act
sexual abuse by doctors. We drew up a proposal for changes in the Medical Practice
Act and submitted it to Senator Bernest Cain.
Senator Cain introduced a bill to effect
The
bill
these changes on February 23.
A second bill concerns
number is SB 161.

In 1983,
Ms. Steeger, who had nine
and
a
half
years
experience
teaching and a
master's degree,
applied
for
a
position
as
assistant
principal
with the Ada
Public Schools.
There were only
two other applicants--both male.

chan9es in the makeup and tenure
Board of Medical Examiners. This

When she
first
talked to the
superintendent about
the
job, he
told her that as a
woman with a
family
she
~ouldn't
want
the
position.
Even
though
she
continued to pursue the position,
Ms.
Steeger was not interviewed.
Both
male
applicants
were
interviewed and
one recommended
for the job.

of the
is bill

number SB162.
We are forming a task force and we
your help.
passage of
you

1.

Ms. Steeger filed suit on June 25,
1986.
The trial date has been set
for June 30,1987.
Women's groups are being asked for
assistance with the cost of the
suit.
Oklahoma NOW has .e stablished
an "equity fund".
Contributions
may
be
sent to:
WOMEN'S EQUITY FUND
c/o Candy Tucker
1516 NW 48
OKC, OK 73118

need

Our initial goal is to sa·~ur:e
the bill. Here are some things

can do :
Follow the progress of these bills .

2.

Attend Committee hearings at the
to support the legislation.

Capitol

3.

Write a letter stating your support

4.

the bills.
Telephone Senator Cain,
Don McCorkle,521-2711, to

5.

support.
this
Channel
community.

of

521-5719, and
voice
your

information

to

your

Future goals of WASAD are the education
of the public and professionals about sexual
abuse by doctors; prevention of abuse;
and
action victims can take.
Please call ASAP and let us know how you
can help. Thankyou.
MaryBeth Pickney (528-5733)
Mary Menges Myers (943-5695)

r------1

848-6429

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 13'12

I

I

C.P.A.

I

II

_________..

I,..
T

Loral C. Reeves
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 7.3127

40.5/49.5-1094

I

Lilith Publications is looking for writers
to contribute chapters (2000 words) and original
black ink drawings for the Guide to Gracious
Lesbian Living. Topics to include the A-Z of
lesbian life,
all from a seriously humorous
perspective. Deadline May I, 1987 for September
publication. Inquiries welcome. 32 Lipton St.,
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3G 2G5. (Phone: 204774-7960.
Sing Heavenly Muse!, a journal of women's
poetry and prose, announces a poetry competition
with three awards of $500 each and publication.
Lise! Mueller will be the judge. Contestants
must have published at least five poems in two
or more publications and may not have published
a book_ of poetry. Send SASE to SHM, PO Box
13299, Minneapolis MN 55414 for complete guide1 ines.
Pebbles, Jan & Gina (current California
prisoners) are doing a book about women behind
bars to be called What's a Nice Girl Like You
Doing In a Place Like This. Women prisoners and
former prisoners who want to tell their stories
are invited to send a summary of their "crime"
and their time, as well as art and writings.
Contact Pebbles, Jan & Gina at What's A Nice
Girl, 2144 Shattuck Ave. Room 504, Box 2077,
Berkeley CA 94704.
Cyndra MacDowall is currently undertaking
research into women's sexual imagery (both
heterosexual and lesbian) and is particularly
interested in imagery made by women for women,
in photographic media (both historical and contemporary). She is interested in hearing from
anyone who has information on this subject and
who wou ld be interested in sharing research
information and suggestions. Please write WSIP,
c/o The Toronto Photographers Workshop, 80 Spadina Ave. Room #310, Toronto ONT M5J 2J3.

ll

KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
FOR WOMEN
The International Women's Guesthouse Registry (IWGR)
is
the
first
women's
guesthouse
networking
service,
providing
up-to-date,
confidential
listings of women-owned
and
operated
Bed & Breakfasts, inns, and
campgrounds in the U.S. and abroad.
Women-only
guesthouses
are extremely popular,
both as
vacation
spots and as weekend retreats.
Yet,
many women are unable to locate them
when planning trips.
Fountain Institute for Women, a
n-0n-profit
organization dedicated to
the
advancement
of
women,
founded
IWGR
to meet the increasing needs of
lesbian travlers.
Let
them know which
state or
region you're
interested
in,
and
they'll
mail
you
their listing of
women-owned
accommodations registered within that area.
There is a
$3
service
charge per state/region re- ·
quested (payable
to Fountain Institute for Women).
Free assistance is available to
women who
are interested in starting
their own B&B in their home or apartment.
Your only investment is a $15
annual
registration fee.
Write
for
more information.
Fountain Institute also publishes "TravelTalk", a
free,
quarterly
newsletter
for lesbians who love
to
travel
or
just enjoy reading
about
exciting places.
Send all request to:
FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
P.O. Box 700,
Rego Park, N.Y. 11374

1601 S. Broadway. Unll D •Edmond. Okla. 73013

"LOVE MAY BR m,JNO, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
Pro£ essional Analysis or Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette

Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Normon, Oklo.
321·21'48

Individual ...
Couples ... Group ...
Family Therapy

' '
'V

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

BY

©WWmL[l.~~

TULSA
PERFORMING
ARTS
CENTER
• CHAPMAN THEATER •

TICKETS GO ON SALE AT PAC BOX OFFICE MAY 1
CALL (918) 592-7111 FOR .MORE INFORMATION
lFl~~lFlW~lID ~if®~®..®®

m~~~ ~~~ ~~®®



VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5
MAY 1987

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

A Meditation on Healing
by An Painter
I t seems to me that healing is
something we think of as physically
directed, as in actively healing a
wound.
Healing' s end-product is
health, however.
And we invoke
"healing" when we are wounded.
Suppose we thought of healing as a
process of Becoming health--coming
into good health, or bad health, for
instance .
Then healing would no
longer be proximal to wounding .
Healing might be a continuous
evolution of the sense of well-being.
We would not wait until we are
wounded to beg in healing ourselves.
And what a revolutionary thought that
is.
Healing ourselves, healing each
other.
Very different kinds 01'
things.
Bringing health to another
is a political act; bringing ourselves to good health is charity .
Easy to think about what the other
person needs:
crisis lines, legal
help, support for our friends during
the aftermath of violence, friendship
or companionship, groups like Al
Anon, a shared meal.
And I'm not
sure some women think of themselves
as worthy.
But why not?
Why not
heal the inner self?
Indeed, bring
the self to health before going out
and volunteering at the careline, or
the rape crisis center.
This is violence:
killing the
soul of another human being; treating
someone as a consumable, wrapped in
plastic with a tear-off seal and a
single use warranty.
These are the
victims of violence: people who hate
and people who use. Violence is also
dissociation, alienation, and
fragmentation . And for those who are
more literal, violence is also
physical. Ubiquitous, isn't it?

I think Becoming health (notice I
don't say 'acquiring' it, as if I
could walk into the 7-1 .1 and say,
"Give me a Diet Coke and a health,
please") implies an evolution towards
a state of encounter.
One of the
stations along the way is purification.
One de-toxif ies the body.
And the mind, and the heart and the
spirit, though I'm not sure I'm
talking about four different things
here.
Another station is integration.
When violence is done upon
one, a part of one's self is split
off--that's the part that gets
trashed.
And we strive to reintegrate that part into our selves.
And for some of us, it's like saying
hello to a piece of one's self that
one never saw before:
"Hello, you
must be my sexuality.
Pleased to
meet you," or "Hello, I didn't catch
your name.
Heart, did you say?"
Wholeness is a station of this
passion.
I become, you become, a
whole person.
This can feel quite
strange.
After all, one may never
have been whole before.
One can get
on the path of this evolution
anywhere.
Renewal.
Somewhere in a
brain cell or two lurks the memory
that one was whole, once.
It may
only be a genetic memory it is true,
and it's not even a conscious memory.
But the feeling and sensation of
renewal is conscious.
It's right on
the surface of health.
I can think of these things which
my friends do: they go to sweats for
purification; they smudge with
juniper.
They explore Orthodox
Judaism and try out a mikva, a
purification bath; they purify their
minds by chanting; they purify their
spirits by walking in beauty.
They
purify their hearts in prayer groups,
in Long Dances, in devotional
meditation. My friends have come to

spirituality by contemplative
practice and by community.
Either
one seems to arrive in the same
place.
I think of the state of encounter
as a long drawn out recognition of
our true selves.
One touches the
Good and achieves ' self-love.
The
encounter is with ourselves.
The
Good can be Christ-love or Higher
Knowledge or Light but the experience
of touching it is the same moment . I
think the encounter can be with
another person, in ·the presence of
the good.
I would call this love.
One becomes one's self and therefore
one can become the Other, transcending the alienation of consciousness .
I don't think I've mentioned the
wo rds religion or power. Now there's
a r e volutionary th~ught .

sister lode
Vol. VII, No .

Feb. 1987

Note: sisterl9d~ ceased
publication after this
issue due to lack of
funds and inadequate
community support.

It

was published from 1978-

1987 in Albuquerque and
featured feminist news,
art, and poetry.

1

We encourage the exchange of information, personal opinions on issues of concern to the Oklahoma women's community, and your stories and
experiences.
The editor reserves the right to edit and condense letters according to space limitations. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and signed
by the author(s). Include your address and phone
number. If you wish to be published anonymously,
indicate so, but include your name, etc., for our
information, in case the editor has questions.

Collective
May

at

Meeting
10:30
a . JD.
t h e f<.e t r e a . . t

Volunteers needed to work the
bookstore.

Please come and find

out how you can be involved.

Mail or deliver your letters to HSR, Inc., 1630
N.W. 19, Okla. City, OK 73106. Deadline is the
15th of each month.

Saferide is the only alternative
available for women students. Over
500 women used the service in the
last four months.
info from: the guardian
by dar

rape rules changed
ANNAPOLIS, MD--After sixteen years
of feminist lobbying, the Maryland
General Assembly has finally passed
law that prohibits judges from
reading "Lord Hale" instructions to
juries in rape cases. "Lord Hale"
instructions warn the jurors that
"rape is an accusation easily to be
made and hard to be proved, and
harder to be defended by the party
accused though never so innocent."
The instructions are named aftei
the 17th century English jurist
Lord Matthew Hale who made a name
for himself in his own time for his
high conviction rate for women
accused of being witches. His
famous quote on rape has been cited
by virtually every legal scholar
writing on rape since and was regularly read to juries in the United
States until feminist organizing on
the issue of rape in the early
1970's.

Prior to the passage of this
legislation, a Maryland judges used
their "discretion" in deciding
whether to read the rule to juries
despite its enormously prejudicial
impact . As Susan Brownmiller com·rr nted in 1975: "Since four out of
five rapes go unreported, it is
fair to say categorically that
women do not find rape ' an accusation easily to be made.' Those
who do report their rape soon find,
however, that it is indeed 'hard to
be proved.' As for the party accused, though never so innocent or
never so guilty, except for the
tradition of Southern interracial
cases, by and large a successful
legal defense is nothing short· of a
cinch." Maybe this is the instruc~ion that should be read to juries
in Maryland rape prosecutions.
by debra ratterman
info from: washinrton
post (2-20-87

saferide attacked
EUGENE, OR--Project Saferide, a
nighttime shuttle for University of
Oregon women, has come under attack
from conservative groups for its
policy of allowing only women drivers and riders.
Last Spring, eight men assaulted the Saferide vans during Gay
and Lesbian Pride Week because they
said it served primarily lesbians.
In addition, several candidates in
campus elections ran unsuccessfully
on platforms to eliminate the program.
Most recently, an editorial in
the Oregon Daily Emerald attacked
the service saying:
Rat her than def ine r ape in
terms of i1omen being the
victims and men the attackers,
i t shou Ld be defin ed in terms
of people being i'apists.
Also, most men are not rapists
and can be trusted.

Shannon Meehan, the coordinator of Project Saferide, .. points
to the lies embi:,dded in this
gender-neutral depiction of rape.
In the real world, one in three
W?nen_wi11· be raped during their
11fet1me and over 99% of rapists
are men. She notes that last year
the Eugene Rape Crisis Network
received 374 sexual assault reports
and 759 reports of attempted attacks. Since the campus police
discontinued its escort service,

case dismissed
SAN DIEGO, CA--A San Diego aourt
has thrown out all criminal charges against Pamela Rae Stewart
Monson, the first to be woman pro-secuted for "fetal abuse." (see
oob nov. 1986) Manson's son was
born brain dead last November and
the prosecutor, Harry Elias, alleged that she caused the death by
failing to follow her doctor's
orders.
Judge E. Mac Amos ruled that
the statute under which she was
charged did not apply to the facts
of this case but had been intended
by the California legislature to
assure that fathers paid for the
support of their children. JThe
law made it a misdemeanor for a
parent to "willfully omit" to
furnish necessary medical attention for a child and included a
"fetus" as a child for the purposes of the statute . A violation
is punishable by a $2000 fine and
one year in jail.
Richard Boesin, Manson's attorney, said he hoped the ruling
would send a message that this
kind of prosecution is counterproductive and " will do nothing but
terrorize the hearts and minds of
pregnant women."
info from: new york times
(2-27-87)

PUBLISHED BY: HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
CIRCULATION: 600
ADVERTISING: LORAL REVES, 495-1094
NEWSLETTER STAFF:

BARBARA C., HARMONY COOK,

MARION H., CINDI J., GINGER McGOVERN, DONA W.

UERLAND News
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!

The Herland

Spring Retreat is this weekend at
Roman Nose State Park and you can
register at the gate.

Drive up and

look for us at the group camp.
There are work exchanges available for all who need them.

The

Saturday evening concert features
Mary Black, Donna DeSalvo, and Peggy
Johnson .

Workshops include juggling

and poetry.

There will be Open Mike,

games, raffles, and poetry readings.
Herland will also have some
chili.for sale for

those who don't

want to bother ' cooking Friday nite.

And if you plan on going to the Cris
Williamson concert ln Tulsa on May 29
there will be someone at the Retreat
selling tickets ... Anyone who has
friends in the Los Angeles area will
want to let them know that Nancy Day
is headed that way the first part of
May.

She will be at the Coronet

Theatre on May 3, At My Place (Santa
Monica) on May 6, Vermies (Pasadena) on
May 8, and Paradigm on May 9.

She

was such a warm and gracious performer
in OKC and we wish her luck in her
California debut.
EXUBE ME!
Yes you. Are you looking for sarething to do?
Santhing new? lb you want nnre excitenE!lt in
your life? Over 00) beautiful people read the
Herland llDilthly newsletter. Each and everyone of
you have tirings you like to do. Write us or call
733-9331 and leave a rressage as to what you \oKJUld
like to see Herland do for you. Herland has 15
board rrenbers who strive to bring the WC1IEI1' s
camrunity infomation, entertaimEnt, and a place
to feel at ease and relax. The nnre input \\e
receive fran the camrunity the better \\e can
serve. lb saretlring good for yourself and the
1
\o.UIEI1 s camrunity by
getting involved
with
Herland today.

HSR LIBRARY NEWS
Spring has finally arrived and as you do
your spring cleaning, why not return
those books you checked out from Herland
eons ago? It would not only give you additional space on your shelves but it would
also enable Herland to update the Library.
We desperately need your help beginning
May 9
through May 23 . The HSR Lending Library will grant a grace period for
all overdue books (no late charges). We
think, or should we say hope, that all the
70+ books now overdue will be returned.
As soon as the grace period ends the
library will be closed for approximately
3-4 weeks (no books will be checked out
during this time) so that all our books
can be catalogued and classified according
to the Dewey Decimal system. This will
indeed be a major task and all volunteers
will be appreciated.
·~
So why not take a moment and return any HSR
books you have that are overdue . The HSR
Lending Library is so important to all of
us, so let's unite to complete this project.
HSR LENDING LIBRARY POLICY
1. Check out only 1_ books for a two week
period.
2. Recheck books for an additional one
week.
3. When checking out books you must be
either a Friend of Herland or have become
a member of the Herland Library by filling
out a membership form and paying the $5.00
annual membership fee.
4. There is a 5¢ a day late charge for
overdue books (not to exceed the cost of
the book).
5. If for any reason, a Library book
entrusted to you is damaged or lost, it
must be replaced at the current price, or
come to some reasonable settlement with
Herland.
6. Library books cannot be checked out to
anyone who already has overdue books.
Thank you for your cooperation in following
these rules so that the HSR Lending Library
will be beneficial to all of us.

READERS' fORUM
VIRGIN BIRTH:

THE LESBIAN MOTHER

I had lunch with my father last
and mentioned that I was unsure
of which occupation I wanted to pursue.
I said that when I finished
this semester, I was not going to
concern myself with a major, but just
focus on basic courses for a while.
My father immediately informed me
that,
"there is plenty of time for
all that; what ~ really need is to
get married and fulfill your reproductive duty." •... Now, being
the
Lesbian-Feminist that I am, I was
outraged, to say the least.
His
statement is one of true chauvinism
and sexism, (and every other -ism
degrading to womyn).
After I quite
fuming I began to analyze my feelings
on the subject of my "reproductive
duty."
First of all, I don't believe
I have a #@*U reproductive duty!
I am a free women, a lesbian who
will make my own decisions about
my body.
We often need what we
are told we need, instead of discovering our needs on our own.
"Just because you are a lesbian
doesn't mean you can't have children;
and just because you're a womon
doesn't mean you have to." •. We
have options.
We don't have to marry
a man to have a child.
We don't have
to violate our bodies by having sex
with a man.
We have adoption, donor
insemination, 'surrogate mot hers, and
many more.
I've thought of rebelling against
my father by deliberately not having
children.
However, "I do want a
daughter someday."
I think my lover
and I will make beautiful mothers.
I have decided on donor insemination
as my way of getting pregnant.
To me
this is a special alternative, and it
enables us lesbians to truly have
children of virgin-birth.
w~ek

AFT~N

I wasn't sure who I wanted to
thank more, you or Nancy Day, but
I had to thank someone and I didn't
have an address.
Saying "she was
inspirational" doesn't even begin
to explain my appreciation.
I was
deeply moved in more ways than I
can remember.
I just wanted to
say thank you the best way I knew
how, so here is a poem I wroteactually, it pretty much wrote
itself- to show my appreciation.
Times like this I really wish I
had the talent she does so you'd
really understand how much it
meant.
Anyway, it may not be
professional, but it's sincere.
She reached within
and touched the part
that fills the heart
with love
She bled for us
And as she shared
no scar was spared
the knife
she bled for us
A symphony of lifetimes
or surpassing shame
of love
she bled for us ••.
she bled for
us

lndivid'uols-Couples-Groups

Helen Ho18ale
Cerlified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor

'U'&~~'lr

WAGNER

For more information read:
Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The New

pa~n

New Group Forming On

©ID<!i
O!tJ'lrO!Jil©~\7

For Information coll 366-0923

..

Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times.
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland. We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books, no
workshops, no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women,
Gaia's
Guide, a-nd Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City, and
no Herland library. If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now, then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on. BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and--O:nd them worthy,
please help us with our growth.

So I ask you.
Do you want us to
continue, and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you. Yet there are over 600 persons
receiving the newsletter. If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves, try new things, plan concerts, sponsor workshops, and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer, and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12 . Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today, or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation, when we are
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective

Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
cause.

YES.' 1: wanl lo ht!/p Her/and wifh
an annu3/ dona lion ol' I 12.

.;......;.;....__YcS ! I wanf fo help He1.Jand wilh
6-monrh donafion of 16.

~

Your fax-deduclib/e donafion enfdles ~ou
fo use of fhe lend/nq li-Orary as well as
discounls on sfore §Jock and eoncerf f/el<els.

your newsletter unless you send
us a change of address (just
sending one to the Post Office
won't do it).
This form may also be used to
add a name to the mailing list.

• Name:
lldtlress:
Cif!I_:
St11fe:

Phone:

Mail To: Her/and Sisler Resources, Inc.
1630 Al. w. 19
•
OKC, OK 73106
THANKS.' (lier/and will send qou a receipf
•
lor gour faK purposes.)

State=

REGIONAL EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY WOMEN'S PEACE ENCAMPMENT
NATIONAL H-BOMB TRUCK-WATCH AT PANTEX
A two-day women's peace encampment at
the Pantex nuclea.r weapons assembly plant
near Amarillo, TX, May 9 and 10, will bring
together women on Mother's Day weekend for
originally
intended for the
the purpose
observance: to decry the suffering caused by
war and to work for peace. The
women's
encampment will initiate and set the tone for
a one-week national "H-bomb Truck Watch,"
May 10 to 17, also based at Pantex.
The "Mother's Day Peace Encampment" is
being sponsored by the Red River
Peace
Network of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
bring together women concerned about the
continuing nuclear arms race and the future
of humankind on the planet.
"For centuries,
men have left home to go to war; now women
are leaving home for peace," said Mavis
Belisle of Dallas, a planner for the Mother's
Day action.
Pantex is the final assembly point for
all U.S. nuclear bombs and warheads, and has
been the focus for several years of an annual
"peace pilgrimage" and encampment coordinated
by R.R.P.N. to commemorate the Aug. 6 and
Aug. 9 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and to call for an end to the nuclear threat.
The
planned

" H-Bomb
Truck
for May 10 -17.

WIMINFEST '87
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-24 at the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque
Join us in a three-day festival of women's
music, comedy and culture.
The Hate to Practice Players
Jo Ann Loulan
Sue Fink
The Washington Sisters
Teresa Trull with Bonnie Hayes
Jasmine
Ferron with Novi
MAXINE FELDMAN,
the original, outrageous
Amazon will emcee
the weekend.

All events are interpreted for the hearing-impaired .

Tickets for individual concerts are $10.00.
Festival pass for the whole weekend is $25.00.
For mail-order tickets,
,;
WIMIN, 301 Solano NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

Watch" is being
Interested appli-

cants are invited to call Lillian Pawlik,
Benedictine Peace ~ouse, OKC, at 524-5577 for
more information.

\\bmen In Movement In NewMexico

Cris Mlrandli 360·'4009 IRESI

u.. Krieg

360·0886(RE~

Quality Service With That Personal Touch

Ink Well 101fint{ng
TERI HOELTZEL
SUSAN BROOKS
Owners

CUSTOM SILKSCREENING
942-5693
P.O. BOX 270033
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

T·SHIRTS • UNIFORMS ·SWEATSHIRTS

ftel

111

d$lfn a J,;J fol ru !

LOCAL NEWS

WOMEN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE BY DOCTORS
P.O . Box 700235
73107

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After hearing•first-hand accounts
of
sexual abuse by doctors in Oklahoma, we
formed an organization called WASAD (Women

Martha
Steeger,
a
long-time
political
activist
for women's
issues,
has filed
suit against
the Ada public schools
charging
that she was not considered for
an
assistant
principal's
position
because of her sex.

Against Sexual Abuse By Doctors). We also
undertook a study to determine the extent of
of
We heard from a number
this abuse.
victims around the state.
We discovered there is nothing in the
concerning
Oklahoma Medical Practice Act
sexual abuse by doctors. We drew up a proposal for changes in the Medical Practice
Act and submitted it to Senator Bernest Cain.
Senator Cain introduced a bill to effect
The
bill
these changes on February 23.
A second bill concerns
number is SB 161.

In 1983,
Ms. Steeger, who had nine
and
a
half
years
experience
teaching and a
master's degree,
applied
for
a
position
as
assistant
principal
with the Ada
Public Schools.
There were only
two other applicants--both male.

chan9es in the makeup and tenure
Board of Medical Examiners. This

When she
first
talked to the
superintendent about
the
job, he
told her that as a
woman with a
family
she
~ouldn't
want
the
position.
Even
though
she
continued to pursue the position,
Ms.
Steeger was not interviewed.
Both
male
applicants
were
interviewed and
one recommended
for the job.

of the
is bill

number SB162.
We are forming a task force and we
your help.
passage of
you

1.

Ms. Steeger filed suit on June 25,
1986.
The trial date has been set
for June 30,1987.
Women's groups are being asked for
assistance with the cost of the
suit.
Oklahoma NOW has .e stablished
an "equity fund".
Contributions
may
be
sent to:
WOMEN'S EQUITY FUND
c/o Candy Tucker
1516 NW 48
OKC, OK 73118

need

Our initial goal is to sa·~ur:e
the bill. Here are some things

can do :
Follow the progress of these bills .

2.

Attend Committee hearings at the
to support the legislation.

Capitol

3.

Write a letter stating your support

4.

the bills.
Telephone Senator Cain,
Don McCorkle,521-2711, to

5.

support.
this
Channel
community.

of

521-5719, and
voice
your

information

to

your

Future goals of WASAD are the education
of the public and professionals about sexual
abuse by doctors; prevention of abuse;
and
action victims can take.
Please call ASAP and let us know how you
can help. Thankyou.
MaryBeth Pickney (528-5733)
Mary Menges Myers (943-5695)

r------1

848-6429

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 13'12

I

I

C.P.A.

I

II

_________..

I,..
T

Loral C. Reeves
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 7.3127

40.5/49.5-1094

I

Lilith Publications is looking for writers
to contribute chapters (2000 words) and original
black ink drawings for the Guide to Gracious
Lesbian Living. Topics to include the A-Z of
lesbian life,
all from a seriously humorous
perspective. Deadline May I, 1987 for September
publication. Inquiries welcome. 32 Lipton St.,
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3G 2G5. (Phone: 204774-7960.
Sing Heavenly Muse!, a journal of women's
poetry and prose, announces a poetry competition
with three awards of $500 each and publication.
Lise! Mueller will be the judge. Contestants
must have published at least five poems in two
or more publications and may not have published
a book_ of poetry. Send SASE to SHM, PO Box
13299, Minneapolis MN 55414 for complete guide1 ines.
Pebbles, Jan & Gina (current California
prisoners) are doing a book about women behind
bars to be called What's a Nice Girl Like You
Doing In a Place Like This. Women prisoners and
former prisoners who want to tell their stories
are invited to send a summary of their "crime"
and their time, as well as art and writings.
Contact Pebbles, Jan & Gina at What's A Nice
Girl, 2144 Shattuck Ave. Room 504, Box 2077,
Berkeley CA 94704.
Cyndra MacDowall is currently undertaking
research into women's sexual imagery (both
heterosexual and lesbian) and is particularly
interested in imagery made by women for women,
in photographic media (both historical and contemporary). She is interested in hearing from
anyone who has information on this subject and
who wou ld be interested in sharing research
information and suggestions. Please write WSIP,
c/o The Toronto Photographers Workshop, 80 Spadina Ave. Room #310, Toronto ONT M5J 2J3.

ll

KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
FOR WOMEN
The International Women's Guesthouse Registry (IWGR)
is
the
first
women's
guesthouse
networking
service,
providing
up-to-date,
confidential
listings of women-owned
and
operated
Bed & Breakfasts, inns, and
campgrounds in the U.S. and abroad.
Women-only
guesthouses
are extremely popular,
both as
vacation
spots and as weekend retreats.
Yet,
many women are unable to locate them
when planning trips.
Fountain Institute for Women, a
n-0n-profit
organization dedicated to
the
advancement
of
women,
founded
IWGR
to meet the increasing needs of
lesbian travlers.
Let
them know which
state or
region you're
interested
in,
and
they'll
mail
you
their listing of
women-owned
accommodations registered within that area.
There is a
$3
service
charge per state/region re- ·
quested (payable
to Fountain Institute for Women).
Free assistance is available to
women who
are interested in starting
their own B&B in their home or apartment.
Your only investment is a $15
annual
registration fee.
Write
for
more information.
Fountain Institute also publishes "TravelTalk", a
free,
quarterly
newsletter
for lesbians who love
to
travel
or
just enjoy reading
about
exciting places.
Send all request to:
FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
P.O. Box 700,
Rego Park, N.Y. 11374

1601 S. Broadway. Unll D •Edmond. Okla. 73013

"LOVE MAY BR m,JNO, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
Pro£ essional Analysis or Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette

Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Normon, Oklo.
321·21'48

Individual ...
Couples ... Group ...
Family Therapy

' '
'V

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

BY

©WWmL[l.~~

TULSA
PERFORMING
ARTS
CENTER
• CHAPMAN THEATER •

TICKETS GO ON SALE AT PAC BOX OFFICE MAY 1
CALL (918) 592-7111 FOR .MORE INFORMATION
lFl~~lFlW~lID ~if®~®..®®

m~~~ ~~~ ~~®®



VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5
MAY 1987

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

A Meditation on Healing
by An Painter
I t seems to me that healing is
something we think of as physically
directed, as in actively healing a
wound.
Healing' s end-product is
health, however.
And we invoke
"healing" when we are wounded.
Suppose we thought of healing as a
process of Becoming health--coming
into good health, or bad health, for
instance .
Then healing would no
longer be proximal to wounding .
Healing might be a continuous
evolution of the sense of well-being.
We would not wait until we are
wounded to beg in healing ourselves.
And what a revolutionary thought that
is.
Healing ourselves, healing each
other.
Very different kinds 01'
things.
Bringing health to another
is a political act; bringing ourselves to good health is charity .
Easy to think about what the other
person needs:
crisis lines, legal
help, support for our friends during
the aftermath of violence, friendship
or companionship, groups like Al
Anon, a shared meal.
And I'm not
sure some women think of themselves
as worthy.
But why not?
Why not
heal the inner self?
Indeed, bring
the self to health before going out
and volunteering at the careline, or
the rape crisis center.
This is violence:
killing the
soul of another human being; treating
someone as a consumable, wrapped in
plastic with a tear-off seal and a
single use warranty.
These are the
victims of violence: people who hate
and people who use. Violence is also
dissociation, alienation, and
fragmentation . And for those who are
more literal, violence is also
physical. Ubiquitous, isn't it?

I think Becoming health (notice I
don't say 'acquiring' it, as if I
could walk into the 7-1 .1 and say,
"Give me a Diet Coke and a health,
please") implies an evolution towards
a state of encounter.
One of the
stations along the way is purification.
One de-toxif ies the body.
And the mind, and the heart and the
spirit, though I'm not sure I'm
talking about four different things
here.
Another station is integration.
When violence is done upon
one, a part of one's self is split
off--that's the part that gets
trashed.
And we strive to reintegrate that part into our selves.
And for some of us, it's like saying
hello to a piece of one's self that
one never saw before:
"Hello, you
must be my sexuality.
Pleased to
meet you," or "Hello, I didn't catch
your name.
Heart, did you say?"
Wholeness is a station of this
passion.
I become, you become, a
whole person.
This can feel quite
strange.
After all, one may never
have been whole before.
One can get
on the path of this evolution
anywhere.
Renewal.
Somewhere in a
brain cell or two lurks the memory
that one was whole, once.
It may
only be a genetic memory it is true,
and it's not even a conscious memory.
But the feeling and sensation of
renewal is conscious.
It's right on
the surface of health.
I can think of these things which
my friends do: they go to sweats for
purification; they smudge with
juniper.
They explore Orthodox
Judaism and try out a mikva, a
purification bath; they purify their
minds by chanting; they purify their
spirits by walking in beauty.
They
purify their hearts in prayer groups,
in Long Dances, in devotional
meditation. My friends have come to

spirituality by contemplative
practice and by community.
Either
one seems to arrive in the same
place.
I think of the state of encounter
as a long drawn out recognition of
our true selves.
One touches the
Good and achieves ' self-love.
The
encounter is with ourselves.
The
Good can be Christ-love or Higher
Knowledge or Light but the experience
of touching it is the same moment . I
think the encounter can be with
another person, in ·the presence of
the good.
I would call this love.
One becomes one's self and therefore
one can become the Other, transcending the alienation of consciousness .
I don't think I've mentioned the
wo rds religion or power. Now there's
a r e volutionary th~ught .

sister lode
Vol. VII, No .

Feb. 1987

Note: sisterl9d~ ceased
publication after this
issue due to lack of
funds and inadequate
community support.

It

was published from 1978-

1987 in Albuquerque and
featured feminist news,
art, and poetry.

1

We encourage the exchange of information, personal opinions on issues of concern to the Oklahoma women's community, and your stories and
experiences.
The editor reserves the right to edit and condense letters according to space limitations. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and signed
by the author(s). Include your address and phone
number. If you wish to be published anonymously,
indicate so, but include your name, etc., for our
information, in case the editor has questions.

Collective
May

at

Meeting
10:30
a . JD.
t h e f<.e t r e a . . t

Volunteers needed to work the
bookstore.

Please come and find

out how you can be involved.

Mail or deliver your letters to HSR, Inc., 1630
N.W. 19, Okla. City, OK 73106. Deadline is the
15th of each month.

Saferide is the only alternative
available for women students. Over
500 women used the service in the
last four months.
info from: the guardian
by dar

rape rules changed
ANNAPOLIS, MD--After sixteen years
of feminist lobbying, the Maryland
General Assembly has finally passed
law that prohibits judges from
reading "Lord Hale" instructions to
juries in rape cases. "Lord Hale"
instructions warn the jurors that
"rape is an accusation easily to be
made and hard to be proved, and
harder to be defended by the party
accused though never so innocent."
The instructions are named aftei
the 17th century English jurist
Lord Matthew Hale who made a name
for himself in his own time for his
high conviction rate for women
accused of being witches. His
famous quote on rape has been cited
by virtually every legal scholar
writing on rape since and was regularly read to juries in the United
States until feminist organizing on
the issue of rape in the early
1970's.

Prior to the passage of this
legislation, a Maryland judges used
their "discretion" in deciding
whether to read the rule to juries
despite its enormously prejudicial
impact . As Susan Brownmiller com·rr nted in 1975: "Since four out of
five rapes go unreported, it is
fair to say categorically that
women do not find rape ' an accusation easily to be made.' Those
who do report their rape soon find,
however, that it is indeed 'hard to
be proved.' As for the party accused, though never so innocent or
never so guilty, except for the
tradition of Southern interracial
cases, by and large a successful
legal defense is nothing short· of a
cinch." Maybe this is the instruc~ion that should be read to juries
in Maryland rape prosecutions.
by debra ratterman
info from: washinrton
post (2-20-87

saferide attacked
EUGENE, OR--Project Saferide, a
nighttime shuttle for University of
Oregon women, has come under attack
from conservative groups for its
policy of allowing only women drivers and riders.
Last Spring, eight men assaulted the Saferide vans during Gay
and Lesbian Pride Week because they
said it served primarily lesbians.
In addition, several candidates in
campus elections ran unsuccessfully
on platforms to eliminate the program.
Most recently, an editorial in
the Oregon Daily Emerald attacked
the service saying:
Rat her than def ine r ape in
terms of i1omen being the
victims and men the attackers,
i t shou Ld be defin ed in terms
of people being i'apists.
Also, most men are not rapists
and can be trusted.

Shannon Meehan, the coordinator of Project Saferide, .. points
to the lies embi:,dded in this
gender-neutral depiction of rape.
In the real world, one in three
W?nen_wi11· be raped during their
11fet1me and over 99% of rapists
are men. She notes that last year
the Eugene Rape Crisis Network
received 374 sexual assault reports
and 759 reports of attempted attacks. Since the campus police
discontinued its escort service,

case dismissed
SAN DIEGO, CA--A San Diego aourt
has thrown out all criminal charges against Pamela Rae Stewart
Monson, the first to be woman pro-secuted for "fetal abuse." (see
oob nov. 1986) Manson's son was
born brain dead last November and
the prosecutor, Harry Elias, alleged that she caused the death by
failing to follow her doctor's
orders.
Judge E. Mac Amos ruled that
the statute under which she was
charged did not apply to the facts
of this case but had been intended
by the California legislature to
assure that fathers paid for the
support of their children. JThe
law made it a misdemeanor for a
parent to "willfully omit" to
furnish necessary medical attention for a child and included a
"fetus" as a child for the purposes of the statute . A violation
is punishable by a $2000 fine and
one year in jail.
Richard Boesin, Manson's attorney, said he hoped the ruling
would send a message that this
kind of prosecution is counterproductive and " will do nothing but
terrorize the hearts and minds of
pregnant women."
info from: new york times
(2-27-87)

PUBLISHED BY: HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
CIRCULATION: 600
ADVERTISING: LORAL REVES, 495-1094
NEWSLETTER STAFF:

BARBARA C., HARMONY COOK,

MARION H., CINDI J., GINGER McGOVERN, DONA W.

UERLAND News
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!

The Herland

Spring Retreat is this weekend at
Roman Nose State Park and you can
register at the gate.

Drive up and

look for us at the group camp.
There are work exchanges available for all who need them.

The

Saturday evening concert features
Mary Black, Donna DeSalvo, and Peggy
Johnson .

Workshops include juggling

and poetry.

There will be Open Mike,

games, raffles, and poetry readings.
Herland will also have some
chili.for sale for

those who don't

want to bother ' cooking Friday nite.

And if you plan on going to the Cris
Williamson concert ln Tulsa on May 29
there will be someone at the Retreat
selling tickets ... Anyone who has
friends in the Los Angeles area will
want to let them know that Nancy Day
is headed that way the first part of
May.

She will be at the Coronet

Theatre on May 3, At My Place (Santa
Monica) on May 6, Vermies (Pasadena) on
May 8, and Paradigm on May 9.

She

was such a warm and gracious performer
in OKC and we wish her luck in her
California debut.
EXUBE ME!
Yes you. Are you looking for sarething to do?
Santhing new? lb you want nnre excitenE!lt in
your life? Over 00) beautiful people read the
Herland llDilthly newsletter. Each and everyone of
you have tirings you like to do. Write us or call
733-9331 and leave a rressage as to what you \oKJUld
like to see Herland do for you. Herland has 15
board rrenbers who strive to bring the WC1IEI1' s
camrunity infomation, entertaimEnt, and a place
to feel at ease and relax. The nnre input \\e
receive fran the camrunity the better \\e can
serve. lb saretlring good for yourself and the
1
\o.UIEI1 s camrunity by
getting involved
with
Herland today.

HSR LIBRARY NEWS
Spring has finally arrived and as you do
your spring cleaning, why not return
those books you checked out from Herland
eons ago? It would not only give you additional space on your shelves but it would
also enable Herland to update the Library.
We desperately need your help beginning
May 9
through May 23 . The HSR Lending Library will grant a grace period for
all overdue books (no late charges). We
think, or should we say hope, that all the
70+ books now overdue will be returned.
As soon as the grace period ends the
library will be closed for approximately
3-4 weeks (no books will be checked out
during this time) so that all our books
can be catalogued and classified according
to the Dewey Decimal system. This will
indeed be a major task and all volunteers
will be appreciated.
·~
So why not take a moment and return any HSR
books you have that are overdue . The HSR
Lending Library is so important to all of
us, so let's unite to complete this project.
HSR LENDING LIBRARY POLICY
1. Check out only 1_ books for a two week
period.
2. Recheck books for an additional one
week.
3. When checking out books you must be
either a Friend of Herland or have become
a member of the Herland Library by filling
out a membership form and paying the $5.00
annual membership fee.
4. There is a 5¢ a day late charge for
overdue books (not to exceed the cost of
the book).
5. If for any reason, a Library book
entrusted to you is damaged or lost, it
must be replaced at the current price, or
come to some reasonable settlement with
Herland.
6. Library books cannot be checked out to
anyone who already has overdue books.
Thank you for your cooperation in following
these rules so that the HSR Lending Library
will be beneficial to all of us.

READERS' fORUM
VIRGIN BIRTH:

THE LESBIAN MOTHER

I had lunch with my father last
and mentioned that I was unsure
of which occupation I wanted to pursue.
I said that when I finished
this semester, I was not going to
concern myself with a major, but just
focus on basic courses for a while.
My father immediately informed me
that,
"there is plenty of time for
all that; what ~ really need is to
get married and fulfill your reproductive duty." •... Now, being
the
Lesbian-Feminist that I am, I was
outraged, to say the least.
His
statement is one of true chauvinism
and sexism, (and every other -ism
degrading to womyn).
After I quite
fuming I began to analyze my feelings
on the subject of my "reproductive
duty."
First of all, I don't believe
I have a #@*U reproductive duty!
I am a free women, a lesbian who
will make my own decisions about
my body.
We often need what we
are told we need, instead of discovering our needs on our own.
"Just because you are a lesbian
doesn't mean you can't have children;
and just because you're a womon
doesn't mean you have to." •. We
have options.
We don't have to marry
a man to have a child.
We don't have
to violate our bodies by having sex
with a man.
We have adoption, donor
insemination, 'surrogate mot hers, and
many more.
I've thought of rebelling against
my father by deliberately not having
children.
However, "I do want a
daughter someday."
I think my lover
and I will make beautiful mothers.
I have decided on donor insemination
as my way of getting pregnant.
To me
this is a special alternative, and it
enables us lesbians to truly have
children of virgin-birth.
w~ek

AFT~N

I wasn't sure who I wanted to
thank more, you or Nancy Day, but
I had to thank someone and I didn't
have an address.
Saying "she was
inspirational" doesn't even begin
to explain my appreciation.
I was
deeply moved in more ways than I
can remember.
I just wanted to
say thank you the best way I knew
how, so here is a poem I wroteactually, it pretty much wrote
itself- to show my appreciation.
Times like this I really wish I
had the talent she does so you'd
really understand how much it
meant.
Anyway, it may not be
professional, but it's sincere.
She reached within
and touched the part
that fills the heart
with love
She bled for us
And as she shared
no scar was spared
the knife
she bled for us
A symphony of lifetimes
or surpassing shame
of love
she bled for us ••.
she bled for
us

lndivid'uols-Couples-Groups

Helen Ho18ale
Cerlified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor

'U'&~~'lr

WAGNER

For more information read:
Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The New

pa~n

New Group Forming On

©ID<!i
O!tJ'lrO!Jil©~\7

For Information coll 366-0923

..

Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times.
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland. We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books, no
workshops, no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women,
Gaia's
Guide, a-nd Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City, and
no Herland library. If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now, then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on. BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and--O:nd them worthy,
please help us with our growth.

So I ask you.
Do you want us to
continue, and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you. Yet there are over 600 persons
receiving the newsletter. If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves, try new things, plan concerts, sponsor workshops, and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer, and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12 . Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today, or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation, when we are
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective

Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
cause.

YES.' 1: wanl lo ht!/p Her/and wifh
an annu3/ dona lion ol' I 12.

.;......;.;....__YcS ! I wanf fo help He1.Jand wilh
6-monrh donafion of 16.

~

Your fax-deduclib/e donafion enfdles ~ou
fo use of fhe lend/nq li-Orary as well as
discounls on sfore §Jock and eoncerf f/el<els.

your newsletter unless you send
us a change of address (just
sending one to the Post Office
won't do it).
This form may also be used to
add a name to the mailing list.

• Name:
lldtlress:
Cif!I_:
St11fe:

Phone:

Mail To: Her/and Sisler Resources, Inc.
1630 Al. w. 19
•
OKC, OK 73106
THANKS.' (lier/and will send qou a receipf
•
lor gour faK purposes.)

State=

REGIONAL EVENTS
MOTHER'S DAY WOMEN'S PEACE ENCAMPMENT
NATIONAL H-BOMB TRUCK-WATCH AT PANTEX
A two-day women's peace encampment at
the Pantex nuclea.r weapons assembly plant
near Amarillo, TX, May 9 and 10, will bring
together women on Mother's Day weekend for
originally
intended for the
the purpose
observance: to decry the suffering caused by
war and to work for peace. The
women's
encampment will initiate and set the tone for
a one-week national "H-bomb Truck Watch,"
May 10 to 17, also based at Pantex.
The "Mother's Day Peace Encampment" is
being sponsored by the Red River
Peace
Network of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to
bring together women concerned about the
continuing nuclear arms race and the future
of humankind on the planet.
"For centuries,
men have left home to go to war; now women
are leaving home for peace," said Mavis
Belisle of Dallas, a planner for the Mother's
Day action.
Pantex is the final assembly point for
all U.S. nuclear bombs and warheads, and has
been the focus for several years of an annual
"peace pilgrimage" and encampment coordinated
by R.R.P.N. to commemorate the Aug. 6 and
Aug. 9 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and to call for an end to the nuclear threat.
The
planned

" H-Bomb
Truck
for May 10 -17.

WIMINFEST '87
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-24 at the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque
Join us in a three-day festival of women's
music, comedy and culture.
The Hate to Practice Players
Jo Ann Loulan
Sue Fink
The Washington Sisters
Teresa Trull with Bonnie Hayes
Jasmine
Ferron with Novi
MAXINE FELDMAN,
the original, outrageous
Amazon will emcee
the weekend.

All events are interpreted for the hearing-impaired .

Tickets for individual concerts are $10.00.
Festival pass for the whole weekend is $25.00.
For mail-order tickets,
,;
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Interested appli-

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more information.

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P.O. BOX 270033
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LOCAL NEWS

WOMEN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE BY DOCTORS
P.O . Box 700235
73107

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After hearing•first-hand accounts
of
sexual abuse by doctors in Oklahoma, we
formed an organization called WASAD (Women

Martha
Steeger,
a
long-time
political
activist
for women's
issues,
has filed
suit against
the Ada public schools
charging
that she was not considered for
an
assistant
principal's
position
because of her sex.

Against Sexual Abuse By Doctors). We also
undertook a study to determine the extent of
of
We heard from a number
this abuse.
victims around the state.
We discovered there is nothing in the
concerning
Oklahoma Medical Practice Act
sexual abuse by doctors. We drew up a proposal for changes in the Medical Practice
Act and submitted it to Senator Bernest Cain.
Senator Cain introduced a bill to effect
The
bill
these changes on February 23.
A second bill concerns
number is SB 161.

In 1983,
Ms. Steeger, who had nine
and
a
half
years
experience
teaching and a
master's degree,
applied
for
a
position
as
assistant
principal
with the Ada
Public Schools.
There were only
two other applicants--both male.

chan9es in the makeup and tenure
Board of Medical Examiners. This

When she
first
talked to the
superintendent about
the
job, he
told her that as a
woman with a
family
she
~ouldn't
want
the
position.
Even
though
she
continued to pursue the position,
Ms.
Steeger was not interviewed.
Both
male
applicants
were
interviewed and
one recommended
for the job.

of the
is bill

number SB162.
We are forming a task force and we
your help.
passage of
you

1.

Ms. Steeger filed suit on June 25,
1986.
The trial date has been set
for June 30,1987.
Women's groups are being asked for
assistance with the cost of the
suit.
Oklahoma NOW has .e stablished
an "equity fund".
Contributions
may
be
sent to:
WOMEN'S EQUITY FUND
c/o Candy Tucker
1516 NW 48
OKC, OK 73118

need

Our initial goal is to sa·~ur:e
the bill. Here are some things

can do :
Follow the progress of these bills .

2.

Attend Committee hearings at the
to support the legislation.

Capitol

3.

Write a letter stating your support

4.

the bills.
Telephone Senator Cain,
Don McCorkle,521-2711, to

5.

support.
this
Channel
community.

of

521-5719, and
voice
your

information

to

your

Future goals of WASAD are the education
of the public and professionals about sexual
abuse by doctors; prevention of abuse;
and
action victims can take.
Please call ASAP and let us know how you
can help. Thankyou.
MaryBeth Pickney (528-5733)
Mary Menges Myers (943-5695)

r------1

848-6429

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 13'12

I

I

C.P.A.

I

II

_________..

I,..
T

Loral C. Reeves
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 7.3127

40.5/49.5-1094

I

Lilith Publications is looking for writers
to contribute chapters (2000 words) and original
black ink drawings for the Guide to Gracious
Lesbian Living. Topics to include the A-Z of
lesbian life,
all from a seriously humorous
perspective. Deadline May I, 1987 for September
publication. Inquiries welcome. 32 Lipton St.,
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3G 2G5. (Phone: 204774-7960.
Sing Heavenly Muse!, a journal of women's
poetry and prose, announces a poetry competition
with three awards of $500 each and publication.
Lise! Mueller will be the judge. Contestants
must have published at least five poems in two
or more publications and may not have published
a book_ of poetry. Send SASE to SHM, PO Box
13299, Minneapolis MN 55414 for complete guide1 ines.
Pebbles, Jan & Gina (current California
prisoners) are doing a book about women behind
bars to be called What's a Nice Girl Like You
Doing In a Place Like This. Women prisoners and
former prisoners who want to tell their stories
are invited to send a summary of their "crime"
and their time, as well as art and writings.
Contact Pebbles, Jan & Gina at What's A Nice
Girl, 2144 Shattuck Ave. Room 504, Box 2077,
Berkeley CA 94704.
Cyndra MacDowall is currently undertaking
research into women's sexual imagery (both
heterosexual and lesbian) and is particularly
interested in imagery made by women for women,
in photographic media (both historical and contemporary). She is interested in hearing from
anyone who has information on this subject and
who wou ld be interested in sharing research
information and suggestions. Please write WSIP,
c/o The Toronto Photographers Workshop, 80 Spadina Ave. Room #310, Toronto ONT M5J 2J3.

ll

KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
FOR WOMEN
The International Women's Guesthouse Registry (IWGR)
is
the
first
women's
guesthouse
networking
service,
providing
up-to-date,
confidential
listings of women-owned
and
operated
Bed & Breakfasts, inns, and
campgrounds in the U.S. and abroad.
Women-only
guesthouses
are extremely popular,
both as
vacation
spots and as weekend retreats.
Yet,
many women are unable to locate them
when planning trips.
Fountain Institute for Women, a
n-0n-profit
organization dedicated to
the
advancement
of
women,
founded
IWGR
to meet the increasing needs of
lesbian travlers.
Let
them know which
state or
region you're
interested
in,
and
they'll
mail
you
their listing of
women-owned
accommodations registered within that area.
There is a
$3
service
charge per state/region re- ·
quested (payable
to Fountain Institute for Women).
Free assistance is available to
women who
are interested in starting
their own B&B in their home or apartment.
Your only investment is a $15
annual
registration fee.
Write
for
more information.
Fountain Institute also publishes "TravelTalk", a
free,
quarterly
newsletter
for lesbians who love
to
travel
or
just enjoy reading
about
exciting places.
Send all request to:
FOUNTAIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
P.O. Box 700,
Rego Park, N.Y. 11374

1601 S. Broadway. Unll D •Edmond. Okla. 73013

"LOVE MAY BR m,JNO, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.
Pro£ essional Analysis or Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette

Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Normon, Oklo.
321·21'48

Individual ...
Couples ... Group ...
Family Therapy

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