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VOLUMNVI, ISSUE 12, December2001 •

Valuingall 9-Jl victims

by Mllrilda Mel White

(followingis a copy of Mel's MY TAKEcolwnnprinted in the mainstreampress)

You don't have to go all the way to the Middle East to find
people who consider it their ordained-by-God mission to cause pain
and suffering among their fellow human beings. You can find those
people right here in the U.S., often in organizations with names like
"Traditional Values Coalition."
Shortly after the September 11 attack, Rev. Louis Sheldon, co~
founder and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition (a grass
roots, non-denominational church lobby), urged both public and private agencies providing relief assistance to survivors of the attack to
deny aid to survivors of gay victims. As if that wasn't bad enough, he
further asserted that gay rights organizations "are taking advantage of
this national tragedy to promote their agenda" regarding gay marriage.
Talk about a pot calling a kettle black. I have this question for
,. Rev. Sheldon and anyone else who buys into his claptrap: how could
anyone with any values at all com·e. .up with the cruel, manipulative
and divisive idea that the aftermath•ofa•nationally devastating disaster
such as the terrorist attack - which killed thousands of people and
touched tens of thousands more with the sudden and terrible loss of a
loved one or ones - would be a great opportunity to pick out people
they don't like and purposefully try to make them suffer even more?
.. My heart has ached in the last few months for the victims of the
attack."! can't imagine how people who said goodbye to someone they
loved that morning and then never saw them again are coping. I can't
imagine how the children who are facing their first Christmas without
Mommy or Daddy are coping. And l can't imagine how any so-called
Christian organization can purposefully try to make it worse for anyone who is trying to cope.
For most of America, thank God, the tragedy has brought us
2

closer to each other, and closer to understancting the destructive power
of hate. We've put aside our differences and looked at each other simply as fellow citizens of America. We have mourned together, and we
have prayed for peace together. We've opened our hearts and our
checkbooks to and for each other.
In that spirit, it never occurred to me that someone would jump
up and start excluding people ... especially not in the name of God, for
crying out loud. And fortunately, more humane heads than those at
TVC are prevailing, providing much better, stronger and more compassionate guidance to our grieving nation.
New York's Governor George Pataki issued an executive order
in October - the first official step taken by any government agency to aid gays in getting the same sort of help and relief as anyone else in
the aftermath of the attack. What this meant was that the focus would
remain on helping victims keep their homes or stay in school or put
food on the table, and not on any other issue. You'd think something
like that would appeal to anyone claiming to have "values."
The Department of Justice issued a statement of sympathy to
the victims and their families, and committed itself to assisting the
victims to the fullest extent of the department's ability. I could find
nothing in any document from the DOJ that excludes any Ame.rican
for any reason.
The two Republican senators from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter
and Rick Santorum, toured the crash sight of Flight 93 and declared
their intention of looking into the Presidential Medal of Freedom for
the passengers who fought back and saved the White House and other
lives. FBI Director Robert Mueller called the passengers of Flight 93
"absolute heroes."
Mark Bingham, an openly gay man, was one of the three passengers on Flight 93 believed to have rushed the cockpit and foiled
the terrorists' plans. I ask again, how could anyone with a modicum of
common decency publicly try to negate that man's sacrifice or disregard his family's loss?
When the subject of gay rights comes up, John McCain is not a
name that comes to mind first, or at all, actually. But the senator from
Arizona gave the eulogy at Mark Bingham's memorial service Bingham was a staunch supporter of McCain's bid for the presidency
last year - and he did so in a most eloquent and unifying way.
He said that Mark Bingham "was a good son and friend, a good
rugby player, a good American and an extraordinary human being ... "
adding that "America will overcome these atrocities" and will "right
this ten-ible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute to
our liberty, and to Mark Bingham, and all those who died to defend it."
Now there are some words of value. ~
3

The., La:tie,, L~r{kReade.fA 60-page booklet- chock full of good
thoughts, positive reminders and
inspirational messages only $5 postpaid, such a deal!
Mel White, PO Box 130,
Tehachapi, CA 93561

R.emembetingsc1ndCelebtc1fions,
a 64-carq qeck of
Loving R.emindetSofthe Gte;JfMother's Voke
availablethrough Robyn Posin, Box 725, Ojai, CA 93024
805-646-4518 www.forthelittleonesinsiqe.com
Ask for A Ciifc1logof Tte;Jsutes

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of my own choosing
This is the time for people of many traditions to
celebrate - Hanukkah, Feast of lights and Feast of
Dediootion in the Jewish faith; Winter Solstice for
those of pagan beliefs; Christmas for Christians celebrating the
birth of Jesus; Kwanzaa., an Afrk:an-Americancultural holiday.
I consider what my celebration is to be. If I am not comfortable with the tradition I was raised in, I can choose my own festivities, whether adopted or created. Seeing the holidays commercialized and exploited can make me question whether their
simplicity and meaning are lost In my same-sex loving that
seems so far outside my established heritage, the entire process
may feel designed for someone else.
This culture cannot steal my right to a speci.al.jubilee. I reach
deeply into my wisdom and see that I have something to celebrate. Gentl.yI bring it forth, holaing it carefully, presenting my
festival offering to myself. I can fashion the holiday of my choosing this season if I so desire. I gi.vemy energy to whatever observance I value, whether it is traditionalor newly invente4 and in
so doing, I honor myself.
- Eleanor Ruth Wagner

a worldwidenetworkdesignedto i::ndloadiam.
1mnisolatinnamangmidlife.andolderLesbians.

uia diKntt cu.u
for Lesbianwom-

I fashion a holiday season

Lavender Reflections

Reminder:

When you're feeling uneasy,
unsafe, untrusting or just vaguely
"not okay" in any situation ...
it really doesn't matter
where that feeling is coming from:
inside or outside, past or present,
accurate or distorted perceptions ...
or even if your response is "appropriate ... "
What matters is that you do
whatever you need to do
to find safety for yourself in the moment.
Removing yourself from the situation
is always an acceptable option!
- Robyn Posin

Rememberings and Celebrations
www.forthelittleonesinside.com

5

•

. -"-

'""'·"

-·

- k

Looking/or ...
Couplesfor documentaryseiies on CommitmentCeremonies
Evolution Film & Tape, Inc., a Los Angeles-based production
company, has begun pre-production on an eight-pait documentary
series featuring three gay and lesbian couples as they prepare for, and
then, "tie the knot." Evolution is producing the show in conjunction
with Bravo Network, which will air the series in summer, 2002.
The producers are currently working to identify potential couples for the project. They are seeking three gay and lesbian couples,
living in Southern California, who are considering some type of commitment ceremony or wedding sometime early in 2002.
According to Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina, "The series will explore the challenges gay men and women face as they prepare to make commitments to one another before their friends and
families. The series will culminate with each couple's ceremony, but
along the way, we hope to examine how they got there and why they
wanted to take this step."
In order to make the series as compelling as possible, the crew
will be documenting many aspects of the couples' lives in addition to
covering the ceremony preparations and the ceremony itself.
Potential subjects for the documentary should contact Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina or Associate Producer, Amy Woods by
phone at 818-753-6108 or by e-mail at weddins@evolutionusa.com S

by Stacy Chandler
SAGITARIUS

November 23-Decembet

21

TREMENDOUS! Describes everything you do!
You are one tough cookie that never crumbles.
Try to be more thoughtful, and tread lightly
as tender love may be at stake.*
* BE WARNED - THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE DO NOT
NECESSARILY REFLECT THE AURA OF THE COSMOS!

6

SaPI>ho•s
Solutiot1S
uccessfu1 L1vmg
. .

Dear Savvy Sappho - I want to buy my best friend a puppy to
replace the one she just lost. Should I surprise her or tell her
first? - Signed, KEEN

DearKEEN - Talk to herfirst! You don't want to makea venJ bad
mistake - a dogcan bea 15-18yearcommitment.- SS
Dear Savvy Sappho - Christmas is looming. I'm broker than
usual. How can I keep from looking like a Scrooge?
- Signed, Pennyless

DearPennyless - Make individualgift certificatesand give them to
allyour lovedones.Choosechoresor gooddeedsthat areimportantto
eachrecipient.You will be giving your time and your love,and both
of thesethingsarepriceless.- SS
This month'sSavvySapphicSuggestions
for Successful
LesbianLiving by StacyChandler.If youhavea question,sendit to
SS % Makaw,PO Box130,Tehachapi,CA 93561

DearMel,
Pleasealertyour readersthat we ONLY have 150 Lesbiliscio11sCookbooksleft to sell at $10 a piece,great holiday
gift! The bookis madeup of recipesfrom artists, Campvisitors
andfriends.
Also, please,tell your readersthat the 14th Gulf Coast
Womyn's Festivalwill be comingup March 29-31,2002. We
need moreworkersand we have limited cabinspace...registe,·
early if you need a bed.
Contactus at the addressbelow.....thanks!
In Sisterspirit,
Brenda Henson, Exec. Director Camp Sister Spirit
PO Box 12, 444 East Side Drive
Ovett, Mississippi (MS) 39464
601-344-1411
7

by Lee Lynch

Me and My Game Dyke
I wish Nintendo would come out with a Game Dyke, or at the
very least a Game Girl, although they'd for sure make Game Girls hot
pink and gold - with rhinestones.
It all started when 1 got that Palm Pilot on Ebay. Unintentionally. I have learned that I am susceptible to the energy of an auction. I
went online just to price the things and before I knew what hit me I
had a compulsion to haunt the post office until it got here. I thought a
P.D.A. would solve some of my memory problems-like
remembering that I was scheduled to usher at Lover's performance tonight and
what she said she'd like for her birthday. And it has been very helpful
- when 1 (a) remember to write things in the calendar, (b) remember
to check the calendar, and (c) remember to synchronize with my desktop computer as the P.D.A. has a tendency to go kertlooey on me and
lose its mind. Lover reminded me about the ushering, thank goodness.
To my surprise, little Peppermint Palm (I had to name her,
she's my constant companion) came bundled with games. First I got
addicted to Sub Hunt, a simple-minded pastime where you torpedo
submarines before they torpedo you. This was fun; I wanted more. •
Back to Ebay. I am so 21st century 1 impress myself sometimes. There I found a Pocket Game Boy cheap. I had no clue how the
thing operated, but I noticed that games were sold separately so I bid
on one I'd heard of- Super Mario Land.
. 1 wasn't quite as new millennium as I'd thought. Once l figured
how to insert the game cartridge and learned how to turn the thing on,
this tiny figure appeared on the tiny screen and I just watched it
bounce around. How did it do that? What were those things it kept
bopping on the head? How was I supposed to get in on the action?
Okay, so it took me longer to understand than it would have
taken a 10-year-old, but little by little I learned. Used games do not
generally come with instructions. And l was so bad at it I didn't even
know there were different levels to reach or a princess to rescue for
months. I still don't know why Princess Daisy turns into some kind of
strange hoppy creature every time I save her.
As soon as I bought my Game Boy (which I very maturely
haven't named ...besides, Peppermint Palm is jealous enough), 1 got
sick and had to stay in bed. 1 was so bored. Until I remembered my

8

Game Boy. One day I even got out of my sick bed, went to town and
found the Used Video Store. Street Racer! Tetris! Super Mario and
the Six Golden Coins! What life savers!
Books have long been my primary escape from reality; but
after September 1 I, they stopped engaging me. Game Boy to the rescue! I have accumulated so many wasted hours on that little toy since
the attacks I should be at master gamer level.
But I'm not. I don't know if I'm too old or just don't have the
aptitude, but it takes me forever to get from one level to another, even
after upgrading to Color. I've asked Lover not to tell me her scores so
l don't get discouraged. Yes, 1 gave her a Game Boy for her birthday
and while I muddle through Mario, she's become a Tetris champ.
There are those who may find the Mario games, for example,
violent and sexist. And they are right. My Mario, while not exactly a
pacifist, isn't very macho either. He bops his enemies on the head
rather than killing them. As for where he's trying to go on his various
journeys, his destinations in life are as hidden from me as my own.
The game is the thing, and a brilliantly imaginative thing it is. The
multi-layered worlds fascinate me. The fantastic creatures and structures, like and not like reality, are entertaining in themselves.
And whatever its faults, I seem to be learning lessons from this
electronic playmate that I never learned in my first childhood. Like
patience. Like the inner fortitude to keep repeating something until I
develop the skills to do it right. The willingness to slow down and
think before I act. The wisdom to put off playing if I'm too tired or
distracted. The ability to endure setbacks without getting discouraged.
And a hard won capacity to let go - of losses and mistakes 1
make in the games, but more important, of real troubles - while 1
play like a silly little kid. Super Mario and I will overcome all the
strange-looking obstacles we encounter. We'll survive and reach our
goals, whatever the heck they are.
For now, I gotta go. I haven't played a game in almost 48
hours. ©
r; Lee lynch 2001

HAPPILYEVERAFrER
by

Stacy Chandler
$12 ppd.
SPECULATORS, INC.
P, O. Box 99038
Troy, Ml 48099
ISBN 0-9639185-0-8

9

by Joy Parks
Get Serious
With s~ many lesbian publishers concentrating on genre fiction
such as light romances, mysteries or science-fiction/fantasy, serious
fiction is becoming increasingly more difficult to find. But as this
month's column proves, it's worth the search.
"Luminous" is the only way to describe Light, Comi11gBack by Ann
Wadsworth. It is a brilliant and brave novel, written with a great deal
of skill by a writer who is obviously in love with language. The novel
unfolds the story of Mercedes Medina, an intelligent, cultured woman
who is nursing her much older husband Patrick, once a famous musician, to his inevitable death. During this time, she begins her first lesbian love affair with Lennie, a woman nearly half her age. With great
sensitivity, the author brilliantly portrays Mercedes' struggle with the
daily loss of her husband as he succumbs to his illness, her recognition that she must build a life for herself, her guilt and anger and the
wonder with which she embraces Lennie's love.
There are so many things to admire about this book. There is
the powerful way in which the author depicts the agelessness of female sexuality and passion, and the credibility of her portrayal of
difficult death that comes in stages. There is the wonderful realism of
Mercedes' daily life and the author's courage to deal with issues of
power and class and ageism. Light, Coming Back may be Ann
Wadsworth's first novel, a feat she accomplished at the age of 62, but
it reads like the work of someone well-versed in the rich subtitles of
life and should not be missed. (Alyson Books, $24.95 hardcover)

a

Readers who have been around long enough to remember lesbian literary journals such as Sinister Wisdom, Conditions and Lesbian
Lives/Common Lives have a reason to celebrate. And so do those who
don't. The Harrington Lesbian Flct/011Quarterly (edited by Judith
Stelboum and published by Alice Street Editions of Haworth Press) is
lesbian writing's best kept secret, a quarterly journal of some of the
best new fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and art by both established
names and new writers. The editorial board boasts some of the most
important lesbian writers writing today and while the journal is open
to different literary styles and forms, the main criteria for publication
appears to be well crafted and intelligent work. Now in its third year,
HLFQ needs subscribers and is also looking for submissions from
10

lesbian writers. Lesbian culture is in serious need of this kind of journal and I hope it's around for a very long time. (Harrington lesbian
Fiction Quarterly, Alice Street Editions, The Haworth Press. One
volume (one year's subscription) $36.00. www.haworthpress.com)

SacredClassic: Tlte Swashbuckler.
When The Swashbuckler was first published in 1985, I called it one
of the finest lesbian novels ever written. After all these years, that
conclusion still stands. Lee Lynch was one of the first brave voices in
the 1980's to deal honestly; sensitively and lovingly with the butch
and femme experience. No one has yet been able to match her ability
to create such sympathetic and dynamic characters, or to so movingly
depict the effects of the early days of lesbian feminism on the bar
dykes of the 60's. When it comes to writing about butch experience,
Lee Lynch is unsurpassed in her abiUty to stir, to move and to break
hearts. The Swashbuckler's Frenchy Tonneau is a study in longing.
The experience of sharing her world as she grdws to find a measure of
self-acceptance and learn the courage to break taboos while holding
fast to her traditions is both encouraging and heartwrenching. Femmes
will want to pull Frenchy into their arms to make her forget her pain,
butches will nod quietly in understanding, and lesbians who identify
as neither will be awed by the courage of those who came before us.
(The Swashbuckler, Naiad Press, 1985, is available from Variant
Press, POB 2170, Waldp011,Oregon 97394. $8.00 postpaid.)

Ask for these books at your local feminist bookstore.
We, lo,v~
~

r41>ea:CLi'\.d,:rtq>pOYtOUY

CU'\'.Y
effe,r1: t"o-ui&e,'l, the.m,, M

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the, Ye,ff)~
we,~
the, t-o-be,.

-P·FLAG

LAVENDER REFLECTIONS

by Eleanor Ruth Wagner,
A book of affirmations for lesbians and gay men;
Meditations & quotations with photos & holiday entries;

A great gift for yourself and for those you love.
Personally autographed by request;
$10.95 (post paid) from author.
5529 Vernon Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55436

11

Ch~

IWouseSex

My chainsaw won't start and I hate it. I am filled with
loathing fer my chainsaw, and somehow this doesn't fit my
very spiritual and higher thought thinking personality. It is
possible that I am premenstrual because my thoughts get really
low and unUS\lalright before The Great Period. I practice a ritual called "the punishment of inanimate objects" during those
times. I tie up cardboard boxes and perform sadistic acts on
them, bum things, slap around innocent objects that get in my
way.
Siste-rhad to pull me off a perfectly harmless wooden
chair, prying my teeth from around its leg. My eyes were rolled
back in my head. She had to kick me to make me let go. That
wasn't very nice, so I bit her. I march around the house looking
for a fight during those times, daring something to look at me
the wrong way: tables, chairs, jars, pots or pans, doors. 11What
are you looking at?!11Wham!
And I always like to drink a lot more coffee then, too.
That's always good. I like to drink coffee exclusively... and
sugar, maintain an almost completely white sugar diet. When I
boil down the day I bleed like an old pecan pie left out over
night, nuts picked off the top, nothing left but coagulated goo, a
little pile of syrup on the floor. That's me. Boxes and chairs are
all safe then for about two weeks. Then it begins again. Teeth
marks all over the furniture.
Now this chainsaw is towing a fine line with me and I
don't think it has a clue. I have been very patient, but as I have
indicated, patience is, well, something from another planet,
another dimension in about 36 more hours. Oh the chainsaw,
the little LX30, "The Bandit," sitting there gloating in its greasy
red plastic defiance. Let us bow our heads now and pray ...
I know these two stroke engines are not complicated, but
still, somehow, knowledge of their world is unattainable to me.
I have been to hawstuffworks.com
and gained enlightenment. I
know gas is somehow not getting to the spark, and how these
engines are so simple. They keep saying that - "they're sim12

pie.11 Monster-like mechanics keep telling me this; big, burly
guys in oily coveralls with fingers missing and one leg shorter
than the other, platform shoes on one foot, tobacco juice gurgling down the sides of a stubbly cheek, as one eye - the one
with vision - keeps darting furtively at my breasts ...which I
thought were well disguised beneath four layers of clothes. I'm
a veritable puffball in winter clothes standing before him, but
he's still managed to locate my boobs. Well, at least one of them
- the left one. But why me? Why this guy? Why the left
breast? Maybe a left breast is "it" for a bad right eye.
I know it's not true that I totally understand this engine
either. Because if I did, I wopld understand the flow of gas. In
my mind I just see a blocked 'little gas line, a furry filter clogged
with mouse pubic hairs left pver from some debauched rodent
encounter held in the capl~s fuel container last winter. The
mice were in there sniffing fµmes and having sex with rats. I'm
not proud of this, but it h~ppens from time to time around
here. Cold weather drives them to unusual places - cold
weather and fermented com ... small doses of ancient D-Con
ingested over time.
Anyway, I'm heading back to liowstuffworks
and then I'm
getting a hammer with whtch to work on the chainsaw, and
create firewood. There's a p~rticular chair over there. It's been
in my way a little lately. Sticfs its little gnarly leg out to trip me
when I go by. Don't think I qon't see it. ©
© Lesli,•McGirl
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NOW AVAILABLE:Tl'meless
classics
by LeeLynch.

",,.JI

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$8/booR(includes
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movingnovel of lesbla'1lifeever written."(JoyParm) .
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THATOLDSTUDEBAl<E(1.
A "tendertale of a journeyto
<!]
love...to communlty
...tp self."(KatherineV. Forrest).
'__,:
~> Alsoavailable: SHORTSTO~IES:Cactus Love, Old Dyke Tales, <J:
i'" Home in Your Hands. NQVELS:Toothpick House, Dusty's <,_ 1:
!,> ()ueen of Hearts Diner, Morton River Valley, Rafferty Street. <. ._
COLLECTEDCOLYMNS:TheAmazon Trail.
~~-.:
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13

••• • • • • • • • •

-

-

-

··=

JI IJt 'Cit@ @CIS:i eltc:liP
Your "easy chair" may be a blanket at the beach or a pillow in your tree house. It may be in your own home or at
your best friend's or at your mother's house. Whatever or
wherever it is, it is the place you love to go to enjoy a
good book! Below is this month's TOP 1O of GLBT books,
thanks to our friends at www.lnsightOutBooks.com:
1. BEHIND THE SCREEN:How Gaysand Lesbians
ShapedHollywoodby William J. Mann
2. THE MARBLE QUILT by David Leavitt
3. ALMA MATER by Rita Mae Brown
4. THE LITTLE DEATH/GOLDENB0Y/H0WTOWN

11111111111111111
IIIIIIIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIIIIIII
IIII

••••••••••••••

•
••
••
••

(soon to be called LesbianPride Monthly)
is lesbian-owned and operated;
Mel White/MAKAW Press, owner/publisher

••
•

Subscriptions: $10-20 a year (12 issues)
Contributors receive free subscriptions .

••

M 001 111 513

••
•
••
•

••
••
•

Unsolicitedcontributionsare welcomebut be sure to include
a self-addressedstamped envelopeif you want your
material returned;all rights are returned to creator.
© 2001 All Rights Reserved
For permission to reprint or use any of the content, contact:
Mel White, PO Box 130, Tehachapi, California 93561
morningland@msn.com

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

by Michael Nava, (3-in-1 Triangle Classic Edition)

5. THE TRUTHIS ... My Life in Love and Music by Melissa Etheridge
6. KISS THE GIRLSAND MAKE THEMSPY by Mabel Maney
7. RAINBOWBOYS by Alex Sanchez
8. COLDHEARTCANYONby Clive Barker
9. THE LESBIANHISTORYSOURCEBOOK
Edited by Alison Oram and AnnmarieTurnbull
10. ANY KIND OF LUCK by William Jack Sibley

Ask for these books
at your local feminist bookstore.

•

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l\Je,.w~e,v
coming right to your mailbox!
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©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©
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Rainbow Festival of Flags
• A new festival-style event will be held in the Greater
Palm Springs (California) area March 7 thru 10, 2002. Called the
RainbowFestivalof Flags,it will be themed to flags- all kinds of
flags including the Gay Rainbow flag, flags of countries, cities,
causes, businesses and just plain fun flags. Two gay resorts will
host the festival in Cathedral City, namely the Desert Palms Inn
and the Cathedral City Boys Club. Both resorts will have merchandise booths, food and entertainment. Host bars are SideW!]Jgersand Wolf's Den featuring special themed parties and
contests. Jnitial sponsors are The Map and the Desert Palms
Inn. Interested vendors can call 760-318-1137. Also call the
same number f0r further festival information. Festival Coordinator is Meyers Jacobsen, local desert resident and promoter. Li
14

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HERLAND (PE 12-01)
HERLAND
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VOLUMNVI, ISSUE 12, December2001 •

Valuingall 9-Jl victims

by Mllrilda Mel White

(followingis a copy of Mel's MY TAKEcolwnnprinted in the mainstreampress)

You don't have to go all the way to the Middle East to find
people who consider it their ordained-by-God mission to cause pain
and suffering among their fellow human beings. You can find those
people right here in the U.S., often in organizations with names like
"Traditional Values Coalition."
Shortly after the September 11 attack, Rev. Louis Sheldon, co~
founder and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition (a grass
roots, non-denominational church lobby), urged both public and private agencies providing relief assistance to survivors of the attack to
deny aid to survivors of gay victims. As if that wasn't bad enough, he
further asserted that gay rights organizations "are taking advantage of
this national tragedy to promote their agenda" regarding gay marriage.
Talk about a pot calling a kettle black. I have this question for
,. Rev. Sheldon and anyone else who buys into his claptrap: how could
anyone with any values at all com·e. .up with the cruel, manipulative
and divisive idea that the aftermath•ofa•nationally devastating disaster
such as the terrorist attack - which killed thousands of people and
touched tens of thousands more with the sudden and terrible loss of a
loved one or ones - would be a great opportunity to pick out people
they don't like and purposefully try to make them suffer even more?
.. My heart has ached in the last few months for the victims of the
attack."! can't imagine how people who said goodbye to someone they
loved that morning and then never saw them again are coping. I can't
imagine how the children who are facing their first Christmas without
Mommy or Daddy are coping. And l can't imagine how any so-called
Christian organization can purposefully try to make it worse for anyone who is trying to cope.
For most of America, thank God, the tragedy has brought us
2

closer to each other, and closer to understancting the destructive power
of hate. We've put aside our differences and looked at each other simply as fellow citizens of America. We have mourned together, and we
have prayed for peace together. We've opened our hearts and our
checkbooks to and for each other.
In that spirit, it never occurred to me that someone would jump
up and start excluding people ... especially not in the name of God, for
crying out loud. And fortunately, more humane heads than those at
TVC are prevailing, providing much better, stronger and more compassionate guidance to our grieving nation.
New York's Governor George Pataki issued an executive order
in October - the first official step taken by any government agency to aid gays in getting the same sort of help and relief as anyone else in
the aftermath of the attack. What this meant was that the focus would
remain on helping victims keep their homes or stay in school or put
food on the table, and not on any other issue. You'd think something
like that would appeal to anyone claiming to have "values."
The Department of Justice issued a statement of sympathy to
the victims and their families, and committed itself to assisting the
victims to the fullest extent of the department's ability. I could find
nothing in any document from the DOJ that excludes any Ame.rican
for any reason.
The two Republican senators from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter
and Rick Santorum, toured the crash sight of Flight 93 and declared
their intention of looking into the Presidential Medal of Freedom for
the passengers who fought back and saved the White House and other
lives. FBI Director Robert Mueller called the passengers of Flight 93
"absolute heroes."
Mark Bingham, an openly gay man, was one of the three passengers on Flight 93 believed to have rushed the cockpit and foiled
the terrorists' plans. I ask again, how could anyone with a modicum of
common decency publicly try to negate that man's sacrifice or disregard his family's loss?
When the subject of gay rights comes up, John McCain is not a
name that comes to mind first, or at all, actually. But the senator from
Arizona gave the eulogy at Mark Bingham's memorial service Bingham was a staunch supporter of McCain's bid for the presidency
last year - and he did so in a most eloquent and unifying way.
He said that Mark Bingham "was a good son and friend, a good
rugby player, a good American and an extraordinary human being ... "
adding that "America will overcome these atrocities" and will "right
this ten-ible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute to
our liberty, and to Mark Bingham, and all those who died to defend it."
Now there are some words of value. ~
3

The., La:tie,, L~r{kReade.fA 60-page booklet- chock full of good
thoughts, positive reminders and
inspirational messages only $5 postpaid, such a deal!
Mel White, PO Box 130,
Tehachapi, CA 93561

R.emembetingsc1ndCelebtc1fions,
a 64-carq qeck of
Loving R.emindetSofthe Gte;JfMother's Voke
availablethrough Robyn Posin, Box 725, Ojai, CA 93024
805-646-4518 www.forthelittleonesinsiqe.com
Ask for A Ciifc1logof Tte;Jsutes

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of my own choosing
This is the time for people of many traditions to
celebrate - Hanukkah, Feast of lights and Feast of
Dediootion in the Jewish faith; Winter Solstice for
those of pagan beliefs; Christmas for Christians celebrating the
birth of Jesus; Kwanzaa., an Afrk:an-Americancultural holiday.
I consider what my celebration is to be. If I am not comfortable with the tradition I was raised in, I can choose my own festivities, whether adopted or created. Seeing the holidays commercialized and exploited can make me question whether their
simplicity and meaning are lost In my same-sex loving that
seems so far outside my established heritage, the entire process
may feel designed for someone else.
This culture cannot steal my right to a speci.al.jubilee. I reach
deeply into my wisdom and see that I have something to celebrate. Gentl.yI bring it forth, holaing it carefully, presenting my
festival offering to myself. I can fashion the holiday of my choosing this season if I so desire. I gi.vemy energy to whatever observance I value, whether it is traditionalor newly invente4 and in
so doing, I honor myself.
- Eleanor Ruth Wagner

a worldwidenetworkdesignedto i::ndloadiam.
1mnisolatinnamangmidlife.andolderLesbians.

uia diKntt cu.u
for Lesbianwom-

I fashion a holiday season

Lavender Reflections

Reminder:

When you're feeling uneasy,
unsafe, untrusting or just vaguely
"not okay" in any situation ...
it really doesn't matter
where that feeling is coming from:
inside or outside, past or present,
accurate or distorted perceptions ...
or even if your response is "appropriate ... "
What matters is that you do
whatever you need to do
to find safety for yourself in the moment.
Removing yourself from the situation
is always an acceptable option!
- Robyn Posin

Rememberings and Celebrations
www.forthelittleonesinside.com

5

•

. -"-

'""'·"

-·

- k

Looking/or ...
Couplesfor documentaryseiies on CommitmentCeremonies
Evolution Film & Tape, Inc., a Los Angeles-based production
company, has begun pre-production on an eight-pait documentary
series featuring three gay and lesbian couples as they prepare for, and
then, "tie the knot." Evolution is producing the show in conjunction
with Bravo Network, which will air the series in summer, 2002.
The producers are currently working to identify potential couples for the project. They are seeking three gay and lesbian couples,
living in Southern California, who are considering some type of commitment ceremony or wedding sometime early in 2002.
According to Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina, "The series will explore the challenges gay men and women face as they prepare to make commitments to one another before their friends and
families. The series will culminate with each couple's ceremony, but
along the way, we hope to examine how they got there and why they
wanted to take this step."
In order to make the series as compelling as possible, the crew
will be documenting many aspects of the couples' lives in addition to
covering the ceremony preparations and the ceremony itself.
Potential subjects for the documentary should contact Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina or Associate Producer, Amy Woods by
phone at 818-753-6108 or by e-mail at weddins@evolutionusa.com S

by Stacy Chandler
SAGITARIUS

November 23-Decembet

21

TREMENDOUS! Describes everything you do!
You are one tough cookie that never crumbles.
Try to be more thoughtful, and tread lightly
as tender love may be at stake.*
* BE WARNED - THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE DO NOT
NECESSARILY REFLECT THE AURA OF THE COSMOS!

6

SaPI>ho•s
Solutiot1S
uccessfu1 L1vmg
. .

Dear Savvy Sappho - I want to buy my best friend a puppy to
replace the one she just lost. Should I surprise her or tell her
first? - Signed, KEEN

DearKEEN - Talk to herfirst! You don't want to makea venJ bad
mistake - a dogcan bea 15-18yearcommitment.- SS
Dear Savvy Sappho - Christmas is looming. I'm broker than
usual. How can I keep from looking like a Scrooge?
- Signed, Pennyless

DearPennyless - Make individualgift certificatesand give them to
allyour lovedones.Choosechoresor gooddeedsthat areimportantto
eachrecipient.You will be giving your time and your love,and both
of thesethingsarepriceless.- SS
This month'sSavvySapphicSuggestions
for Successful
LesbianLiving by StacyChandler.If youhavea question,sendit to
SS % Makaw,PO Box130,Tehachapi,CA 93561

DearMel,
Pleasealertyour readersthat we ONLY have 150 Lesbiliscio11sCookbooksleft to sell at $10 a piece,great holiday
gift! The bookis madeup of recipesfrom artists, Campvisitors
andfriends.
Also, please,tell your readersthat the 14th Gulf Coast
Womyn's Festivalwill be comingup March 29-31,2002. We
need moreworkersand we have limited cabinspace...registe,·
early if you need a bed.
Contactus at the addressbelow.....thanks!
In Sisterspirit,
Brenda Henson, Exec. Director Camp Sister Spirit
PO Box 12, 444 East Side Drive
Ovett, Mississippi (MS) 39464
601-344-1411
7

by Lee Lynch

Me and My Game Dyke
I wish Nintendo would come out with a Game Dyke, or at the
very least a Game Girl, although they'd for sure make Game Girls hot
pink and gold - with rhinestones.
It all started when 1 got that Palm Pilot on Ebay. Unintentionally. I have learned that I am susceptible to the energy of an auction. I
went online just to price the things and before I knew what hit me I
had a compulsion to haunt the post office until it got here. I thought a
P.D.A. would solve some of my memory problems-like
remembering that I was scheduled to usher at Lover's performance tonight and
what she said she'd like for her birthday. And it has been very helpful
- when 1 (a) remember to write things in the calendar, (b) remember
to check the calendar, and (c) remember to synchronize with my desktop computer as the P.D.A. has a tendency to go kertlooey on me and
lose its mind. Lover reminded me about the ushering, thank goodness.
To my surprise, little Peppermint Palm (I had to name her,
she's my constant companion) came bundled with games. First I got
addicted to Sub Hunt, a simple-minded pastime where you torpedo
submarines before they torpedo you. This was fun; I wanted more. •
Back to Ebay. I am so 21st century 1 impress myself sometimes. There I found a Pocket Game Boy cheap. I had no clue how the
thing operated, but I noticed that games were sold separately so I bid
on one I'd heard of- Super Mario Land.
. 1 wasn't quite as new millennium as I'd thought. Once l figured
how to insert the game cartridge and learned how to turn the thing on,
this tiny figure appeared on the tiny screen and I just watched it
bounce around. How did it do that? What were those things it kept
bopping on the head? How was I supposed to get in on the action?
Okay, so it took me longer to understand than it would have
taken a 10-year-old, but little by little I learned. Used games do not
generally come with instructions. And l was so bad at it I didn't even
know there were different levels to reach or a princess to rescue for
months. I still don't know why Princess Daisy turns into some kind of
strange hoppy creature every time I save her.
As soon as I bought my Game Boy (which I very maturely
haven't named ...besides, Peppermint Palm is jealous enough), 1 got
sick and had to stay in bed. 1 was so bored. Until I remembered my

8

Game Boy. One day I even got out of my sick bed, went to town and
found the Used Video Store. Street Racer! Tetris! Super Mario and
the Six Golden Coins! What life savers!
Books have long been my primary escape from reality; but
after September 1 I, they stopped engaging me. Game Boy to the rescue! I have accumulated so many wasted hours on that little toy since
the attacks I should be at master gamer level.
But I'm not. I don't know if I'm too old or just don't have the
aptitude, but it takes me forever to get from one level to another, even
after upgrading to Color. I've asked Lover not to tell me her scores so
l don't get discouraged. Yes, 1 gave her a Game Boy for her birthday
and while I muddle through Mario, she's become a Tetris champ.
There are those who may find the Mario games, for example,
violent and sexist. And they are right. My Mario, while not exactly a
pacifist, isn't very macho either. He bops his enemies on the head
rather than killing them. As for where he's trying to go on his various
journeys, his destinations in life are as hidden from me as my own.
The game is the thing, and a brilliantly imaginative thing it is. The
multi-layered worlds fascinate me. The fantastic creatures and structures, like and not like reality, are entertaining in themselves.
And whatever its faults, I seem to be learning lessons from this
electronic playmate that I never learned in my first childhood. Like
patience. Like the inner fortitude to keep repeating something until I
develop the skills to do it right. The willingness to slow down and
think before I act. The wisdom to put off playing if I'm too tired or
distracted. The ability to endure setbacks without getting discouraged.
And a hard won capacity to let go - of losses and mistakes 1
make in the games, but more important, of real troubles - while 1
play like a silly little kid. Super Mario and I will overcome all the
strange-looking obstacles we encounter. We'll survive and reach our
goals, whatever the heck they are.
For now, I gotta go. I haven't played a game in almost 48
hours. ©
r; Lee lynch 2001

HAPPILYEVERAFrER
by

Stacy Chandler
$12 ppd.
SPECULATORS, INC.
P, O. Box 99038
Troy, Ml 48099
ISBN 0-9639185-0-8

9

by Joy Parks
Get Serious
With s~ many lesbian publishers concentrating on genre fiction
such as light romances, mysteries or science-fiction/fantasy, serious
fiction is becoming increasingly more difficult to find. But as this
month's column proves, it's worth the search.
"Luminous" is the only way to describe Light, Comi11gBack by Ann
Wadsworth. It is a brilliant and brave novel, written with a great deal
of skill by a writer who is obviously in love with language. The novel
unfolds the story of Mercedes Medina, an intelligent, cultured woman
who is nursing her much older husband Patrick, once a famous musician, to his inevitable death. During this time, she begins her first lesbian love affair with Lennie, a woman nearly half her age. With great
sensitivity, the author brilliantly portrays Mercedes' struggle with the
daily loss of her husband as he succumbs to his illness, her recognition that she must build a life for herself, her guilt and anger and the
wonder with which she embraces Lennie's love.
There are so many things to admire about this book. There is
the powerful way in which the author depicts the agelessness of female sexuality and passion, and the credibility of her portrayal of
difficult death that comes in stages. There is the wonderful realism of
Mercedes' daily life and the author's courage to deal with issues of
power and class and ageism. Light, Coming Back may be Ann
Wadsworth's first novel, a feat she accomplished at the age of 62, but
it reads like the work of someone well-versed in the rich subtitles of
life and should not be missed. (Alyson Books, $24.95 hardcover)

a

Readers who have been around long enough to remember lesbian literary journals such as Sinister Wisdom, Conditions and Lesbian
Lives/Common Lives have a reason to celebrate. And so do those who
don't. The Harrington Lesbian Flct/011Quarterly (edited by Judith
Stelboum and published by Alice Street Editions of Haworth Press) is
lesbian writing's best kept secret, a quarterly journal of some of the
best new fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and art by both established
names and new writers. The editorial board boasts some of the most
important lesbian writers writing today and while the journal is open
to different literary styles and forms, the main criteria for publication
appears to be well crafted and intelligent work. Now in its third year,
HLFQ needs subscribers and is also looking for submissions from
10

lesbian writers. Lesbian culture is in serious need of this kind of journal and I hope it's around for a very long time. (Harrington lesbian
Fiction Quarterly, Alice Street Editions, The Haworth Press. One
volume (one year's subscription) $36.00. www.haworthpress.com)

SacredClassic: Tlte Swashbuckler.
When The Swashbuckler was first published in 1985, I called it one
of the finest lesbian novels ever written. After all these years, that
conclusion still stands. Lee Lynch was one of the first brave voices in
the 1980's to deal honestly; sensitively and lovingly with the butch
and femme experience. No one has yet been able to match her ability
to create such sympathetic and dynamic characters, or to so movingly
depict the effects of the early days of lesbian feminism on the bar
dykes of the 60's. When it comes to writing about butch experience,
Lee Lynch is unsurpassed in her abiUty to stir, to move and to break
hearts. The Swashbuckler's Frenchy Tonneau is a study in longing.
The experience of sharing her world as she grdws to find a measure of
self-acceptance and learn the courage to break taboos while holding
fast to her traditions is both encouraging and heartwrenching. Femmes
will want to pull Frenchy into their arms to make her forget her pain,
butches will nod quietly in understanding, and lesbians who identify
as neither will be awed by the courage of those who came before us.
(The Swashbuckler, Naiad Press, 1985, is available from Variant
Press, POB 2170, Waldp011,Oregon 97394. $8.00 postpaid.)

Ask for these books at your local feminist bookstore.
We, lo,v~
~

r41>ea:CLi'\.d,:rtq>pOYtOUY

CU'\'.Y
effe,r1: t"o-ui&e,'l, the.m,, M

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chadretV. We, ~ cwui, wili ftr~

r<¼4t"

~ tha,n,

cwui, ccvl¥\.g., {ounl½, ~.s,

the, Ye,ff)~
we,~
the, t-o-be,.

-P·FLAG

LAVENDER REFLECTIONS

by Eleanor Ruth Wagner,
A book of affirmations for lesbians and gay men;
Meditations & quotations with photos & holiday entries;

A great gift for yourself and for those you love.
Personally autographed by request;
$10.95 (post paid) from author.
5529 Vernon Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55436

11

Ch~

IWouseSex

My chainsaw won't start and I hate it. I am filled with
loathing fer my chainsaw, and somehow this doesn't fit my
very spiritual and higher thought thinking personality. It is
possible that I am premenstrual because my thoughts get really
low and unUS\lalright before The Great Period. I practice a ritual called "the punishment of inanimate objects" during those
times. I tie up cardboard boxes and perform sadistic acts on
them, bum things, slap around innocent objects that get in my
way.
Siste-rhad to pull me off a perfectly harmless wooden
chair, prying my teeth from around its leg. My eyes were rolled
back in my head. She had to kick me to make me let go. That
wasn't very nice, so I bit her. I march around the house looking
for a fight during those times, daring something to look at me
the wrong way: tables, chairs, jars, pots or pans, doors. 11What
are you looking at?!11Wham!
And I always like to drink a lot more coffee then, too.
That's always good. I like to drink coffee exclusively... and
sugar, maintain an almost completely white sugar diet. When I
boil down the day I bleed like an old pecan pie left out over
night, nuts picked off the top, nothing left but coagulated goo, a
little pile of syrup on the floor. That's me. Boxes and chairs are
all safe then for about two weeks. Then it begins again. Teeth
marks all over the furniture.
Now this chainsaw is towing a fine line with me and I
don't think it has a clue. I have been very patient, but as I have
indicated, patience is, well, something from another planet,
another dimension in about 36 more hours. Oh the chainsaw,
the little LX30, "The Bandit," sitting there gloating in its greasy
red plastic defiance. Let us bow our heads now and pray ...
I know these two stroke engines are not complicated, but
still, somehow, knowledge of their world is unattainable to me.
I have been to hawstuffworks.com
and gained enlightenment. I
know gas is somehow not getting to the spark, and how these
engines are so simple. They keep saying that - "they're sim12

pie.11 Monster-like mechanics keep telling me this; big, burly
guys in oily coveralls with fingers missing and one leg shorter
than the other, platform shoes on one foot, tobacco juice gurgling down the sides of a stubbly cheek, as one eye - the one
with vision - keeps darting furtively at my breasts ...which I
thought were well disguised beneath four layers of clothes. I'm
a veritable puffball in winter clothes standing before him, but
he's still managed to locate my boobs. Well, at least one of them
- the left one. But why me? Why this guy? Why the left
breast? Maybe a left breast is "it" for a bad right eye.
I know it's not true that I totally understand this engine
either. Because if I did, I wopld understand the flow of gas. In
my mind I just see a blocked 'little gas line, a furry filter clogged
with mouse pubic hairs left pver from some debauched rodent
encounter held in the capl~s fuel container last winter. The
mice were in there sniffing fµmes and having sex with rats. I'm
not proud of this, but it h~ppens from time to time around
here. Cold weather drives them to unusual places - cold
weather and fermented com ... small doses of ancient D-Con
ingested over time.
Anyway, I'm heading back to liowstuffworks
and then I'm
getting a hammer with whtch to work on the chainsaw, and
create firewood. There's a p~rticular chair over there. It's been
in my way a little lately. Sticfs its little gnarly leg out to trip me
when I go by. Don't think I qon't see it. ©
© Lesli,•McGirl
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••• • • • • • • • •

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JI IJt 'Cit@ @CIS:i eltc:liP
Your "easy chair" may be a blanket at the beach or a pillow in your tree house. It may be in your own home or at
your best friend's or at your mother's house. Whatever or
wherever it is, it is the place you love to go to enjoy a
good book! Below is this month's TOP 1O of GLBT books,
thanks to our friends at www.lnsightOutBooks.com:
1. BEHIND THE SCREEN:How Gaysand Lesbians
ShapedHollywoodby William J. Mann
2. THE MARBLE QUILT by David Leavitt
3. ALMA MATER by Rita Mae Brown
4. THE LITTLE DEATH/GOLDENB0Y/H0WTOWN

11111111111111111
IIIIIIIIII
IIIII
IIIII
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IIIII
IIIIIIIII
IIII

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is lesbian-owned and operated;
Mel White/MAKAW Press, owner/publisher

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Contributors receive free subscriptions .

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Unsolicitedcontributionsare welcomebut be sure to include
a self-addressedstamped envelopeif you want your
material returned;all rights are returned to creator.
© 2001 All Rights Reserved
For permission to reprint or use any of the content, contact:
Mel White, PO Box 130, Tehachapi, California 93561
morningland@msn.com

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

by Michael Nava, (3-in-1 Triangle Classic Edition)

5. THE TRUTHIS ... My Life in Love and Music by Melissa Etheridge
6. KISS THE GIRLSAND MAKE THEMSPY by Mabel Maney
7. RAINBOWBOYS by Alex Sanchez
8. COLDHEARTCANYONby Clive Barker
9. THE LESBIANHISTORYSOURCEBOOK
Edited by Alison Oram and AnnmarieTurnbull
10. ANY KIND OF LUCK by William Jack Sibley

Ask for these books
at your local feminist bookstore.

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©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©
Do you know about ... ?

Rainbow Festival of Flags
• A new festival-style event will be held in the Greater
Palm Springs (California) area March 7 thru 10, 2002. Called the
RainbowFestivalof Flags,it will be themed to flags- all kinds of
flags including the Gay Rainbow flag, flags of countries, cities,
causes, businesses and just plain fun flags. Two gay resorts will
host the festival in Cathedral City, namely the Desert Palms Inn
and the Cathedral City Boys Club. Both resorts will have merchandise booths, food and entertainment. Host bars are SideW!]Jgersand Wolf's Den featuring special themed parties and
contests. Jnitial sponsors are The Map and the Desert Palms
Inn. Interested vendors can call 760-318-1137. Also call the
same number f0r further festival information. Festival Coordinator is Meyers Jacobsen, local desert resident and promoter. Li
14

:

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Tehachapv, CA 93 5 61
Address correction requested

HERLAND (PE 12-01)
HERLAND
2312 NW 39TH
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 73112

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VOLUMNVI, ISSUE 12, December2001 •

Valuingall 9-Jl victims

by Mllrilda Mel White

(followingis a copy of Mel's MY TAKEcolwnnprinted in the mainstreampress)

You don't have to go all the way to the Middle East to find
people who consider it their ordained-by-God mission to cause pain
and suffering among their fellow human beings. You can find those
people right here in the U.S., often in organizations with names like
"Traditional Values Coalition."
Shortly after the September 11 attack, Rev. Louis Sheldon, co~
founder and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition (a grass
roots, non-denominational church lobby), urged both public and private agencies providing relief assistance to survivors of the attack to
deny aid to survivors of gay victims. As if that wasn't bad enough, he
further asserted that gay rights organizations "are taking advantage of
this national tragedy to promote their agenda" regarding gay marriage.
Talk about a pot calling a kettle black. I have this question for
,. Rev. Sheldon and anyone else who buys into his claptrap: how could
anyone with any values at all com·e. .up with the cruel, manipulative
and divisive idea that the aftermath•ofa•nationally devastating disaster
such as the terrorist attack - which killed thousands of people and
touched tens of thousands more with the sudden and terrible loss of a
loved one or ones - would be a great opportunity to pick out people
they don't like and purposefully try to make them suffer even more?
.. My heart has ached in the last few months for the victims of the
attack."! can't imagine how people who said goodbye to someone they
loved that morning and then never saw them again are coping. I can't
imagine how the children who are facing their first Christmas without
Mommy or Daddy are coping. And l can't imagine how any so-called
Christian organization can purposefully try to make it worse for anyone who is trying to cope.
For most of America, thank God, the tragedy has brought us
2

closer to each other, and closer to understancting the destructive power
of hate. We've put aside our differences and looked at each other simply as fellow citizens of America. We have mourned together, and we
have prayed for peace together. We've opened our hearts and our
checkbooks to and for each other.
In that spirit, it never occurred to me that someone would jump
up and start excluding people ... especially not in the name of God, for
crying out loud. And fortunately, more humane heads than those at
TVC are prevailing, providing much better, stronger and more compassionate guidance to our grieving nation.
New York's Governor George Pataki issued an executive order
in October - the first official step taken by any government agency to aid gays in getting the same sort of help and relief as anyone else in
the aftermath of the attack. What this meant was that the focus would
remain on helping victims keep their homes or stay in school or put
food on the table, and not on any other issue. You'd think something
like that would appeal to anyone claiming to have "values."
The Department of Justice issued a statement of sympathy to
the victims and their families, and committed itself to assisting the
victims to the fullest extent of the department's ability. I could find
nothing in any document from the DOJ that excludes any Ame.rican
for any reason.
The two Republican senators from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter
and Rick Santorum, toured the crash sight of Flight 93 and declared
their intention of looking into the Presidential Medal of Freedom for
the passengers who fought back and saved the White House and other
lives. FBI Director Robert Mueller called the passengers of Flight 93
"absolute heroes."
Mark Bingham, an openly gay man, was one of the three passengers on Flight 93 believed to have rushed the cockpit and foiled
the terrorists' plans. I ask again, how could anyone with a modicum of
common decency publicly try to negate that man's sacrifice or disregard his family's loss?
When the subject of gay rights comes up, John McCain is not a
name that comes to mind first, or at all, actually. But the senator from
Arizona gave the eulogy at Mark Bingham's memorial service Bingham was a staunch supporter of McCain's bid for the presidency
last year - and he did so in a most eloquent and unifying way.
He said that Mark Bingham "was a good son and friend, a good
rugby player, a good American and an extraordinary human being ... "
adding that "America will overcome these atrocities" and will "right
this ten-ible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute to
our liberty, and to Mark Bingham, and all those who died to defend it."
Now there are some words of value. ~
3

The., La:tie,, L~r{kReade.fA 60-page booklet- chock full of good
thoughts, positive reminders and
inspirational messages only $5 postpaid, such a deal!
Mel White, PO Box 130,
Tehachapi, CA 93561

R.emembetingsc1ndCelebtc1fions,
a 64-carq qeck of
Loving R.emindetSofthe Gte;JfMother's Voke
availablethrough Robyn Posin, Box 725, Ojai, CA 93024
805-646-4518 www.forthelittleonesinsiqe.com
Ask for A Ciifc1logof Tte;Jsutes

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4

of my own choosing
This is the time for people of many traditions to
celebrate - Hanukkah, Feast of lights and Feast of
Dediootion in the Jewish faith; Winter Solstice for
those of pagan beliefs; Christmas for Christians celebrating the
birth of Jesus; Kwanzaa., an Afrk:an-Americancultural holiday.
I consider what my celebration is to be. If I am not comfortable with the tradition I was raised in, I can choose my own festivities, whether adopted or created. Seeing the holidays commercialized and exploited can make me question whether their
simplicity and meaning are lost In my same-sex loving that
seems so far outside my established heritage, the entire process
may feel designed for someone else.
This culture cannot steal my right to a speci.al.jubilee. I reach
deeply into my wisdom and see that I have something to celebrate. Gentl.yI bring it forth, holaing it carefully, presenting my
festival offering to myself. I can fashion the holiday of my choosing this season if I so desire. I gi.vemy energy to whatever observance I value, whether it is traditionalor newly invente4 and in
so doing, I honor myself.
- Eleanor Ruth Wagner

a worldwidenetworkdesignedto i::ndloadiam.
1mnisolatinnamangmidlife.andolderLesbians.

uia diKntt cu.u
for Lesbianwom-

I fashion a holiday season

Lavender Reflections

Reminder:

When you're feeling uneasy,
unsafe, untrusting or just vaguely
"not okay" in any situation ...
it really doesn't matter
where that feeling is coming from:
inside or outside, past or present,
accurate or distorted perceptions ...
or even if your response is "appropriate ... "
What matters is that you do
whatever you need to do
to find safety for yourself in the moment.
Removing yourself from the situation
is always an acceptable option!
- Robyn Posin

Rememberings and Celebrations
www.forthelittleonesinside.com

5

•

. -"-

'""'·"

-·

- k

Looking/or ...
Couplesfor documentaryseiies on CommitmentCeremonies
Evolution Film & Tape, Inc., a Los Angeles-based production
company, has begun pre-production on an eight-pait documentary
series featuring three gay and lesbian couples as they prepare for, and
then, "tie the knot." Evolution is producing the show in conjunction
with Bravo Network, which will air the series in summer, 2002.
The producers are currently working to identify potential couples for the project. They are seeking three gay and lesbian couples,
living in Southern California, who are considering some type of commitment ceremony or wedding sometime early in 2002.
According to Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina, "The series will explore the challenges gay men and women face as they prepare to make commitments to one another before their friends and
families. The series will culminate with each couple's ceremony, but
along the way, we hope to examine how they got there and why they
wanted to take this step."
In order to make the series as compelling as possible, the crew
will be documenting many aspects of the couples' lives in addition to
covering the ceremony preparations and the ceremony itself.
Potential subjects for the documentary should contact Supervising Producer, Kirk Marcolina or Associate Producer, Amy Woods by
phone at 818-753-6108 or by e-mail at weddins@evolutionusa.com S

by Stacy Chandler
SAGITARIUS

November 23-Decembet

21

TREMENDOUS! Describes everything you do!
You are one tough cookie that never crumbles.
Try to be more thoughtful, and tread lightly
as tender love may be at stake.*
* BE WARNED - THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE DO NOT
NECESSARILY REFLECT THE AURA OF THE COSMOS!

6

SaPI>ho•s
Solutiot1S
uccessfu1 L1vmg
. .

Dear Savvy Sappho - I want to buy my best friend a puppy to
replace the one she just lost. Should I surprise her or tell her
first? - Signed, KEEN

DearKEEN - Talk to herfirst! You don't want to makea venJ bad
mistake - a dogcan bea 15-18yearcommitment.- SS
Dear Savvy Sappho - Christmas is looming. I'm broker than
usual. How can I keep from looking like a Scrooge?
- Signed, Pennyless

DearPennyless - Make individualgift certificatesand give them to
allyour lovedones.Choosechoresor gooddeedsthat areimportantto
eachrecipient.You will be giving your time and your love,and both
of thesethingsarepriceless.- SS
This month'sSavvySapphicSuggestions
for Successful
LesbianLiving by StacyChandler.If youhavea question,sendit to
SS % Makaw,PO Box130,Tehachapi,CA 93561

DearMel,
Pleasealertyour readersthat we ONLY have 150 Lesbiliscio11sCookbooksleft to sell at $10 a piece,great holiday
gift! The bookis madeup of recipesfrom artists, Campvisitors
andfriends.
Also, please,tell your readersthat the 14th Gulf Coast
Womyn's Festivalwill be comingup March 29-31,2002. We
need moreworkersand we have limited cabinspace...registe,·
early if you need a bed.
Contactus at the addressbelow.....thanks!
In Sisterspirit,
Brenda Henson, Exec. Director Camp Sister Spirit
PO Box 12, 444 East Side Drive
Ovett, Mississippi (MS) 39464
601-344-1411
7

by Lee Lynch

Me and My Game Dyke
I wish Nintendo would come out with a Game Dyke, or at the
very least a Game Girl, although they'd for sure make Game Girls hot
pink and gold - with rhinestones.
It all started when 1 got that Palm Pilot on Ebay. Unintentionally. I have learned that I am susceptible to the energy of an auction. I
went online just to price the things and before I knew what hit me I
had a compulsion to haunt the post office until it got here. I thought a
P.D.A. would solve some of my memory problems-like
remembering that I was scheduled to usher at Lover's performance tonight and
what she said she'd like for her birthday. And it has been very helpful
- when 1 (a) remember to write things in the calendar, (b) remember
to check the calendar, and (c) remember to synchronize with my desktop computer as the P.D.A. has a tendency to go kertlooey on me and
lose its mind. Lover reminded me about the ushering, thank goodness.
To my surprise, little Peppermint Palm (I had to name her,
she's my constant companion) came bundled with games. First I got
addicted to Sub Hunt, a simple-minded pastime where you torpedo
submarines before they torpedo you. This was fun; I wanted more. •
Back to Ebay. I am so 21st century 1 impress myself sometimes. There I found a Pocket Game Boy cheap. I had no clue how the
thing operated, but I noticed that games were sold separately so I bid
on one I'd heard of- Super Mario Land.
. 1 wasn't quite as new millennium as I'd thought. Once l figured
how to insert the game cartridge and learned how to turn the thing on,
this tiny figure appeared on the tiny screen and I just watched it
bounce around. How did it do that? What were those things it kept
bopping on the head? How was I supposed to get in on the action?
Okay, so it took me longer to understand than it would have
taken a 10-year-old, but little by little I learned. Used games do not
generally come with instructions. And l was so bad at it I didn't even
know there were different levels to reach or a princess to rescue for
months. I still don't know why Princess Daisy turns into some kind of
strange hoppy creature every time I save her.
As soon as I bought my Game Boy (which I very maturely
haven't named ...besides, Peppermint Palm is jealous enough), 1 got
sick and had to stay in bed. 1 was so bored. Until I remembered my

8

Game Boy. One day I even got out of my sick bed, went to town and
found the Used Video Store. Street Racer! Tetris! Super Mario and
the Six Golden Coins! What life savers!
Books have long been my primary escape from reality; but
after September 1 I, they stopped engaging me. Game Boy to the rescue! I have accumulated so many wasted hours on that little toy since
the attacks I should be at master gamer level.
But I'm not. I don't know if I'm too old or just don't have the
aptitude, but it takes me forever to get from one level to another, even
after upgrading to Color. I've asked Lover not to tell me her scores so
l don't get discouraged. Yes, 1 gave her a Game Boy for her birthday
and while I muddle through Mario, she's become a Tetris champ.
There are those who may find the Mario games, for example,
violent and sexist. And they are right. My Mario, while not exactly a
pacifist, isn't very macho either. He bops his enemies on the head
rather than killing them. As for where he's trying to go on his various
journeys, his destinations in life are as hidden from me as my own.
The game is the thing, and a brilliantly imaginative thing it is. The
multi-layered worlds fascinate me. The fantastic creatures and structures, like and not like reality, are entertaining in themselves.
And whatever its faults, I seem to be learning lessons from this
electronic playmate that I never learned in my first childhood. Like
patience. Like the inner fortitude to keep repeating something until I
develop the skills to do it right. The willingness to slow down and
think before I act. The wisdom to put off playing if I'm too tired or
distracted. The ability to endure setbacks without getting discouraged.
And a hard won capacity to let go - of losses and mistakes 1
make in the games, but more important, of real troubles - while 1
play like a silly little kid. Super Mario and I will overcome all the
strange-looking obstacles we encounter. We'll survive and reach our
goals, whatever the heck they are.
For now, I gotta go. I haven't played a game in almost 48
hours. ©
r; Lee lynch 2001

HAPPILYEVERAFrER
by

Stacy Chandler
$12 ppd.
SPECULATORS, INC.
P, O. Box 99038
Troy, Ml 48099
ISBN 0-9639185-0-8

9

by Joy Parks
Get Serious
With s~ many lesbian publishers concentrating on genre fiction
such as light romances, mysteries or science-fiction/fantasy, serious
fiction is becoming increasingly more difficult to find. But as this
month's column proves, it's worth the search.
"Luminous" is the only way to describe Light, Comi11gBack by Ann
Wadsworth. It is a brilliant and brave novel, written with a great deal
of skill by a writer who is obviously in love with language. The novel
unfolds the story of Mercedes Medina, an intelligent, cultured woman
who is nursing her much older husband Patrick, once a famous musician, to his inevitable death. During this time, she begins her first lesbian love affair with Lennie, a woman nearly half her age. With great
sensitivity, the author brilliantly portrays Mercedes' struggle with the
daily loss of her husband as he succumbs to his illness, her recognition that she must build a life for herself, her guilt and anger and the
wonder with which she embraces Lennie's love.
There are so many things to admire about this book. There is
the powerful way in which the author depicts the agelessness of female sexuality and passion, and the credibility of her portrayal of
difficult death that comes in stages. There is the wonderful realism of
Mercedes' daily life and the author's courage to deal with issues of
power and class and ageism. Light, Coming Back may be Ann
Wadsworth's first novel, a feat she accomplished at the age of 62, but
it reads like the work of someone well-versed in the rich subtitles of
life and should not be missed. (Alyson Books, $24.95 hardcover)

a

Readers who have been around long enough to remember lesbian literary journals such as Sinister Wisdom, Conditions and Lesbian
Lives/Common Lives have a reason to celebrate. And so do those who
don't. The Harrington Lesbian Flct/011Quarterly (edited by Judith
Stelboum and published by Alice Street Editions of Haworth Press) is
lesbian writing's best kept secret, a quarterly journal of some of the
best new fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and art by both established
names and new writers. The editorial board boasts some of the most
important lesbian writers writing today and while the journal is open
to different literary styles and forms, the main criteria for publication
appears to be well crafted and intelligent work. Now in its third year,
HLFQ needs subscribers and is also looking for submissions from
10

lesbian writers. Lesbian culture is in serious need of this kind of journal and I hope it's around for a very long time. (Harrington lesbian
Fiction Quarterly, Alice Street Editions, The Haworth Press. One
volume (one year's subscription) $36.00. www.haworthpress.com)

SacredClassic: Tlte Swashbuckler.
When The Swashbuckler was first published in 1985, I called it one
of the finest lesbian novels ever written. After all these years, that
conclusion still stands. Lee Lynch was one of the first brave voices in
the 1980's to deal honestly; sensitively and lovingly with the butch
and femme experience. No one has yet been able to match her ability
to create such sympathetic and dynamic characters, or to so movingly
depict the effects of the early days of lesbian feminism on the bar
dykes of the 60's. When it comes to writing about butch experience,
Lee Lynch is unsurpassed in her abiUty to stir, to move and to break
hearts. The Swashbuckler's Frenchy Tonneau is a study in longing.
The experience of sharing her world as she grdws to find a measure of
self-acceptance and learn the courage to break taboos while holding
fast to her traditions is both encouraging and heartwrenching. Femmes
will want to pull Frenchy into their arms to make her forget her pain,
butches will nod quietly in understanding, and lesbians who identify
as neither will be awed by the courage of those who came before us.
(The Swashbuckler, Naiad Press, 1985, is available from Variant
Press, POB 2170, Waldp011,Oregon 97394. $8.00 postpaid.)

Ask for these books at your local feminist bookstore.
We, lo,v~
~

r41>ea:CLi'\.d,:rtq>pOYtOUY

CU'\'.Y
effe,r1: t"o-ui&e,'l, the.m,, M

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chadretV. We, ~ cwui, wili ftr~

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~ tha,n,

cwui, ccvl¥\.g., {ounl½, ~.s,

the, Ye,ff)~
we,~
the, t-o-be,.

-P·FLAG

LAVENDER REFLECTIONS

by Eleanor Ruth Wagner,
A book of affirmations for lesbians and gay men;
Meditations & quotations with photos & holiday entries;

A great gift for yourself and for those you love.
Personally autographed by request;
$10.95 (post paid) from author.
5529 Vernon Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55436

11

Ch~

IWouseSex

My chainsaw won't start and I hate it. I am filled with
loathing fer my chainsaw, and somehow this doesn't fit my
very spiritual and higher thought thinking personality. It is
possible that I am premenstrual because my thoughts get really
low and unUS\lalright before The Great Period. I practice a ritual called "the punishment of inanimate objects" during those
times. I tie up cardboard boxes and perform sadistic acts on
them, bum things, slap around innocent objects that get in my
way.
Siste-rhad to pull me off a perfectly harmless wooden
chair, prying my teeth from around its leg. My eyes were rolled
back in my head. She had to kick me to make me let go. That
wasn't very nice, so I bit her. I march around the house looking
for a fight during those times, daring something to look at me
the wrong way: tables, chairs, jars, pots or pans, doors. 11What
are you looking at?!11Wham!
And I always like to drink a lot more coffee then, too.
That's always good. I like to drink coffee exclusively... and
sugar, maintain an almost completely white sugar diet. When I
boil down the day I bleed like an old pecan pie left out over
night, nuts picked off the top, nothing left but coagulated goo, a
little pile of syrup on the floor. That's me. Boxes and chairs are
all safe then for about two weeks. Then it begins again. Teeth
marks all over the furniture.
Now this chainsaw is towing a fine line with me and I
don't think it has a clue. I have been very patient, but as I have
indicated, patience is, well, something from another planet,
another dimension in about 36 more hours. Oh the chainsaw,
the little LX30, "The Bandit," sitting there gloating in its greasy
red plastic defiance. Let us bow our heads now and pray ...
I know these two stroke engines are not complicated, but
still, somehow, knowledge of their world is unattainable to me.
I have been to hawstuffworks.com
and gained enlightenment. I
know gas is somehow not getting to the spark, and how these
engines are so simple. They keep saying that - "they're sim12

pie.11 Monster-like mechanics keep telling me this; big, burly
guys in oily coveralls with fingers missing and one leg shorter
than the other, platform shoes on one foot, tobacco juice gurgling down the sides of a stubbly cheek, as one eye - the one
with vision - keeps darting furtively at my breasts ...which I
thought were well disguised beneath four layers of clothes. I'm
a veritable puffball in winter clothes standing before him, but
he's still managed to locate my boobs. Well, at least one of them
- the left one. But why me? Why this guy? Why the left
breast? Maybe a left breast is "it" for a bad right eye.
I know it's not true that I totally understand this engine
either. Because if I did, I wopld understand the flow of gas. In
my mind I just see a blocked 'little gas line, a furry filter clogged
with mouse pubic hairs left pver from some debauched rodent
encounter held in the capl~s fuel container last winter. The
mice were in there sniffing fµmes and having sex with rats. I'm
not proud of this, but it h~ppens from time to time around
here. Cold weather drives them to unusual places - cold
weather and fermented com ... small doses of ancient D-Con
ingested over time.
Anyway, I'm heading back to liowstuffworks
and then I'm
getting a hammer with whtch to work on the chainsaw, and
create firewood. There's a p~rticular chair over there. It's been
in my way a little lately. Sticfs its little gnarly leg out to trip me
when I go by. Don't think I qon't see it. ©
© Lesli,•McGirl
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NOW AVAILABLE:Tl'meless
classics
by LeeLynch.

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$8/booR(includes
shipping);
multipleorderdiscounts
available.21

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THESWASHBUC1<iiR.
"LeeLynch's
finestand

mostsensitive
worRtQ•date,and perhapsthe most
movingnovel of lesbla'1lifeever written."(JoyParm) .
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THATOLDSTUDEBAl<E(1.
A "tendertale of a journeyto
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love...to communlty
...tp self."(KatherineV. Forrest).
'__,:
~> Alsoavailable: SHORTSTO~IES:Cactus Love, Old Dyke Tales, <J:
i'" Home in Your Hands. NQVELS:Toothpick House, Dusty's <,_ 1:
!,> ()ueen of Hearts Diner, Morton River Valley, Rafferty Street. <. ._
COLLECTEDCOLYMNS:TheAmazon Trail.
~~-.:
ChecRor Money Orde11f
Variant Press,PO Box 2170,
-::_.,
Waldport OR 97391 birders66@hotmail.com
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••• • • • • • • • •

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JI IJt 'Cit@ @CIS:i eltc:liP
Your "easy chair" may be a blanket at the beach or a pillow in your tree house. It may be in your own home or at
your best friend's or at your mother's house. Whatever or
wherever it is, it is the place you love to go to enjoy a
good book! Below is this month's TOP 1O of GLBT books,
thanks to our friends at www.lnsightOutBooks.com:
1. BEHIND THE SCREEN:How Gaysand Lesbians
ShapedHollywoodby William J. Mann
2. THE MARBLE QUILT by David Leavitt
3. ALMA MATER by Rita Mae Brown
4. THE LITTLE DEATH/GOLDENB0Y/H0WTOWN

11111111111111111
IIIIIIIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIII
IIIIIIIII
IIII

••••••••••••••

•
••
••
••

(soon to be called LesbianPride Monthly)
is lesbian-owned and operated;
Mel White/MAKAW Press, owner/publisher

••
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Subscriptions: $10-20 a year (12 issues)
Contributors receive free subscriptions .

••

M 001 111 513

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Unsolicitedcontributionsare welcomebut be sure to include
a self-addressedstamped envelopeif you want your
material returned;all rights are returned to creator.
© 2001 All Rights Reserved
For permission to reprint or use any of the content, contact:
Mel White, PO Box 130, Tehachapi, California 93561
morningland@msn.com

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

by Michael Nava, (3-in-1 Triangle Classic Edition)

5. THE TRUTHIS ... My Life in Love and Music by Melissa Etheridge
6. KISS THE GIRLSAND MAKE THEMSPY by Mabel Maney
7. RAINBOWBOYS by Alex Sanchez
8. COLDHEARTCANYONby Clive Barker
9. THE LESBIANHISTORYSOURCEBOOK
Edited by Alison Oram and AnnmarieTurnbull
10. ANY KIND OF LUCK by William Jack Sibley

Ask for these books
at your local feminist bookstore.

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coming right to your mailbox!
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©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©
Do you know about ... ?

Rainbow Festival of Flags
• A new festival-style event will be held in the Greater
Palm Springs (California) area March 7 thru 10, 2002. Called the
RainbowFestivalof Flags,it will be themed to flags- all kinds of
flags including the Gay Rainbow flag, flags of countries, cities,
causes, businesses and just plain fun flags. Two gay resorts will
host the festival in Cathedral City, namely the Desert Palms Inn
and the Cathedral City Boys Club. Both resorts will have merchandise booths, food and entertainment. Host bars are SideW!]Jgersand Wolf's Den featuring special themed parties and
contests. Jnitial sponsors are The Map and the Desert Palms
Inn. Interested vendors can call 760-318-1137. Also call the
same number f0r further festival information. Festival Coordinator is Meyers Jacobsen, local desert resident and promoter. Li
14

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Send me a new subscription to LPN!
Renew my subscription to LPN!
Send a gift subscription to LPN
(to somone special, from me!)
□ Send me the new Li:ttl,e, L~vi.de,'Rectd,.e,y
($5 postpaid, bulk prices available!)
□ Send the new Little, L~vi.de,'Reade.r
(as a gift from me to the person noted below)! •

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: Gift from _______________
Mail this form along with a check or money order
to MAKAW, PO Box 130, Tehachapi, CA 93561

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Tehachapv, CA 93 5 61
Address correction requested

HERLAND (PE 12-01)
HERLAND
2312 NW 39TH
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 73112

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