The Herland Voice : v.10: no.3(1993)
- Title
- The Herland Voice : v.10: no.3(1993)
- Description
- The Herland Voice is the monthly publication of Herland Sister Resources, a womanist organization with a strong lesbian focus based in Oklahoma City.
- Publisher
- en_US Herland Sister Resources
- Date Issued
- 1993-03
- Rights
- All rights reserved by Herland Sister Resources. Contact UCO Archives & Special Collections for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of these materials.
- Is Part Of
- Herland Voice
- Creator
- Herland Sister Resources
- Date
- 2017-09-02T17:03:08Z
- Date Available
- 2017-09-02T17:03:08Z
- Subject
- Oklahoma
- Type
- application/pdf
- extracted text
-
ia~HERLAND ~
March, 1993
ICE
SIMPLY EQUAL
Mission: The defeat ofHouse Joint Resolutions 1005
and 1021 and similar legislation.
Over 300 lesbians, gays, and their friends from Oklahoma City,
Norman, and the surrounding area gathered in an historic town
meeting on January 28. The meeting was convened by the Oklahoma
Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus to provide information about antilesbian/gay legislation pending in the Oklahoma legislature. From
that meeting a lesbian/gay community organization - Simply Equal
- was born. Simply Equal would move quickly to lead the lesbian/gay
community response against HJR1005 and HJR1021.
On February 18, we gathered again to celebrate our first victory
- HJR1005 and HJR1021 were dead for the 1993 legislative session.
Nearly 2000 postcards and over 800 letters had been delivered to
members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Many others
had phoned legislators calling for the defeat of the joint resolutions.
Town meetings had been held in Tulsa and Lawton and a Simply
Equal chapter was forming in Enid.
At that first town meeting, the assembled crowd learned about
the attacks of some Oklahoma lawmakers on the civil liberties of
lesbian/gays and people living with IDV. HJR1005 sponsored by
Grover Campbell of Owasso and HJR1021 by Bill Graves of Oklahoma City called for constitutional amendments styled after
Colorado's Amendment 2. Each would prohibit cities and school
districts from passing laws protecting lesbians/gays. The amendment proposed by Graves would also prohibit lesbians, gays, and
bisexuals from becoming foster parents. Town meeting participants
voiced their anger and fear and most of all their determination to
confront and defeat these homophobic measures. We left that
meeting With an organizational steering committee meeting scheduled for all those who wanted to participate.
The following Saturday, thirty people representing the broad
range of the lesbian/gay community gathered to set the framework
for this new organization. They quickly adopted a mission statement
and moved to set short term goals. The most immediate goal was to
stop HJR1005 and HJR1021 in the House Rules Committee.
The group agreed the best strategy would be to activate the
lesbian/gay community to communicate with their legislators. A
media silence would be maintained to avoid giving unnecessary
notice to the right-wing. We would quietly let legislators know that
they can not quietly take away the rights of lesbians/gays. The name
"Simply Equal" was chosen to reflect the organization's agenda "Not special rights. Simply equal rights."
Simply Equal buttons were soon a common sight: at the State
Capitol, the "gay strip" and where ever lesbians, gays and our
friends gathered. An estimated 1500 people volunteered, signed up
to be called for actions, and attended town meetings.
Simply Equal will continue to watch the legislature for antilesbian/gay measures and has scheduled a meeting for activists from
around the state in late February to plan the next steps for the
organization.
For information about Simply Equal activities or legislation
affecting lesbians/gays call the Simply Equal Information Line
0
(405)672-8852 and enter code 1111.
Volume IO Number 3
KAREN WILLIAMS--GOOD
MEDICINE!
Remember that saying, "Laughter is the best medicine"?
HERLAND is importing a wonderful elixir called Karen Williams,
known as the "Diva of Comedy" and one of the country's leading
stand-up comics. ''The Karen Williams Comedy Revue'' will hit the
Civic Center Little Theater on Sunday, April 4, 1993 at 2:00 pm.
Tickets will be $10 in advance and $15 the day of the performance.
Those of you who caught her show at the Herland Retreat in
1988 are familiar with her style, contagious humor as she banters
with the audience, and her ability to find the funny side of even the
painful parts of life. "Sometimes I parody my immediate world,"
Karen says. "The little things and common situations that are the
stuff of life ... can be hilarious. Otherwise life itself can drive you
crazy."
Described as •'somewhere between Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby
and Lenny Bruce," Ms. Williams is a multi-talented, hard-working,
and committed artist. Gene Price of the San Francisco Bay Times
writes, " ... Karen Williams is the funniest woman on the comedy
stage today .. .I cannot think of anyone, male or female, who is
funnier, more polished, more universal in the contemporary traumas
she chooses to share with her audience.''
Karen keeps up a hectic schedule of ~s, speaking engagements, workshops, writing and editing, and acting. Her most recent
television appearance was last month, hosting the PBS talk show, IN
THE LIFE. Last year she received the Hot Wire Magazine Readers
Choice Award for Best Comic (a distinction she shares with Whoopi
Goldberg). Other triumphs in 1992 included her first appearance on
the international scene, in Paris, and the debut of her videotape Wild
CbHd At Large at the Michigan Women's Festival where she was a
featured solo performer.
This is a woman you'll enjoy and remember. Write April 4, 2
pm in your diary and contact Herland (521-9696) or any Board
member for tickets. Tickets may also be obtained by sending your
check or money order to Herl and. After our long winter, you deserve
a big dollop of Karen Williams and laughter--the best medicine.
0
Herland Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112
ST. SYBIL
Dear St. Sybil,
When I was growing up in the 1940sand50s, I didn'thearmuch
about women in history. About the suffragettes, for instance, all I
learned was that they were, at best, figures of fun: humorless, bitter,
man-hating women who succeeded only in making a spectacle of
themselves. About Lewis & Clark's guide Sacajawea I learned
nothing. I never heard hername until around 1980 when my 12-year
old daughter began telling me about her. Of Sybil Ludington, I am
distressed to say, I heard not a word until even more recently.
Will you please give my apologies to all of the wonderful
forgotten and/or belittled and denigrated women there with you?
And tell me more about yourself.
Devotedly,
A Sister
Dear A,
.
No apologies needed, at least not from you. We all know what
' we did, and are eternally thankful to have been so privileged. We
do hate it, though, that by our being invisible, our daughters are
deprived of role models and heroines.
It's hard, for instance, for girls with a creative scientific bent
to plan a career as, say, a mad inventor if they have never heard of
women like Sophia Barre, Katherine Burr Blodgett and Emmy
Nother, inventive geniuses all; and isn't it sad that so few people
know that it was Catherine Greene rather than Eli Whitney who
invented the cotton gin? And of course almost no one has heard of
physicist Mileva Marie, Albert Einstein's first wife, to whom he
wrote of "our theory", and of his happiness in having someone to
talk with on an equal level.
St. Joan, by the way, wants me to say how sorry she is that
practically the only heroine known for her divine courage never
made it out of her teens; she doesn't feel that she makes a very good
role model! She agrees that I should tell you more about myself; so
I am writing a little poem for you:
Listen up, children, and spit out your chewing gum,
I'm gonna tell you a story about Sybil Ludington;
what Paul Revere did, she did much better.
In history books you've never met her?
Now don't get riled, and put down that shooting gun,
and I'll ...
oh, all right, I grant you Revere is an easier name to rhyme than
Ludington, but it coulda been done ....
Anyway.-- keep searching for us (for you) in history. It was not
easy for us to contribute, but we did it.
Lots of love,
Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
A mini riddle test for you:
What do the following unlikely people have in common?
Tim Pope and THE Pope: ·
Homophobic homonyms?
Michael Jackson & Rush Limbaugh:
One is a wonderful entertainer who might not always tell the
truth and the other one calls himself an entertainer and wouldn't
recognize the truth if it slapped his face?
Hillary R. Clinton and Rush Limbaugh:
· Easy. Hillary is in charge of healing the nation's health care
system and Rush makes me sick.
Jes11s Christ and the Lambs of Christ:
Not ... one .. .thing.
And thanks for writing.
Peace,
Sybil
2 Her/and Voice March, 1993
MARCH VIDEO NIGHT:
"THE
BURNING TIMES"
Friday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m.; we will have coffee and cookies
and popcorn and anything else you care to bring. "The Burning
Times," tells the often misunderstood story of the witch craze that
swept through Europe only a few hundred years ago. It offers new
insights into the legends and misconceptions that surround the term
'witch'. In the attempt to eradicate the woman-based power of
midwives, wise old crones and healers, the Christian church in
cooperation with local governments instigated a reign of terror.
False accusations and hysteria-driven trials led to massive torture,
burnings at the stake and ultimately to the destruction of what had
been an organic way of life.
The film provides a way for audiences to understand how the
widespread church - and state - sanctioned torture and killing of
women during the witch burning times set the stage for modern
society's cultural acceptance of massive violence against women.
Building on ideas set forth in the rediscovery of goddess-based
culture, "The Burning Times" is a beautifully crafted tribute to the
value and strength that women have brought and continue to bring to
all life. Directed by Donna Read and produced by Mary Armstrong,
Margaret Pettigrew and Studio D, National Film Board of Canada,
this film is a companion piece to "The Goddess Remembered",
Herland's February video selection.
D
CONGRESS PASSES
DES
BILL
Congress has now passed legislation to expand research and
increase education and outreach to health professional and the public
about the dangers of DES [See Herland Voice 9/92). Presidential
approval is anticipated. DES Action, the consumer group representing DES mothers, daughters and sons, applauds the hard work of
House Sponsor Louise Slaughter and Senate sponsor Tom Harkin.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic hormone drug which was
prescribed to an estimated 5 million American women between
1941-1971. Although promoted as a "miracle drug" which would
prevent miscarriage, DES is now linked to vaginal and cervical
cancer, infertility and pregnancy problems in daughters, breast
cancer in DES mothers, and immune system dysfunction and other
health problems for all DES-exposed. DES sons have a higher rate
of reproductive problems and may be at higher risk for testicular
cancer.
Passage of the ''DES Education and Research Amendments of
1992" marks the first time the federal government has passed
legislation which begins to address this national tragedy. "The link
between DES and cancer has been known for over 20 years. We are
gratified that at last Congress is taking responsibility for the devastating consequences of this FDA-approved drug," said Pat Cody,
DES mother and a founder of DES Action.
The DES Education and Research Amendments of 1992 direct
the National Institutes of Health to undertake longitudinal studies on
the long-term health effects of DES exposure on both men and
women. The bill also establishes a three-year program to educate the
public about the dangers of DES and to train health professionals on
the diagnosis and treatment of DES-related conditions.
DES Action, the consumer group representing the approximately 1Omillion DES mothers, daughters and sons, was instrumental in ensuring passage of this bill. For more information, contact:
DES Action USA, 1615 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612. Telephone:
510/465-4011.
0
Info from th• National Women 'l Health Network N•ws Jan/Ftb 1993
PARENTAL NOTICE BILL
APPROVED BY
OK
HOUSE
COMMITTEE
HB1212 authored by Representative Russ Roach received a 9 7 margin of approval by the House Health and Mental Health
Committee. The bill requires a twenty-four hour written notice to
parents before an abortion can be provided to a minor.
The bill provides exemptions in the cases in which a physician
or counselor determines notice is not in the best interest of the child.
Parental notification would also not be required when the pregnancy
resulted from incest or if the young woman did not live with her
parents and did not receive support from them. A judicial bypass
measure is also included allowing a young woman to seek approval
through the court rather than notify her parents.
The measure has been criticized by both pro-choice and antichoice groups. Nancy Kachel of Planned Parenthood of Eastern
Oklahoma spoke against the bill before the committee saying it could
result in an increase in illegal abortions as young women try to avoid
the requirements. Tony Lauinger of the anti-choice group, Oklahomans for Life, said, "It [HB1212] would more properly be called a
parental circumvention act."
In the same meeting, the committee killed HB1417 which
would have required the state Health Department to license and
regulate all facilities where abortions arc provided. HB 1503 which
would have provided grants of up to $2000 for welfare clients who
D
agreed to be sterilized was also defeated by the committee.
WOMEN'S STUDIES AT
QSU, STILLWATER
March 17, 7:30p.m., 109BartlettCenter: Dr. DcborahCibelli,
Assistant Professor of the OSU Art Department, will present a slide
lecture on ''Fighting Gender Roles: The Case of a Victorian Woman
Military Painter, Elizabeth Butler."
March 31, 8:00 p.m., Student Union Theater: Mary Catherine
Bateson, daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson and a
respected anthropologist and author in her own right, will speak. Her
talk is sponsored by OSU Women's Studies and the Stillwater
chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Aprll 5, 5: 30 p.m., Student Union Foodmarts-Dogwood Room;
Dr. Judith Kaufman, OSU Assistant Professor of Applied Behavioral
Studies, will discuss ''Why is Emotion Separated from Cognition: a
Feminist Analysis.'' A proponent of holistic education, Dr. Kaufman
believes people learn by feeling as well as thinking. The program
will be preceded by a short NOW meeting in the same room at 5:00.
Everyone is welcome .
D
Information from Tulsa World, Friday 2-19-93
OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST
HB 1060 recognizes spousal rape as a crime. Oklahoma and
North Carolina arc the only states which do not recognize spousal
rape as a crime.
HB 1102 authorizes the police to remove a batterer from the
premises during a domestic assault. It also requires District Attorneys to establish policies and procedures regarding domestic violence and requires specific domestic violence statistical information
bekept by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
HB1147 rewords the Child Endangerment Statue. Battered
women's advocates arc concerned that this measure could allow all
battered women to be charged with child endangerment and stop
women from calling for police assistance.
You can contact your State Senator or Representative by writing
c/o Oklahoma State Capitol, OKC, OK 73105 or calling House of
Representatives 521-2771(1-800-522-8502 outside OKC area) and
D
Senate (405)524-0126.
2109 S. Air Depot
Midwest City, OK 73110
Herl and
" Spring~·
~ Retreat"'~ .:, "
L
;;r;s
(405)737-0496
Air Depot Animal Hospital
Call for Appointment
JOY HUSKA, D.V.M
Her/and Voice March, I 993
3
BUFFALO CHIPS
SENATE SEATS
To
Buffalo Chips to Senate Seats: Women at Work in Oklahoma is
a wonderful booklet that Hcrland is pleased to have on its reference
shelf. A project of the Women's Studies Program of the University
of Oklahoma, it was compiled and written by Rebecca Fine, Gayle
Barrett, Sallie Bodie, Nancy Minter, Regina Bennett, Janet Nocver,
Gerry Baker, and Jody Thomas . Portions of it arc excerpted below.
1
Long before statehood, even before the "opening" of the territory, the women came to Oklahoma. Some were unwilling and some
were unwelcome, but they came to stay, and they stayed to work.
The Native American women brought here with their tribes,
forced by a government not their own into a new and hostile
homeland not of their own choosing; the Black women brought here
in chains or the ex-slaves with nowhere else to turn; the immigrant
women who came with their families to the unfamiliar land full of
unfamiliar ways; and the Anglo women brought here from their
eastern homes by husbands, fathers or brothers--all these women
came by force or by choice, and stayed to carve a new life from an
often unwelcoming territory.
Leaving all they knew of home, often ·n ever to return, and
bringing what little they could carry of cherished belongings, they
forged a link of continuity by nurturing and sustaining their traditional ways in new places. They worked to join their history to their
future , and in so doing, created a new tradition.
Unfortunately, while most white women were able to blend
their customs and religious beliefs with the demands of pioneer life,
it was that same pioneer life-style that for the Native American
woman resulted in a loss of her culture.
Traditionally, the tasks assigned to Native American women
were much the same as those performed by white pioneer women, but
the rituals and meaning of work were different for the two groups.
"Work rituals provided an opportunity for women to work together
and at the same time hold prayers and ceremonies; their work became
more than merely a process of meeting material needs" (Weis,
"Indian Women of the Western Plains"). The coming of the pioneers
with their schools and missionaries replaced these rituals and ceremonies with the white settlers' ways, and changed the form of the
Native American woman's work, if not the substance.
Despite the hardships of pioneer life and its imposition upon the
Native American, the women of early Oklahoma through their
common efforts became the builders of a state and the mothers and
grandmothers of new generations of pioneers.
These new pionccrs--thc women who cure the sick, write the
laws, produce the crops, rear the children, create the art, educate the
young, champion the cause of human rights--all the women of
Oklahoma have received a proud and diverse legacy of strength,
determination and plain hard work.
''My husband was accidentally killed the second year we were
on the claim, but I continued the farming with cotton as the main
crop. One year I picked 8,000 pounds - 5200 of my crop and 2800
pounds for others and got 75 cents per cwt for picking - and boarded
myself. By so doing I supported my four children and paid for my
sewing machine. I would do my laundry and sewing at night.''
''Grandmother learned to be a midwife after the Civil War, for
she had never learned to do anything in her life but look pretty, and
she felt that she must be useful now since the family was poor and had
no slaves. She wo11ld go a hundred miles or more to deliver a child
and I never knew her to lose a baby or mother during the 20 years of
4 Her/and Voice March, 1993
her active work. She delivered hundreds ofbabies and nevercharged
a cent. Of course she was often given handsome presents and
sometimes money.''
Describing the treatment for a woman with snakebite: •'We
killed several hens and split them open and bound them to the wound
while they were still hot. This drew the poison out, and we gave her
,.
plenty of good whiskey.''
" ... the ubiquitous buffalo chips were our only fuel for many
days, and were much more satisfactory than one would think who had
never tried them."
To keep her family fed and clothed, happy and healthy, she daily
battled the harshness of the weather, the lack of water, the relentless
wind and the monotony of the flat, almost treeless landscape. Much
of the time, on remote homesteads, she worked in isolation from
other women.
Because the homestead was a family affair, often operating on
a subsistence level, no one was exempt from responsibilities-everyone worked. In assigning jobs, there was some blurring of sex
roles, but only unilaterally. While a wife and mother might be
expected to shoulder a heavy load of the farming chores as well as the
household duties, few men were willing to take on cooking and
cleaning in addition to their farm work. Women learned and
performed these new tasks by necessity, and when as in the case of
the woman quoted above, their husbands died (or deserted or became
disabled), they were prepared to carry on.
Gardening, cooking, canning, cleaning, sewing, laundering,
ironing, child care, health care -all these and more were the typical
duties of the pioneer woman. Add to these the running of a farm, or
perhaps a boarding house, and you may be able to begin to imagine
what a 'day in the life' of a frontier woman was like.
"Women's work" has never been adequately compensated, but
perhaps in Oklahoma's early days it was more greatly appreciated.
Living close to the forces of nature that were at the same time enemy
and sustenance, the pioneer woman's work often took on life and
death significance. The financial rewards may not have been equal
to the demands made on her, but surely no one in her family or
community could deny the importance and essential nature of her
~bors.
D
Published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 N.W .
39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Newsletter Committee:
Margaret Cox, Deborah Fox, Pat Reaves
Circulation: 1000
Advertising Rates: Business card $15; 1/4 page $35;
1/2 page $60; full page $100
The Voice is offered as an open forum for community
discourse. Articles reflect the opinions of the author and
not necessarily those of Herland Sister Resources.
Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed
and must be signed by the writer with full name and
address. Upon request, letters or articles may be printed
under a pseudonym or anonymously.
Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request.
The Voice is printed on recycled paper.
WOMEN/WIMMIN'S
HISTORY?
by Vivien Ng
To be honest with you, I have never been a fan of the word
"hcrstory." Not that I have any quarrel with the rationale for the
word, but I prefer to continue to use "history" and appropriate/
subvert/castrate(?) it completely for my own use. "Neutered"
history--what a thought! (Of course, it's precisely this kind of
violent thought that bas brought MANKIND so much trouble.)
Now that we have settled it, March is Women's History Month,
or should it be Wimmin's History Month instead? Which party line
should I toe? Let me give you a clue: The other day, in one of my
classes, I recited the standard line that Simone de Beauvoir's~
Second Sex is a "seminal" work. I winced and used my bands to
signify quote, unquote, and generally registered my disgust at the sword, but the point is I used it. Am I a purist/traditionalist/or what?
"Woman" it shall be, right?
"One is not born a woman." Simone de Beauvoir said it first
in The Second Sex (1949). It is also the title of a provocative essay
by Monique Wittig, the brilliant lesbian theorist (1981). In this
essay, Wittig dcconstructs the category "woman" and pushes de
Beauvoir's analysis further, much further. She laments that many
feminists (including lesbian feminists) have not truly understood de
Beauvoir's insight that,' 'One is not born, but becomes a woman. No
biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure
thattbc human female presents in society: it is civilization as a whole
that produces this creature, intermediate between male a11d
eunuch (italics mine), which is described as feminine." The
belief in mother right and in a prehistory when women created
civilization (while brutish men, trapped by their own biology,
were grunting and presumably still bunting), Wittig writes, actually
perpetuates the myth of "woman" as a biological or "natural"
entity. Such feminist analysis, while momentarily gratifying, nonetheless is ''symmetrical with the biologizing interpretation of history produced up to now by the class of men. It is still the same
method of finding in women and men a biological explanation for
their division, outside of social facts. For me this could never
constitute a lesbian approach to women's oppression, since it assumes that the basis of society or the beginning of society lies in
heterosexuality." Wow.
Monique Wittig rejects the category "woman" because she
understands the ideological, political, and economic construct that it
is. At the same time, she fully embraces "women" (pun
intended): ''Our first task, it seems, is to always thoroughly
dissociate 'women' (the class within which we fight) and
'woman,' the myth. For 'woman' docs not exist for us: it is
only an imaginary formation, while 'women' is the product of
a social relationship. We felt this strongly when everywhere we
refused to be called a 'woman's liberation movement."'
So it seems that I am leaning toward "women." However,
elsewhere, in "The Straight Mind," Wittig socks it to 'cm. She
dismisses the question, "What is woman?", as irrelevant to lesbians. "Frankly, it is a problem that lesbians do not have ... and
it would be incorrect to say that lesbians associate, make love,
live with women, for 'woman' has meaning only in heterosexual systems of thought and heterosexual economic systems. Lesbians are not women (italics mine)."
Let's celebrate Wimmin's History Month.
D
COME TO THE FAIR!
March is not too early to get your acts and crafts in gear for the
May Day Street Festival sponsored by Pride Network lncorpora-ted.
On Saturday, May l, 1993, artists, craftspeople, musicians,
concessionaires, and HUNDREDS of fun-lovin' folks will gather
from 1:00 to 7:00 pm in the west parking lot of Lee Burris's Habana
Inn complex. Susan Bishop, Co-Chair of Pride Network Inc., hopes
that, with community participation and support, this street fair will
be the start of an annual ''Gay Oklahoma State Fair.''
Groups and individuals with a talent or commodity to showcase
at the Festival can rent a booth for a fee of $10.00. This money will
be applied to Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade expenses, and booth
proceeds will belong to the rcntors to use or disperse as they see fit.
Start your planning for participation in the May Day Street
Festival with a call to Susan Bishop at (405) 340-3575. She will send
you an information packet containing registration forms. Hey, ho,
you fantastically artistic and ingenious womcn--comc to the Fair! D
"WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS"
As a part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness of women's
contributions to science and mathematics, the National Women's
History Project has issued a new poster, "Women in Science and
Mathematics." Featuring twenty historic and contemporary women
who have shaped the worlds of science and mathematics, the fullcolor poster is multicultural and covers a wide variety of fields.
The 22"x27" poster is available from the National Women's
History Project, for $8 plus $2 s/h. This poster is only one of
hundreds of multicultural women's history materials available. For
a complete catalog, send $1 to National Women's History Project,
7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492 or call (707)838-6000.
D
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Laura Choate
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631-3575
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Her/and Voice March, 1993
5
IN THEIR OwN WoRos:
LETTERS FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN
WASHINGTON
These are letters received by some of our readers, in reply to
their own . They have been edited only for length and to remove the
name of the recipients.
On Gays In the Military:
Dear --Thank you for contacting my office concerning President
Clinton's proposed reversal of the military policy of excluding
homosexuals from active duty. President Bill Clinton's proposed
policy of allowing homosexuals to serve in the Armed Forces has
caused a great deal of concern for many of my constituents as well
as myself. I have reservations about allowing people of nontraditional
sexual tendencies to enter or remain in active military service.
I am sorry that we cannot agree on all of the issues all of the time.
However, I will keep your views in mind as Congress addresses this
issue.
Sincerely,
Bill K. Brewster, Member of Congress
Dear---:
I appreciate having your thoughts about changing current policy
on whether or not gays should be allowed to serve in the military . I
certainly understand your views on the matter.
It is known and understood that many Americans of different
persuasions as to life-style aspire to serve their country and to put
their lives on the line when our country is endangered.
Balanced against that fact is the reality that service in the Armed
Forces often creates very special circumstances in which men and
women in uniform must serve under very primitive conditions and in
close proximity allowing little privacy yet requiring a high level of
discipline. That is why the military has always bad a strict code of
conduct -- to prevent some bebavior'tbat might be allowed in civilian
life but which would disrupt morale and discipline if allowed in the
military.
Given these competing factors, I joined others in urging President Clinton, Senator Nunn, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and military
leaders to take the time to work together to develop a plan that would
allow all Americans who love their country to serve in the military
but with a strict code of behavior to prevent any lessening of the
military's standards of effectiveness and unit cohesion.
I am very pleased this advice bas been taken.
Sincerely,
David
(David Boren, U.S. Senator)
Dear-----:
Thank you for sharing your views with me regarding the ban on
homosexuals in our Nation's military.
I believe that people should be judged by their conduct, not by
their status . Stricter rules of conduct on sexual behavior for all
military personnel are at the heart of a sensible solution.
My belief is that we don't have a person to waste. I am working
with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military services, the Congress,
and others concerned to design a policy which will ensure equality
and fairness, while preserving the unity and preparedness of our
military.
Sincerely,
Bill CUnton
6 Her/and Voice March, 1993
On SB 574 & HR 1430, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation:
Dear----:
I appreciate knowing of your support for S. 574, the · 'Civil
Rights Amendments Act of 1991." This bill was referred to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, but there was no further action on it in
the 102nd Congress. I agree with you that a person should not be
unfairly discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, sex,
physical disability, or sexual orientation. I have long been a
supporter of civil rights legislation, and as proposals similar to this
bill come before the Senate next year, I will keep your thoughts and
comments in mind.
Sincerely,
David
(David L. Boren, U.S. Senator).
Dear---:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 574, a bill to amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which purports to give "civil rights"
to homosexuals.
As long as I am a U.S. Senator, I will work with all my strength
and endeavor to ensure such ill-conceived legislation never becomes
Jaw. It is impossible to comprehend the rationale for placing
homosexual behavior on par with race, gender, religion, or ethnic
origin.
Sincerely,
Don Nickles, U.S. Senator
To Vo1cE YouR OPINION:
President Clinton, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500
Senator Boren, 453 Russell Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC
20510.
Senator Nickles, 713 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, D.C.
20510
Representative Jim Inhofe (District 1), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Mike Synar (District 2), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Bill Brewster (District 3), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Dave McCurdy (District 4), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Earnest ls took (District 5), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Glenn English (District 6), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
0
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39.
<><c
Open
Tuesday- Saturday 5 P.M. -- 3 A.M
Sunday 10A.M. -- 3 A.M.
Sunday Brunch 10 A.M.
CHRIS GLASER To
SPEAK IN STILLWATER
Noted gay, Christian author Chris Glaser will speak at several
events in Stillwater and Tulsa March 25, 26, 27, and 28. Glaser
received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and has
written extensively on the gay and lesbian community's reconciliation with the church.
'
Glaserwillspeakat7 p.m., Thursday, March25 atOSU'sNoble
Research Center, Room 106, on "The Many Faces of Homophobia."
This event is open to the general public. There is no admission
charge. Thursday's event is sponsored by United Ministries OSU
(UMOSU), the Stillwater chapter of the National Organization of
Women, the OSU Residence Hall Association and the Student Union
Activities Board.
He will be hosted by Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights and
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Tulsa on Friday, March
26, at 7: 30 p.m., in the Heimrich Center at Hillcrest Medical Center,
S. 12th and Trenton. This event will focus on homophobia and is
open to the public. There is a $5 admission charge.
On Saturday, March 27, Glaser will present a workshop in
Stillwater entitled "Coming Out to God". It will be at the Sheerar
Center, 7th and S. Duncan, from 9:30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Registration
will begin at 8:45 a.m. Saturday's event Is only being advertised
In the lesbian/gay community. Admission is free, but a donation to
help defer costs is appreciated. Saturday's event is sponsored by
UMOSU, the Canterbury Association, the Oklahoma Commission
for United Ministries in Higher Education, and the Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council.
At 6 p.m. , Saturday, Glaser will deliver the keynote address at
the Second Annual Alumni Banquet of the OSU Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual Community Association (GLBCA) . For more information
about this event and/or reservations call the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. All OSU alumni, friends, and supports are invited to
attend the banquet.
Sunday, March 28, Glaser will participate with Stillwater
ministers and laypeople in a panel discussion about homosexuality
and the Church. It will begin at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian
Church, 524 S. Duncan, Stillwater. There is no charge for admission .
Reared in the Christian faith as a Baptist, Glaser faced the
challenge of integrating his homosexuality within the context of his
spirituality. His move later into the Presbyterian church is chronicled
in bis first book, Uncommon Calling -- A Gay Man 's Strnggle To
Serve The Church.
The book describes both the process of the Presbyterian debate
over the ordination of gay people as well as the personal and spiritual
dimensions of Glaser's integration of faith, sexuality, and call to
ministry.
Glaser's next book, Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and
Community as Gay Men and Lesbians was written to facilitate
lesbians and gay men in reclaiming Christian faith.
He most recently published a book of prayers entitled Coming
Out to God--Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and
Friends.
He writes regularly for several national publications. He also
helped edit and write Breaking the Silence, Overcoming the Fear:
Resources in Homophobia Education for the Presbyterian Church.
He served as collecting editor of the summer, 1992 issue of Open
Hands, the quarterly journal of the Reconciling Congregations
Program in the United Methodist Church.
Books related to these and other topics will be available for
purchase at each event, courtesy of Caravan Books of Stillwater.
For more information, please contact the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. You may also call the office of United Ministries OSU
at 377-9174. In Tulsa, call the Canterbury Association at (918)5839780.
Sponsors for all or part of these events include UMOSU,
PFLAG of Tulsa, TOHR, NOW, The Oklahoma City Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council and the OSU GLBCA.
0
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Attention OSU Alumni & Friends
The OSU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Association invites you to the 2nd Annual Gay Alumni
Banquet, March 27, with guest speaker Chris Glaser.
D
Yes I will attend. I have enclosed $_ __
($25 for 1, $40 for 2)
D
No, but I'd like to support the GLBCA with a
donation of$_ __
Max Paty - General Manager
P.O. Box 60747
Oklahoma City, OK 73146 - 0747
405/ 525-6100 - FAX 405/232-163 7
Name:, _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Marilyn Best
M. Coleen Woody
IEST&WOODY
Attorneys At Law
1443 N.W. 48th
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118
(405) 843-1745
General Practice
Wllls Probate Personal Injury
Adoptions Contracts Divorce
Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State__ Zip_ __
Please send this slip and your check to GLBCA, 040
Student Union/OSU, Box 601, Stillwater, OK 74078
L------------------~
Her/and Voice March, 1993
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Thanks to all the women who worked hard to
remodel and rearrange the Herland building.
We now have a library and reading room! If
you haven't been by to see the results of their
work, drop by any Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6
pm. or Sunday from l p.m. to 6 p.m.
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In case you missed It: The Daily Disappointment runs a weekly telephone poll on issues of
current interest . February 8 the question was
"Should President Clinton lift the ban on
iays in the military?" This question elicited
the largest total vote since the poll began, and
no doubt much to Eddie Gaylord's surprise,
the vote was: YES, 5233; and NO, 3,995. So
there, Gaylord.
P-FLAG: Parents & Friends of Lesbians &
Gays, now has an active chapter in Oklahoma
City as well as in Tulsa. The OKC Chapter
meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at St.
Charles Boromeo, in St. Rita's Activity Center, at 12 noon. For more information call Pat
Sneed at 789-4056.
Pallas Athena Celebrates Anniversary: The
Pallas Athena Network was formed one year
ago by women veterans to provide ALL womeq
veterans a "safe space" in which they can
share experiences with other women who
''have been there.'• The voice of the network,
the bi-monthly newsletter "Pallas Athena,"
prints interviews, articles and history as well
as letters and creative works by women veterans. In celebration of its first anniversary, the
PAN bas added several new services designed
to provide additional opportunities for women
veterans to share experiences, opinions, ideas.
Discreet services by/for lesbian veterans are
available by requesting their supplement. For
more information, contact: Pallas Athena,
P. 0. Box 1171, New Market, VA 22844 (No
postcards please.)
The Lesbians' Festivals! Theatre, Music,
Comedy, Writers & Lesbians Everywhere:
The West Coast Lesbians' Festival, Memorial Day Weekend in Santa Barbara, The East
Coast Lesbians' Festlval on Labor Day Weekend, in the mountains, 2 112 hours north of
NYC, and HawaU Fest, Thanksgiving Weekend on Oahu. Particular Productions, 279
Lester Avenue, Oakland CA 9460 6; 9041826 _
04lO .
The Unitarian Unlversallst Fellowship is
hosting a Coffee House/Open Mike on Saturday, March 13, from 7-11 p.m. at720 De Barr,
Norman as a benefit for the Socialist Action
Committee of the Fellowship.
Women with Women with Children, Sunday Afternoon at Our House. We' ll be showing a video about our family -- Gay & Lesbian
Parents and Their Children--Speak Out. Call
PJ & Lou at 942-4331 for directions.
Call for Submissions: Hurricane Alice, a
feminist quarterly, seeks essays, reviews,
poems, short stories, personal experience,
and art work on the theme "Land and Landscape" for their summer '93 issue. They are
interested in women' s perspectives on the
uses of land, and on its conservation; on the
natural beauty of land, and on the recreation
for which it is a setting; and on the aesthetics
of land in terms of gardening, landscaping,
landscape painting. Deadline April 15, 1993
Length, 3,000 words maximum. Send to: HURRICANE ALICE, 207 Lind Hall, 207 Church
St., S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Call for Workshop Proposals, for the Texas
Lesbian Conference, May 21 -23, 1993, in
Houston. If you are interested in developing/
presenting a workshop for this year's conference, the theme of which is ''Many Kinds of
Power," the TLC Steering Committee wants
to bear from you. They are accepting workshop proposals including, but not limited to,
the topics related to the following areas of
lesbians' lives; Personal; Physical; Political;
Spiritual; Friendships; Legal; Medical; Sexual;
Religious; Intimacies; Cultural; Historical.
Your workshop proposal must be received
no later than March 15, and your name must
not be on the actual proposal. On a separate
piece of paper attach your name, address,
telephone number(s), and title of workshop to
the proposal itself; the selection of workshops will be done blindly by reviewers.
Checklist for Proposal Submission: a 150200 word synopsis of your proposed work- . .
shop, with title; On a separate piece of paper,
a brief description of your experience related ·
to this topic; format of workshop - Interac- ·
tive, Lecture, Discussion, Panel, or Other,
requested size limit on attendance; and specific requirements . Mail to TLC Workshop
Committee, c/o L.l.B., P. 0. Box 66748,
Houston, Texas 77266-6748.
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DON'T MISS
'DDSONE!
Travel to the March·• The Executive Travel
Service is offering air and bus travel packages
to the March. Call 521-9100 for infomation.
Herland will coordinate car/van pools to the
March. If you are going and would like to
drive please call and leave a message with the
number of riders you can take, your planned
departure and return dates and if yours is a
"smoking allowed" vehicle. If you need a
ride, please leave a message with the departure and return dates and if you need a "smoking vehicle." We'll try to match up folks and
put you in touch with each other to work out
the details.
"To all Invisibly Disabled Women: Would
you like the chance to tell your personal story
in your own words? We are two women compiling an anthology of writings and artwork
related to your experience as women with
. hidden disabilities. We are looking for essays, poetry, journal entries, ~hort stories,
reproducible artwork, etc, dealing with such
·issues as self-image, sexuality, politics, relationships , personal feelings and experiences,
and just day-to-day getting along. And don't
worry if you're 'not a writer' we just want you
to tell your story in your own way. Let Your
Voice Be Heard! Please send two copies of
each submission along with a 1or2 paragraph
biography to: 610 Koshland Way, Santa Cruz,
CA 95064 by March 21st, 1993. Questions,
call Donna at 408/458-9101 or Fanne at 408/
426-4497."
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March, 1993
ICE
SIMPLY EQUAL
Mission: The defeat ofHouse Joint Resolutions 1005
and 1021 and similar legislation.
Over 300 lesbians, gays, and their friends from Oklahoma City,
Norman, and the surrounding area gathered in an historic town
meeting on January 28. The meeting was convened by the Oklahoma
Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus to provide information about antilesbian/gay legislation pending in the Oklahoma legislature. From
that meeting a lesbian/gay community organization - Simply Equal
- was born. Simply Equal would move quickly to lead the lesbian/gay
community response against HJR1005 and HJR1021.
On February 18, we gathered again to celebrate our first victory
- HJR1005 and HJR1021 were dead for the 1993 legislative session.
Nearly 2000 postcards and over 800 letters had been delivered to
members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Many others
had phoned legislators calling for the defeat of the joint resolutions.
Town meetings had been held in Tulsa and Lawton and a Simply
Equal chapter was forming in Enid.
At that first town meeting, the assembled crowd learned about
the attacks of some Oklahoma lawmakers on the civil liberties of
lesbian/gays and people living with IDV. HJR1005 sponsored by
Grover Campbell of Owasso and HJR1021 by Bill Graves of Oklahoma City called for constitutional amendments styled after
Colorado's Amendment 2. Each would prohibit cities and school
districts from passing laws protecting lesbians/gays. The amendment proposed by Graves would also prohibit lesbians, gays, and
bisexuals from becoming foster parents. Town meeting participants
voiced their anger and fear and most of all their determination to
confront and defeat these homophobic measures. We left that
meeting With an organizational steering committee meeting scheduled for all those who wanted to participate.
The following Saturday, thirty people representing the broad
range of the lesbian/gay community gathered to set the framework
for this new organization. They quickly adopted a mission statement
and moved to set short term goals. The most immediate goal was to
stop HJR1005 and HJR1021 in the House Rules Committee.
The group agreed the best strategy would be to activate the
lesbian/gay community to communicate with their legislators. A
media silence would be maintained to avoid giving unnecessary
notice to the right-wing. We would quietly let legislators know that
they can not quietly take away the rights of lesbians/gays. The name
"Simply Equal" was chosen to reflect the organization's agenda "Not special rights. Simply equal rights."
Simply Equal buttons were soon a common sight: at the State
Capitol, the "gay strip" and where ever lesbians, gays and our
friends gathered. An estimated 1500 people volunteered, signed up
to be called for actions, and attended town meetings.
Simply Equal will continue to watch the legislature for antilesbian/gay measures and has scheduled a meeting for activists from
around the state in late February to plan the next steps for the
organization.
For information about Simply Equal activities or legislation
affecting lesbians/gays call the Simply Equal Information Line
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(405)672-8852 and enter code 1111.
Volume IO Number 3
KAREN WILLIAMS--GOOD
MEDICINE!
Remember that saying, "Laughter is the best medicine"?
HERLAND is importing a wonderful elixir called Karen Williams,
known as the "Diva of Comedy" and one of the country's leading
stand-up comics. ''The Karen Williams Comedy Revue'' will hit the
Civic Center Little Theater on Sunday, April 4, 1993 at 2:00 pm.
Tickets will be $10 in advance and $15 the day of the performance.
Those of you who caught her show at the Herland Retreat in
1988 are familiar with her style, contagious humor as she banters
with the audience, and her ability to find the funny side of even the
painful parts of life. "Sometimes I parody my immediate world,"
Karen says. "The little things and common situations that are the
stuff of life ... can be hilarious. Otherwise life itself can drive you
crazy."
Described as •'somewhere between Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby
and Lenny Bruce," Ms. Williams is a multi-talented, hard-working,
and committed artist. Gene Price of the San Francisco Bay Times
writes, " ... Karen Williams is the funniest woman on the comedy
stage today .. .I cannot think of anyone, male or female, who is
funnier, more polished, more universal in the contemporary traumas
she chooses to share with her audience.''
Karen keeps up a hectic schedule of ~s, speaking engagements, workshops, writing and editing, and acting. Her most recent
television appearance was last month, hosting the PBS talk show, IN
THE LIFE. Last year she received the Hot Wire Magazine Readers
Choice Award for Best Comic (a distinction she shares with Whoopi
Goldberg). Other triumphs in 1992 included her first appearance on
the international scene, in Paris, and the debut of her videotape Wild
CbHd At Large at the Michigan Women's Festival where she was a
featured solo performer.
This is a woman you'll enjoy and remember. Write April 4, 2
pm in your diary and contact Herland (521-9696) or any Board
member for tickets. Tickets may also be obtained by sending your
check or money order to Herl and. After our long winter, you deserve
a big dollop of Karen Williams and laughter--the best medicine.
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Herland Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112
ST. SYBIL
Dear St. Sybil,
When I was growing up in the 1940sand50s, I didn'thearmuch
about women in history. About the suffragettes, for instance, all I
learned was that they were, at best, figures of fun: humorless, bitter,
man-hating women who succeeded only in making a spectacle of
themselves. About Lewis & Clark's guide Sacajawea I learned
nothing. I never heard hername until around 1980 when my 12-year
old daughter began telling me about her. Of Sybil Ludington, I am
distressed to say, I heard not a word until even more recently.
Will you please give my apologies to all of the wonderful
forgotten and/or belittled and denigrated women there with you?
And tell me more about yourself.
Devotedly,
A Sister
Dear A,
.
No apologies needed, at least not from you. We all know what
' we did, and are eternally thankful to have been so privileged. We
do hate it, though, that by our being invisible, our daughters are
deprived of role models and heroines.
It's hard, for instance, for girls with a creative scientific bent
to plan a career as, say, a mad inventor if they have never heard of
women like Sophia Barre, Katherine Burr Blodgett and Emmy
Nother, inventive geniuses all; and isn't it sad that so few people
know that it was Catherine Greene rather than Eli Whitney who
invented the cotton gin? And of course almost no one has heard of
physicist Mileva Marie, Albert Einstein's first wife, to whom he
wrote of "our theory", and of his happiness in having someone to
talk with on an equal level.
St. Joan, by the way, wants me to say how sorry she is that
practically the only heroine known for her divine courage never
made it out of her teens; she doesn't feel that she makes a very good
role model! She agrees that I should tell you more about myself; so
I am writing a little poem for you:
Listen up, children, and spit out your chewing gum,
I'm gonna tell you a story about Sybil Ludington;
what Paul Revere did, she did much better.
In history books you've never met her?
Now don't get riled, and put down that shooting gun,
and I'll ...
oh, all right, I grant you Revere is an easier name to rhyme than
Ludington, but it coulda been done ....
Anyway.-- keep searching for us (for you) in history. It was not
easy for us to contribute, but we did it.
Lots of love,
Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
A mini riddle test for you:
What do the following unlikely people have in common?
Tim Pope and THE Pope: ·
Homophobic homonyms?
Michael Jackson & Rush Limbaugh:
One is a wonderful entertainer who might not always tell the
truth and the other one calls himself an entertainer and wouldn't
recognize the truth if it slapped his face?
Hillary R. Clinton and Rush Limbaugh:
· Easy. Hillary is in charge of healing the nation's health care
system and Rush makes me sick.
Jes11s Christ and the Lambs of Christ:
Not ... one .. .thing.
And thanks for writing.
Peace,
Sybil
2 Her/and Voice March, 1993
MARCH VIDEO NIGHT:
"THE
BURNING TIMES"
Friday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m.; we will have coffee and cookies
and popcorn and anything else you care to bring. "The Burning
Times," tells the often misunderstood story of the witch craze that
swept through Europe only a few hundred years ago. It offers new
insights into the legends and misconceptions that surround the term
'witch'. In the attempt to eradicate the woman-based power of
midwives, wise old crones and healers, the Christian church in
cooperation with local governments instigated a reign of terror.
False accusations and hysteria-driven trials led to massive torture,
burnings at the stake and ultimately to the destruction of what had
been an organic way of life.
The film provides a way for audiences to understand how the
widespread church - and state - sanctioned torture and killing of
women during the witch burning times set the stage for modern
society's cultural acceptance of massive violence against women.
Building on ideas set forth in the rediscovery of goddess-based
culture, "The Burning Times" is a beautifully crafted tribute to the
value and strength that women have brought and continue to bring to
all life. Directed by Donna Read and produced by Mary Armstrong,
Margaret Pettigrew and Studio D, National Film Board of Canada,
this film is a companion piece to "The Goddess Remembered",
Herland's February video selection.
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CONGRESS PASSES
DES
BILL
Congress has now passed legislation to expand research and
increase education and outreach to health professional and the public
about the dangers of DES [See Herland Voice 9/92). Presidential
approval is anticipated. DES Action, the consumer group representing DES mothers, daughters and sons, applauds the hard work of
House Sponsor Louise Slaughter and Senate sponsor Tom Harkin.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic hormone drug which was
prescribed to an estimated 5 million American women between
1941-1971. Although promoted as a "miracle drug" which would
prevent miscarriage, DES is now linked to vaginal and cervical
cancer, infertility and pregnancy problems in daughters, breast
cancer in DES mothers, and immune system dysfunction and other
health problems for all DES-exposed. DES sons have a higher rate
of reproductive problems and may be at higher risk for testicular
cancer.
Passage of the ''DES Education and Research Amendments of
1992" marks the first time the federal government has passed
legislation which begins to address this national tragedy. "The link
between DES and cancer has been known for over 20 years. We are
gratified that at last Congress is taking responsibility for the devastating consequences of this FDA-approved drug," said Pat Cody,
DES mother and a founder of DES Action.
The DES Education and Research Amendments of 1992 direct
the National Institutes of Health to undertake longitudinal studies on
the long-term health effects of DES exposure on both men and
women. The bill also establishes a three-year program to educate the
public about the dangers of DES and to train health professionals on
the diagnosis and treatment of DES-related conditions.
DES Action, the consumer group representing the approximately 1Omillion DES mothers, daughters and sons, was instrumental in ensuring passage of this bill. For more information, contact:
DES Action USA, 1615 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612. Telephone:
510/465-4011.
0
Info from th• National Women 'l Health Network N•ws Jan/Ftb 1993
PARENTAL NOTICE BILL
APPROVED BY
OK
HOUSE
COMMITTEE
HB1212 authored by Representative Russ Roach received a 9 7 margin of approval by the House Health and Mental Health
Committee. The bill requires a twenty-four hour written notice to
parents before an abortion can be provided to a minor.
The bill provides exemptions in the cases in which a physician
or counselor determines notice is not in the best interest of the child.
Parental notification would also not be required when the pregnancy
resulted from incest or if the young woman did not live with her
parents and did not receive support from them. A judicial bypass
measure is also included allowing a young woman to seek approval
through the court rather than notify her parents.
The measure has been criticized by both pro-choice and antichoice groups. Nancy Kachel of Planned Parenthood of Eastern
Oklahoma spoke against the bill before the committee saying it could
result in an increase in illegal abortions as young women try to avoid
the requirements. Tony Lauinger of the anti-choice group, Oklahomans for Life, said, "It [HB1212] would more properly be called a
parental circumvention act."
In the same meeting, the committee killed HB1417 which
would have required the state Health Department to license and
regulate all facilities where abortions arc provided. HB 1503 which
would have provided grants of up to $2000 for welfare clients who
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agreed to be sterilized was also defeated by the committee.
WOMEN'S STUDIES AT
QSU, STILLWATER
March 17, 7:30p.m., 109BartlettCenter: Dr. DcborahCibelli,
Assistant Professor of the OSU Art Department, will present a slide
lecture on ''Fighting Gender Roles: The Case of a Victorian Woman
Military Painter, Elizabeth Butler."
March 31, 8:00 p.m., Student Union Theater: Mary Catherine
Bateson, daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson and a
respected anthropologist and author in her own right, will speak. Her
talk is sponsored by OSU Women's Studies and the Stillwater
chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Aprll 5, 5: 30 p.m., Student Union Foodmarts-Dogwood Room;
Dr. Judith Kaufman, OSU Assistant Professor of Applied Behavioral
Studies, will discuss ''Why is Emotion Separated from Cognition: a
Feminist Analysis.'' A proponent of holistic education, Dr. Kaufman
believes people learn by feeling as well as thinking. The program
will be preceded by a short NOW meeting in the same room at 5:00.
Everyone is welcome .
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Information from Tulsa World, Friday 2-19-93
OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST
HB 1060 recognizes spousal rape as a crime. Oklahoma and
North Carolina arc the only states which do not recognize spousal
rape as a crime.
HB 1102 authorizes the police to remove a batterer from the
premises during a domestic assault. It also requires District Attorneys to establish policies and procedures regarding domestic violence and requires specific domestic violence statistical information
bekept by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
HB1147 rewords the Child Endangerment Statue. Battered
women's advocates arc concerned that this measure could allow all
battered women to be charged with child endangerment and stop
women from calling for police assistance.
You can contact your State Senator or Representative by writing
c/o Oklahoma State Capitol, OKC, OK 73105 or calling House of
Representatives 521-2771(1-800-522-8502 outside OKC area) and
D
Senate (405)524-0126.
2109 S. Air Depot
Midwest City, OK 73110
Herl and
" Spring~·
~ Retreat"'~ .:, "
L
;;r;s
(405)737-0496
Air Depot Animal Hospital
Call for Appointment
JOY HUSKA, D.V.M
Her/and Voice March, I 993
3
BUFFALO CHIPS
SENATE SEATS
To
Buffalo Chips to Senate Seats: Women at Work in Oklahoma is
a wonderful booklet that Hcrland is pleased to have on its reference
shelf. A project of the Women's Studies Program of the University
of Oklahoma, it was compiled and written by Rebecca Fine, Gayle
Barrett, Sallie Bodie, Nancy Minter, Regina Bennett, Janet Nocver,
Gerry Baker, and Jody Thomas . Portions of it arc excerpted below.
1
Long before statehood, even before the "opening" of the territory, the women came to Oklahoma. Some were unwilling and some
were unwelcome, but they came to stay, and they stayed to work.
The Native American women brought here with their tribes,
forced by a government not their own into a new and hostile
homeland not of their own choosing; the Black women brought here
in chains or the ex-slaves with nowhere else to turn; the immigrant
women who came with their families to the unfamiliar land full of
unfamiliar ways; and the Anglo women brought here from their
eastern homes by husbands, fathers or brothers--all these women
came by force or by choice, and stayed to carve a new life from an
often unwelcoming territory.
Leaving all they knew of home, often ·n ever to return, and
bringing what little they could carry of cherished belongings, they
forged a link of continuity by nurturing and sustaining their traditional ways in new places. They worked to join their history to their
future , and in so doing, created a new tradition.
Unfortunately, while most white women were able to blend
their customs and religious beliefs with the demands of pioneer life,
it was that same pioneer life-style that for the Native American
woman resulted in a loss of her culture.
Traditionally, the tasks assigned to Native American women
were much the same as those performed by white pioneer women, but
the rituals and meaning of work were different for the two groups.
"Work rituals provided an opportunity for women to work together
and at the same time hold prayers and ceremonies; their work became
more than merely a process of meeting material needs" (Weis,
"Indian Women of the Western Plains"). The coming of the pioneers
with their schools and missionaries replaced these rituals and ceremonies with the white settlers' ways, and changed the form of the
Native American woman's work, if not the substance.
Despite the hardships of pioneer life and its imposition upon the
Native American, the women of early Oklahoma through their
common efforts became the builders of a state and the mothers and
grandmothers of new generations of pioneers.
These new pionccrs--thc women who cure the sick, write the
laws, produce the crops, rear the children, create the art, educate the
young, champion the cause of human rights--all the women of
Oklahoma have received a proud and diverse legacy of strength,
determination and plain hard work.
''My husband was accidentally killed the second year we were
on the claim, but I continued the farming with cotton as the main
crop. One year I picked 8,000 pounds - 5200 of my crop and 2800
pounds for others and got 75 cents per cwt for picking - and boarded
myself. By so doing I supported my four children and paid for my
sewing machine. I would do my laundry and sewing at night.''
''Grandmother learned to be a midwife after the Civil War, for
she had never learned to do anything in her life but look pretty, and
she felt that she must be useful now since the family was poor and had
no slaves. She wo11ld go a hundred miles or more to deliver a child
and I never knew her to lose a baby or mother during the 20 years of
4 Her/and Voice March, 1993
her active work. She delivered hundreds ofbabies and nevercharged
a cent. Of course she was often given handsome presents and
sometimes money.''
Describing the treatment for a woman with snakebite: •'We
killed several hens and split them open and bound them to the wound
while they were still hot. This drew the poison out, and we gave her
,.
plenty of good whiskey.''
" ... the ubiquitous buffalo chips were our only fuel for many
days, and were much more satisfactory than one would think who had
never tried them."
To keep her family fed and clothed, happy and healthy, she daily
battled the harshness of the weather, the lack of water, the relentless
wind and the monotony of the flat, almost treeless landscape. Much
of the time, on remote homesteads, she worked in isolation from
other women.
Because the homestead was a family affair, often operating on
a subsistence level, no one was exempt from responsibilities-everyone worked. In assigning jobs, there was some blurring of sex
roles, but only unilaterally. While a wife and mother might be
expected to shoulder a heavy load of the farming chores as well as the
household duties, few men were willing to take on cooking and
cleaning in addition to their farm work. Women learned and
performed these new tasks by necessity, and when as in the case of
the woman quoted above, their husbands died (or deserted or became
disabled), they were prepared to carry on.
Gardening, cooking, canning, cleaning, sewing, laundering,
ironing, child care, health care -all these and more were the typical
duties of the pioneer woman. Add to these the running of a farm, or
perhaps a boarding house, and you may be able to begin to imagine
what a 'day in the life' of a frontier woman was like.
"Women's work" has never been adequately compensated, but
perhaps in Oklahoma's early days it was more greatly appreciated.
Living close to the forces of nature that were at the same time enemy
and sustenance, the pioneer woman's work often took on life and
death significance. The financial rewards may not have been equal
to the demands made on her, but surely no one in her family or
community could deny the importance and essential nature of her
~bors.
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Published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 N.W .
39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Newsletter Committee:
Margaret Cox, Deborah Fox, Pat Reaves
Circulation: 1000
Advertising Rates: Business card $15; 1/4 page $35;
1/2 page $60; full page $100
The Voice is offered as an open forum for community
discourse. Articles reflect the opinions of the author and
not necessarily those of Herland Sister Resources.
Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed
and must be signed by the writer with full name and
address. Upon request, letters or articles may be printed
under a pseudonym or anonymously.
Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request.
The Voice is printed on recycled paper.
WOMEN/WIMMIN'S
HISTORY?
by Vivien Ng
To be honest with you, I have never been a fan of the word
"hcrstory." Not that I have any quarrel with the rationale for the
word, but I prefer to continue to use "history" and appropriate/
subvert/castrate(?) it completely for my own use. "Neutered"
history--what a thought! (Of course, it's precisely this kind of
violent thought that bas brought MANKIND so much trouble.)
Now that we have settled it, March is Women's History Month,
or should it be Wimmin's History Month instead? Which party line
should I toe? Let me give you a clue: The other day, in one of my
classes, I recited the standard line that Simone de Beauvoir's~
Second Sex is a "seminal" work. I winced and used my bands to
signify quote, unquote, and generally registered my disgust at the sword, but the point is I used it. Am I a purist/traditionalist/or what?
"Woman" it shall be, right?
"One is not born a woman." Simone de Beauvoir said it first
in The Second Sex (1949). It is also the title of a provocative essay
by Monique Wittig, the brilliant lesbian theorist (1981). In this
essay, Wittig dcconstructs the category "woman" and pushes de
Beauvoir's analysis further, much further. She laments that many
feminists (including lesbian feminists) have not truly understood de
Beauvoir's insight that,' 'One is not born, but becomes a woman. No
biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure
thattbc human female presents in society: it is civilization as a whole
that produces this creature, intermediate between male a11d
eunuch (italics mine), which is described as feminine." The
belief in mother right and in a prehistory when women created
civilization (while brutish men, trapped by their own biology,
were grunting and presumably still bunting), Wittig writes, actually
perpetuates the myth of "woman" as a biological or "natural"
entity. Such feminist analysis, while momentarily gratifying, nonetheless is ''symmetrical with the biologizing interpretation of history produced up to now by the class of men. It is still the same
method of finding in women and men a biological explanation for
their division, outside of social facts. For me this could never
constitute a lesbian approach to women's oppression, since it assumes that the basis of society or the beginning of society lies in
heterosexuality." Wow.
Monique Wittig rejects the category "woman" because she
understands the ideological, political, and economic construct that it
is. At the same time, she fully embraces "women" (pun
intended): ''Our first task, it seems, is to always thoroughly
dissociate 'women' (the class within which we fight) and
'woman,' the myth. For 'woman' docs not exist for us: it is
only an imaginary formation, while 'women' is the product of
a social relationship. We felt this strongly when everywhere we
refused to be called a 'woman's liberation movement."'
So it seems that I am leaning toward "women." However,
elsewhere, in "The Straight Mind," Wittig socks it to 'cm. She
dismisses the question, "What is woman?", as irrelevant to lesbians. "Frankly, it is a problem that lesbians do not have ... and
it would be incorrect to say that lesbians associate, make love,
live with women, for 'woman' has meaning only in heterosexual systems of thought and heterosexual economic systems. Lesbians are not women (italics mine)."
Let's celebrate Wimmin's History Month.
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COME TO THE FAIR!
March is not too early to get your acts and crafts in gear for the
May Day Street Festival sponsored by Pride Network lncorpora-ted.
On Saturday, May l, 1993, artists, craftspeople, musicians,
concessionaires, and HUNDREDS of fun-lovin' folks will gather
from 1:00 to 7:00 pm in the west parking lot of Lee Burris's Habana
Inn complex. Susan Bishop, Co-Chair of Pride Network Inc., hopes
that, with community participation and support, this street fair will
be the start of an annual ''Gay Oklahoma State Fair.''
Groups and individuals with a talent or commodity to showcase
at the Festival can rent a booth for a fee of $10.00. This money will
be applied to Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade expenses, and booth
proceeds will belong to the rcntors to use or disperse as they see fit.
Start your planning for participation in the May Day Street
Festival with a call to Susan Bishop at (405) 340-3575. She will send
you an information packet containing registration forms. Hey, ho,
you fantastically artistic and ingenious womcn--comc to the Fair! D
"WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS"
As a part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness of women's
contributions to science and mathematics, the National Women's
History Project has issued a new poster, "Women in Science and
Mathematics." Featuring twenty historic and contemporary women
who have shaped the worlds of science and mathematics, the fullcolor poster is multicultural and covers a wide variety of fields.
The 22"x27" poster is available from the National Women's
History Project, for $8 plus $2 s/h. This poster is only one of
hundreds of multicultural women's history materials available. For
a complete catalog, send $1 to National Women's History Project,
7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492 or call (707)838-6000.
D
Rent -A-Woman
Odd Jobs
Chore5 you don't have time to do? Call me! Repairing. cleaning,
hauling, errand5, pet/hou5e 5itting. minor auto repair &
maintenance. raking. 5hoveling.
943-4070
Laura Choate
Leaf It To Us!
631-3575
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
Floral Designs
Silk and Fresh
Her/and Voice March, 1993
5
IN THEIR OwN WoRos:
LETTERS FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN
WASHINGTON
These are letters received by some of our readers, in reply to
their own . They have been edited only for length and to remove the
name of the recipients.
On Gays In the Military:
Dear --Thank you for contacting my office concerning President
Clinton's proposed reversal of the military policy of excluding
homosexuals from active duty. President Bill Clinton's proposed
policy of allowing homosexuals to serve in the Armed Forces has
caused a great deal of concern for many of my constituents as well
as myself. I have reservations about allowing people of nontraditional
sexual tendencies to enter or remain in active military service.
I am sorry that we cannot agree on all of the issues all of the time.
However, I will keep your views in mind as Congress addresses this
issue.
Sincerely,
Bill K. Brewster, Member of Congress
Dear---:
I appreciate having your thoughts about changing current policy
on whether or not gays should be allowed to serve in the military . I
certainly understand your views on the matter.
It is known and understood that many Americans of different
persuasions as to life-style aspire to serve their country and to put
their lives on the line when our country is endangered.
Balanced against that fact is the reality that service in the Armed
Forces often creates very special circumstances in which men and
women in uniform must serve under very primitive conditions and in
close proximity allowing little privacy yet requiring a high level of
discipline. That is why the military has always bad a strict code of
conduct -- to prevent some bebavior'tbat might be allowed in civilian
life but which would disrupt morale and discipline if allowed in the
military.
Given these competing factors, I joined others in urging President Clinton, Senator Nunn, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and military
leaders to take the time to work together to develop a plan that would
allow all Americans who love their country to serve in the military
but with a strict code of behavior to prevent any lessening of the
military's standards of effectiveness and unit cohesion.
I am very pleased this advice bas been taken.
Sincerely,
David
(David Boren, U.S. Senator)
Dear-----:
Thank you for sharing your views with me regarding the ban on
homosexuals in our Nation's military.
I believe that people should be judged by their conduct, not by
their status . Stricter rules of conduct on sexual behavior for all
military personnel are at the heart of a sensible solution.
My belief is that we don't have a person to waste. I am working
with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military services, the Congress,
and others concerned to design a policy which will ensure equality
and fairness, while preserving the unity and preparedness of our
military.
Sincerely,
Bill CUnton
6 Her/and Voice March, 1993
On SB 574 & HR 1430, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation:
Dear----:
I appreciate knowing of your support for S. 574, the · 'Civil
Rights Amendments Act of 1991." This bill was referred to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, but there was no further action on it in
the 102nd Congress. I agree with you that a person should not be
unfairly discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, sex,
physical disability, or sexual orientation. I have long been a
supporter of civil rights legislation, and as proposals similar to this
bill come before the Senate next year, I will keep your thoughts and
comments in mind.
Sincerely,
David
(David L. Boren, U.S. Senator).
Dear---:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 574, a bill to amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which purports to give "civil rights"
to homosexuals.
As long as I am a U.S. Senator, I will work with all my strength
and endeavor to ensure such ill-conceived legislation never becomes
Jaw. It is impossible to comprehend the rationale for placing
homosexual behavior on par with race, gender, religion, or ethnic
origin.
Sincerely,
Don Nickles, U.S. Senator
To Vo1cE YouR OPINION:
President Clinton, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500
Senator Boren, 453 Russell Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC
20510.
Senator Nickles, 713 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, D.C.
20510
Representative Jim Inhofe (District 1), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Mike Synar (District 2), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Bill Brewster (District 3), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Dave McCurdy (District 4), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Earnest ls took (District 5), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Glenn English (District 6), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
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39.
<><c
Open
Tuesday- Saturday 5 P.M. -- 3 A.M
Sunday 10A.M. -- 3 A.M.
Sunday Brunch 10 A.M.
CHRIS GLASER To
SPEAK IN STILLWATER
Noted gay, Christian author Chris Glaser will speak at several
events in Stillwater and Tulsa March 25, 26, 27, and 28. Glaser
received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and has
written extensively on the gay and lesbian community's reconciliation with the church.
'
Glaserwillspeakat7 p.m., Thursday, March25 atOSU'sNoble
Research Center, Room 106, on "The Many Faces of Homophobia."
This event is open to the general public. There is no admission
charge. Thursday's event is sponsored by United Ministries OSU
(UMOSU), the Stillwater chapter of the National Organization of
Women, the OSU Residence Hall Association and the Student Union
Activities Board.
He will be hosted by Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights and
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Tulsa on Friday, March
26, at 7: 30 p.m., in the Heimrich Center at Hillcrest Medical Center,
S. 12th and Trenton. This event will focus on homophobia and is
open to the public. There is a $5 admission charge.
On Saturday, March 27, Glaser will present a workshop in
Stillwater entitled "Coming Out to God". It will be at the Sheerar
Center, 7th and S. Duncan, from 9:30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Registration
will begin at 8:45 a.m. Saturday's event Is only being advertised
In the lesbian/gay community. Admission is free, but a donation to
help defer costs is appreciated. Saturday's event is sponsored by
UMOSU, the Canterbury Association, the Oklahoma Commission
for United Ministries in Higher Education, and the Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council.
At 6 p.m. , Saturday, Glaser will deliver the keynote address at
the Second Annual Alumni Banquet of the OSU Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual Community Association (GLBCA) . For more information
about this event and/or reservations call the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. All OSU alumni, friends, and supports are invited to
attend the banquet.
Sunday, March 28, Glaser will participate with Stillwater
ministers and laypeople in a panel discussion about homosexuality
and the Church. It will begin at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian
Church, 524 S. Duncan, Stillwater. There is no charge for admission .
Reared in the Christian faith as a Baptist, Glaser faced the
challenge of integrating his homosexuality within the context of his
spirituality. His move later into the Presbyterian church is chronicled
in bis first book, Uncommon Calling -- A Gay Man 's Strnggle To
Serve The Church.
The book describes both the process of the Presbyterian debate
over the ordination of gay people as well as the personal and spiritual
dimensions of Glaser's integration of faith, sexuality, and call to
ministry.
Glaser's next book, Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and
Community as Gay Men and Lesbians was written to facilitate
lesbians and gay men in reclaiming Christian faith.
He most recently published a book of prayers entitled Coming
Out to God--Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and
Friends.
He writes regularly for several national publications. He also
helped edit and write Breaking the Silence, Overcoming the Fear:
Resources in Homophobia Education for the Presbyterian Church.
He served as collecting editor of the summer, 1992 issue of Open
Hands, the quarterly journal of the Reconciling Congregations
Program in the United Methodist Church.
Books related to these and other topics will be available for
purchase at each event, courtesy of Caravan Books of Stillwater.
For more information, please contact the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. You may also call the office of United Ministries OSU
at 377-9174. In Tulsa, call the Canterbury Association at (918)5839780.
Sponsors for all or part of these events include UMOSU,
PFLAG of Tulsa, TOHR, NOW, The Oklahoma City Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council and the OSU GLBCA.
0
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Attention OSU Alumni & Friends
The OSU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Association invites you to the 2nd Annual Gay Alumni
Banquet, March 27, with guest speaker Chris Glaser.
D
Yes I will attend. I have enclosed $_ __
($25 for 1, $40 for 2)
D
No, but I'd like to support the GLBCA with a
donation of$_ __
Max Paty - General Manager
P.O. Box 60747
Oklahoma City, OK 73146 - 0747
405/ 525-6100 - FAX 405/232-163 7
Name:, _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Marilyn Best
M. Coleen Woody
IEST&WOODY
Attorneys At Law
1443 N.W. 48th
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118
(405) 843-1745
General Practice
Wllls Probate Personal Injury
Adoptions Contracts Divorce
Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State__ Zip_ __
Please send this slip and your check to GLBCA, 040
Student Union/OSU, Box 601, Stillwater, OK 74078
L------------------~
Her/and Voice March, 1993
7
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Thanks to all the women who worked hard to
remodel and rearrange the Herland building.
We now have a library and reading room! If
you haven't been by to see the results of their
work, drop by any Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6
pm. or Sunday from l p.m. to 6 p.m.
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In case you missed It: The Daily Disappointment runs a weekly telephone poll on issues of
current interest . February 8 the question was
"Should President Clinton lift the ban on
iays in the military?" This question elicited
the largest total vote since the poll began, and
no doubt much to Eddie Gaylord's surprise,
the vote was: YES, 5233; and NO, 3,995. So
there, Gaylord.
P-FLAG: Parents & Friends of Lesbians &
Gays, now has an active chapter in Oklahoma
City as well as in Tulsa. The OKC Chapter
meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at St.
Charles Boromeo, in St. Rita's Activity Center, at 12 noon. For more information call Pat
Sneed at 789-4056.
Pallas Athena Celebrates Anniversary: The
Pallas Athena Network was formed one year
ago by women veterans to provide ALL womeq
veterans a "safe space" in which they can
share experiences with other women who
''have been there.'• The voice of the network,
the bi-monthly newsletter "Pallas Athena,"
prints interviews, articles and history as well
as letters and creative works by women veterans. In celebration of its first anniversary, the
PAN bas added several new services designed
to provide additional opportunities for women
veterans to share experiences, opinions, ideas.
Discreet services by/for lesbian veterans are
available by requesting their supplement. For
more information, contact: Pallas Athena,
P. 0. Box 1171, New Market, VA 22844 (No
postcards please.)
The Lesbians' Festivals! Theatre, Music,
Comedy, Writers & Lesbians Everywhere:
The West Coast Lesbians' Festival, Memorial Day Weekend in Santa Barbara, The East
Coast Lesbians' Festlval on Labor Day Weekend, in the mountains, 2 112 hours north of
NYC, and HawaU Fest, Thanksgiving Weekend on Oahu. Particular Productions, 279
Lester Avenue, Oakland CA 9460 6; 9041826 _
04lO .
The Unitarian Unlversallst Fellowship is
hosting a Coffee House/Open Mike on Saturday, March 13, from 7-11 p.m. at720 De Barr,
Norman as a benefit for the Socialist Action
Committee of the Fellowship.
Women with Women with Children, Sunday Afternoon at Our House. We' ll be showing a video about our family -- Gay & Lesbian
Parents and Their Children--Speak Out. Call
PJ & Lou at 942-4331 for directions.
Call for Submissions: Hurricane Alice, a
feminist quarterly, seeks essays, reviews,
poems, short stories, personal experience,
and art work on the theme "Land and Landscape" for their summer '93 issue. They are
interested in women' s perspectives on the
uses of land, and on its conservation; on the
natural beauty of land, and on the recreation
for which it is a setting; and on the aesthetics
of land in terms of gardening, landscaping,
landscape painting. Deadline April 15, 1993
Length, 3,000 words maximum. Send to: HURRICANE ALICE, 207 Lind Hall, 207 Church
St., S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Call for Workshop Proposals, for the Texas
Lesbian Conference, May 21 -23, 1993, in
Houston. If you are interested in developing/
presenting a workshop for this year's conference, the theme of which is ''Many Kinds of
Power," the TLC Steering Committee wants
to bear from you. They are accepting workshop proposals including, but not limited to,
the topics related to the following areas of
lesbians' lives; Personal; Physical; Political;
Spiritual; Friendships; Legal; Medical; Sexual;
Religious; Intimacies; Cultural; Historical.
Your workshop proposal must be received
no later than March 15, and your name must
not be on the actual proposal. On a separate
piece of paper attach your name, address,
telephone number(s), and title of workshop to
the proposal itself; the selection of workshops will be done blindly by reviewers.
Checklist for Proposal Submission: a 150200 word synopsis of your proposed work- . .
shop, with title; On a separate piece of paper,
a brief description of your experience related ·
to this topic; format of workshop - Interac- ·
tive, Lecture, Discussion, Panel, or Other,
requested size limit on attendance; and specific requirements . Mail to TLC Workshop
Committee, c/o L.l.B., P. 0. Box 66748,
Houston, Texas 77266-6748.
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DON'T MISS
'DDSONE!
Travel to the March·• The Executive Travel
Service is offering air and bus travel packages
to the March. Call 521-9100 for infomation.
Herland will coordinate car/van pools to the
March. If you are going and would like to
drive please call and leave a message with the
number of riders you can take, your planned
departure and return dates and if yours is a
"smoking allowed" vehicle. If you need a
ride, please leave a message with the departure and return dates and if you need a "smoking vehicle." We'll try to match up folks and
put you in touch with each other to work out
the details.
"To all Invisibly Disabled Women: Would
you like the chance to tell your personal story
in your own words? We are two women compiling an anthology of writings and artwork
related to your experience as women with
. hidden disabilities. We are looking for essays, poetry, journal entries, ~hort stories,
reproducible artwork, etc, dealing with such
·issues as self-image, sexuality, politics, relationships , personal feelings and experiences,
and just day-to-day getting along. And don't
worry if you're 'not a writer' we just want you
to tell your story in your own way. Let Your
Voice Be Heard! Please send two copies of
each submission along with a 1or2 paragraph
biography to: 610 Koshland Way, Santa Cruz,
CA 95064 by March 21st, 1993. Questions,
call Donna at 408/458-9101 or Fanne at 408/
426-4497."
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ia~HERLAND ~
March, 1993
ICE
SIMPLY EQUAL
Mission: The defeat ofHouse Joint Resolutions 1005
and 1021 and similar legislation.
Over 300 lesbians, gays, and their friends from Oklahoma City,
Norman, and the surrounding area gathered in an historic town
meeting on January 28. The meeting was convened by the Oklahoma
Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus to provide information about antilesbian/gay legislation pending in the Oklahoma legislature. From
that meeting a lesbian/gay community organization - Simply Equal
- was born. Simply Equal would move quickly to lead the lesbian/gay
community response against HJR1005 and HJR1021.
On February 18, we gathered again to celebrate our first victory
- HJR1005 and HJR1021 were dead for the 1993 legislative session.
Nearly 2000 postcards and over 800 letters had been delivered to
members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Many others
had phoned legislators calling for the defeat of the joint resolutions.
Town meetings had been held in Tulsa and Lawton and a Simply
Equal chapter was forming in Enid.
At that first town meeting, the assembled crowd learned about
the attacks of some Oklahoma lawmakers on the civil liberties of
lesbian/gays and people living with IDV. HJR1005 sponsored by
Grover Campbell of Owasso and HJR1021 by Bill Graves of Oklahoma City called for constitutional amendments styled after
Colorado's Amendment 2. Each would prohibit cities and school
districts from passing laws protecting lesbians/gays. The amendment proposed by Graves would also prohibit lesbians, gays, and
bisexuals from becoming foster parents. Town meeting participants
voiced their anger and fear and most of all their determination to
confront and defeat these homophobic measures. We left that
meeting With an organizational steering committee meeting scheduled for all those who wanted to participate.
The following Saturday, thirty people representing the broad
range of the lesbian/gay community gathered to set the framework
for this new organization. They quickly adopted a mission statement
and moved to set short term goals. The most immediate goal was to
stop HJR1005 and HJR1021 in the House Rules Committee.
The group agreed the best strategy would be to activate the
lesbian/gay community to communicate with their legislators. A
media silence would be maintained to avoid giving unnecessary
notice to the right-wing. We would quietly let legislators know that
they can not quietly take away the rights of lesbians/gays. The name
"Simply Equal" was chosen to reflect the organization's agenda "Not special rights. Simply equal rights."
Simply Equal buttons were soon a common sight: at the State
Capitol, the "gay strip" and where ever lesbians, gays and our
friends gathered. An estimated 1500 people volunteered, signed up
to be called for actions, and attended town meetings.
Simply Equal will continue to watch the legislature for antilesbian/gay measures and has scheduled a meeting for activists from
around the state in late February to plan the next steps for the
organization.
For information about Simply Equal activities or legislation
affecting lesbians/gays call the Simply Equal Information Line
0
(405)672-8852 and enter code 1111.
Volume IO Number 3
KAREN WILLIAMS--GOOD
MEDICINE!
Remember that saying, "Laughter is the best medicine"?
HERLAND is importing a wonderful elixir called Karen Williams,
known as the "Diva of Comedy" and one of the country's leading
stand-up comics. ''The Karen Williams Comedy Revue'' will hit the
Civic Center Little Theater on Sunday, April 4, 1993 at 2:00 pm.
Tickets will be $10 in advance and $15 the day of the performance.
Those of you who caught her show at the Herland Retreat in
1988 are familiar with her style, contagious humor as she banters
with the audience, and her ability to find the funny side of even the
painful parts of life. "Sometimes I parody my immediate world,"
Karen says. "The little things and common situations that are the
stuff of life ... can be hilarious. Otherwise life itself can drive you
crazy."
Described as •'somewhere between Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby
and Lenny Bruce," Ms. Williams is a multi-talented, hard-working,
and committed artist. Gene Price of the San Francisco Bay Times
writes, " ... Karen Williams is the funniest woman on the comedy
stage today .. .I cannot think of anyone, male or female, who is
funnier, more polished, more universal in the contemporary traumas
she chooses to share with her audience.''
Karen keeps up a hectic schedule of ~s, speaking engagements, workshops, writing and editing, and acting. Her most recent
television appearance was last month, hosting the PBS talk show, IN
THE LIFE. Last year she received the Hot Wire Magazine Readers
Choice Award for Best Comic (a distinction she shares with Whoopi
Goldberg). Other triumphs in 1992 included her first appearance on
the international scene, in Paris, and the debut of her videotape Wild
CbHd At Large at the Michigan Women's Festival where she was a
featured solo performer.
This is a woman you'll enjoy and remember. Write April 4, 2
pm in your diary and contact Herland (521-9696) or any Board
member for tickets. Tickets may also be obtained by sending your
check or money order to Herl and. After our long winter, you deserve
a big dollop of Karen Williams and laughter--the best medicine.
0
Herland Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112
ST. SYBIL
Dear St. Sybil,
When I was growing up in the 1940sand50s, I didn'thearmuch
about women in history. About the suffragettes, for instance, all I
learned was that they were, at best, figures of fun: humorless, bitter,
man-hating women who succeeded only in making a spectacle of
themselves. About Lewis & Clark's guide Sacajawea I learned
nothing. I never heard hername until around 1980 when my 12-year
old daughter began telling me about her. Of Sybil Ludington, I am
distressed to say, I heard not a word until even more recently.
Will you please give my apologies to all of the wonderful
forgotten and/or belittled and denigrated women there with you?
And tell me more about yourself.
Devotedly,
A Sister
Dear A,
.
No apologies needed, at least not from you. We all know what
' we did, and are eternally thankful to have been so privileged. We
do hate it, though, that by our being invisible, our daughters are
deprived of role models and heroines.
It's hard, for instance, for girls with a creative scientific bent
to plan a career as, say, a mad inventor if they have never heard of
women like Sophia Barre, Katherine Burr Blodgett and Emmy
Nother, inventive geniuses all; and isn't it sad that so few people
know that it was Catherine Greene rather than Eli Whitney who
invented the cotton gin? And of course almost no one has heard of
physicist Mileva Marie, Albert Einstein's first wife, to whom he
wrote of "our theory", and of his happiness in having someone to
talk with on an equal level.
St. Joan, by the way, wants me to say how sorry she is that
practically the only heroine known for her divine courage never
made it out of her teens; she doesn't feel that she makes a very good
role model! She agrees that I should tell you more about myself; so
I am writing a little poem for you:
Listen up, children, and spit out your chewing gum,
I'm gonna tell you a story about Sybil Ludington;
what Paul Revere did, she did much better.
In history books you've never met her?
Now don't get riled, and put down that shooting gun,
and I'll ...
oh, all right, I grant you Revere is an easier name to rhyme than
Ludington, but it coulda been done ....
Anyway.-- keep searching for us (for you) in history. It was not
easy for us to contribute, but we did it.
Lots of love,
Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
A mini riddle test for you:
What do the following unlikely people have in common?
Tim Pope and THE Pope: ·
Homophobic homonyms?
Michael Jackson & Rush Limbaugh:
One is a wonderful entertainer who might not always tell the
truth and the other one calls himself an entertainer and wouldn't
recognize the truth if it slapped his face?
Hillary R. Clinton and Rush Limbaugh:
· Easy. Hillary is in charge of healing the nation's health care
system and Rush makes me sick.
Jes11s Christ and the Lambs of Christ:
Not ... one .. .thing.
And thanks for writing.
Peace,
Sybil
2 Her/and Voice March, 1993
MARCH VIDEO NIGHT:
"THE
BURNING TIMES"
Friday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m.; we will have coffee and cookies
and popcorn and anything else you care to bring. "The Burning
Times," tells the often misunderstood story of the witch craze that
swept through Europe only a few hundred years ago. It offers new
insights into the legends and misconceptions that surround the term
'witch'. In the attempt to eradicate the woman-based power of
midwives, wise old crones and healers, the Christian church in
cooperation with local governments instigated a reign of terror.
False accusations and hysteria-driven trials led to massive torture,
burnings at the stake and ultimately to the destruction of what had
been an organic way of life.
The film provides a way for audiences to understand how the
widespread church - and state - sanctioned torture and killing of
women during the witch burning times set the stage for modern
society's cultural acceptance of massive violence against women.
Building on ideas set forth in the rediscovery of goddess-based
culture, "The Burning Times" is a beautifully crafted tribute to the
value and strength that women have brought and continue to bring to
all life. Directed by Donna Read and produced by Mary Armstrong,
Margaret Pettigrew and Studio D, National Film Board of Canada,
this film is a companion piece to "The Goddess Remembered",
Herland's February video selection.
D
CONGRESS PASSES
DES
BILL
Congress has now passed legislation to expand research and
increase education and outreach to health professional and the public
about the dangers of DES [See Herland Voice 9/92). Presidential
approval is anticipated. DES Action, the consumer group representing DES mothers, daughters and sons, applauds the hard work of
House Sponsor Louise Slaughter and Senate sponsor Tom Harkin.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic hormone drug which was
prescribed to an estimated 5 million American women between
1941-1971. Although promoted as a "miracle drug" which would
prevent miscarriage, DES is now linked to vaginal and cervical
cancer, infertility and pregnancy problems in daughters, breast
cancer in DES mothers, and immune system dysfunction and other
health problems for all DES-exposed. DES sons have a higher rate
of reproductive problems and may be at higher risk for testicular
cancer.
Passage of the ''DES Education and Research Amendments of
1992" marks the first time the federal government has passed
legislation which begins to address this national tragedy. "The link
between DES and cancer has been known for over 20 years. We are
gratified that at last Congress is taking responsibility for the devastating consequences of this FDA-approved drug," said Pat Cody,
DES mother and a founder of DES Action.
The DES Education and Research Amendments of 1992 direct
the National Institutes of Health to undertake longitudinal studies on
the long-term health effects of DES exposure on both men and
women. The bill also establishes a three-year program to educate the
public about the dangers of DES and to train health professionals on
the diagnosis and treatment of DES-related conditions.
DES Action, the consumer group representing the approximately 1Omillion DES mothers, daughters and sons, was instrumental in ensuring passage of this bill. For more information, contact:
DES Action USA, 1615 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612. Telephone:
510/465-4011.
0
Info from th• National Women 'l Health Network N•ws Jan/Ftb 1993
PARENTAL NOTICE BILL
APPROVED BY
OK
HOUSE
COMMITTEE
HB1212 authored by Representative Russ Roach received a 9 7 margin of approval by the House Health and Mental Health
Committee. The bill requires a twenty-four hour written notice to
parents before an abortion can be provided to a minor.
The bill provides exemptions in the cases in which a physician
or counselor determines notice is not in the best interest of the child.
Parental notification would also not be required when the pregnancy
resulted from incest or if the young woman did not live with her
parents and did not receive support from them. A judicial bypass
measure is also included allowing a young woman to seek approval
through the court rather than notify her parents.
The measure has been criticized by both pro-choice and antichoice groups. Nancy Kachel of Planned Parenthood of Eastern
Oklahoma spoke against the bill before the committee saying it could
result in an increase in illegal abortions as young women try to avoid
the requirements. Tony Lauinger of the anti-choice group, Oklahomans for Life, said, "It [HB1212] would more properly be called a
parental circumvention act."
In the same meeting, the committee killed HB1417 which
would have required the state Health Department to license and
regulate all facilities where abortions arc provided. HB 1503 which
would have provided grants of up to $2000 for welfare clients who
D
agreed to be sterilized was also defeated by the committee.
WOMEN'S STUDIES AT
QSU, STILLWATER
March 17, 7:30p.m., 109BartlettCenter: Dr. DcborahCibelli,
Assistant Professor of the OSU Art Department, will present a slide
lecture on ''Fighting Gender Roles: The Case of a Victorian Woman
Military Painter, Elizabeth Butler."
March 31, 8:00 p.m., Student Union Theater: Mary Catherine
Bateson, daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson and a
respected anthropologist and author in her own right, will speak. Her
talk is sponsored by OSU Women's Studies and the Stillwater
chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Aprll 5, 5: 30 p.m., Student Union Foodmarts-Dogwood Room;
Dr. Judith Kaufman, OSU Assistant Professor of Applied Behavioral
Studies, will discuss ''Why is Emotion Separated from Cognition: a
Feminist Analysis.'' A proponent of holistic education, Dr. Kaufman
believes people learn by feeling as well as thinking. The program
will be preceded by a short NOW meeting in the same room at 5:00.
Everyone is welcome .
D
Information from Tulsa World, Friday 2-19-93
OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST
HB 1060 recognizes spousal rape as a crime. Oklahoma and
North Carolina arc the only states which do not recognize spousal
rape as a crime.
HB 1102 authorizes the police to remove a batterer from the
premises during a domestic assault. It also requires District Attorneys to establish policies and procedures regarding domestic violence and requires specific domestic violence statistical information
bekept by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
HB1147 rewords the Child Endangerment Statue. Battered
women's advocates arc concerned that this measure could allow all
battered women to be charged with child endangerment and stop
women from calling for police assistance.
You can contact your State Senator or Representative by writing
c/o Oklahoma State Capitol, OKC, OK 73105 or calling House of
Representatives 521-2771(1-800-522-8502 outside OKC area) and
D
Senate (405)524-0126.
2109 S. Air Depot
Midwest City, OK 73110
Herl and
" Spring~·
~ Retreat"'~ .:, "
L
;;r;s
(405)737-0496
Air Depot Animal Hospital
Call for Appointment
JOY HUSKA, D.V.M
Her/and Voice March, I 993
3
BUFFALO CHIPS
SENATE SEATS
To
Buffalo Chips to Senate Seats: Women at Work in Oklahoma is
a wonderful booklet that Hcrland is pleased to have on its reference
shelf. A project of the Women's Studies Program of the University
of Oklahoma, it was compiled and written by Rebecca Fine, Gayle
Barrett, Sallie Bodie, Nancy Minter, Regina Bennett, Janet Nocver,
Gerry Baker, and Jody Thomas . Portions of it arc excerpted below.
1
Long before statehood, even before the "opening" of the territory, the women came to Oklahoma. Some were unwilling and some
were unwelcome, but they came to stay, and they stayed to work.
The Native American women brought here with their tribes,
forced by a government not their own into a new and hostile
homeland not of their own choosing; the Black women brought here
in chains or the ex-slaves with nowhere else to turn; the immigrant
women who came with their families to the unfamiliar land full of
unfamiliar ways; and the Anglo women brought here from their
eastern homes by husbands, fathers or brothers--all these women
came by force or by choice, and stayed to carve a new life from an
often unwelcoming territory.
Leaving all they knew of home, often ·n ever to return, and
bringing what little they could carry of cherished belongings, they
forged a link of continuity by nurturing and sustaining their traditional ways in new places. They worked to join their history to their
future , and in so doing, created a new tradition.
Unfortunately, while most white women were able to blend
their customs and religious beliefs with the demands of pioneer life,
it was that same pioneer life-style that for the Native American
woman resulted in a loss of her culture.
Traditionally, the tasks assigned to Native American women
were much the same as those performed by white pioneer women, but
the rituals and meaning of work were different for the two groups.
"Work rituals provided an opportunity for women to work together
and at the same time hold prayers and ceremonies; their work became
more than merely a process of meeting material needs" (Weis,
"Indian Women of the Western Plains"). The coming of the pioneers
with their schools and missionaries replaced these rituals and ceremonies with the white settlers' ways, and changed the form of the
Native American woman's work, if not the substance.
Despite the hardships of pioneer life and its imposition upon the
Native American, the women of early Oklahoma through their
common efforts became the builders of a state and the mothers and
grandmothers of new generations of pioneers.
These new pionccrs--thc women who cure the sick, write the
laws, produce the crops, rear the children, create the art, educate the
young, champion the cause of human rights--all the women of
Oklahoma have received a proud and diverse legacy of strength,
determination and plain hard work.
''My husband was accidentally killed the second year we were
on the claim, but I continued the farming with cotton as the main
crop. One year I picked 8,000 pounds - 5200 of my crop and 2800
pounds for others and got 75 cents per cwt for picking - and boarded
myself. By so doing I supported my four children and paid for my
sewing machine. I would do my laundry and sewing at night.''
''Grandmother learned to be a midwife after the Civil War, for
she had never learned to do anything in her life but look pretty, and
she felt that she must be useful now since the family was poor and had
no slaves. She wo11ld go a hundred miles or more to deliver a child
and I never knew her to lose a baby or mother during the 20 years of
4 Her/and Voice March, 1993
her active work. She delivered hundreds ofbabies and nevercharged
a cent. Of course she was often given handsome presents and
sometimes money.''
Describing the treatment for a woman with snakebite: •'We
killed several hens and split them open and bound them to the wound
while they were still hot. This drew the poison out, and we gave her
,.
plenty of good whiskey.''
" ... the ubiquitous buffalo chips were our only fuel for many
days, and were much more satisfactory than one would think who had
never tried them."
To keep her family fed and clothed, happy and healthy, she daily
battled the harshness of the weather, the lack of water, the relentless
wind and the monotony of the flat, almost treeless landscape. Much
of the time, on remote homesteads, she worked in isolation from
other women.
Because the homestead was a family affair, often operating on
a subsistence level, no one was exempt from responsibilities-everyone worked. In assigning jobs, there was some blurring of sex
roles, but only unilaterally. While a wife and mother might be
expected to shoulder a heavy load of the farming chores as well as the
household duties, few men were willing to take on cooking and
cleaning in addition to their farm work. Women learned and
performed these new tasks by necessity, and when as in the case of
the woman quoted above, their husbands died (or deserted or became
disabled), they were prepared to carry on.
Gardening, cooking, canning, cleaning, sewing, laundering,
ironing, child care, health care -all these and more were the typical
duties of the pioneer woman. Add to these the running of a farm, or
perhaps a boarding house, and you may be able to begin to imagine
what a 'day in the life' of a frontier woman was like.
"Women's work" has never been adequately compensated, but
perhaps in Oklahoma's early days it was more greatly appreciated.
Living close to the forces of nature that were at the same time enemy
and sustenance, the pioneer woman's work often took on life and
death significance. The financial rewards may not have been equal
to the demands made on her, but surely no one in her family or
community could deny the importance and essential nature of her
~bors.
D
Published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 N.W .
39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Newsletter Committee:
Margaret Cox, Deborah Fox, Pat Reaves
Circulation: 1000
Advertising Rates: Business card $15; 1/4 page $35;
1/2 page $60; full page $100
The Voice is offered as an open forum for community
discourse. Articles reflect the opinions of the author and
not necessarily those of Herland Sister Resources.
Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed
and must be signed by the writer with full name and
address. Upon request, letters or articles may be printed
under a pseudonym or anonymously.
Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request.
The Voice is printed on recycled paper.
WOMEN/WIMMIN'S
HISTORY?
by Vivien Ng
To be honest with you, I have never been a fan of the word
"hcrstory." Not that I have any quarrel with the rationale for the
word, but I prefer to continue to use "history" and appropriate/
subvert/castrate(?) it completely for my own use. "Neutered"
history--what a thought! (Of course, it's precisely this kind of
violent thought that bas brought MANKIND so much trouble.)
Now that we have settled it, March is Women's History Month,
or should it be Wimmin's History Month instead? Which party line
should I toe? Let me give you a clue: The other day, in one of my
classes, I recited the standard line that Simone de Beauvoir's~
Second Sex is a "seminal" work. I winced and used my bands to
signify quote, unquote, and generally registered my disgust at the sword, but the point is I used it. Am I a purist/traditionalist/or what?
"Woman" it shall be, right?
"One is not born a woman." Simone de Beauvoir said it first
in The Second Sex (1949). It is also the title of a provocative essay
by Monique Wittig, the brilliant lesbian theorist (1981). In this
essay, Wittig dcconstructs the category "woman" and pushes de
Beauvoir's analysis further, much further. She laments that many
feminists (including lesbian feminists) have not truly understood de
Beauvoir's insight that,' 'One is not born, but becomes a woman. No
biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure
thattbc human female presents in society: it is civilization as a whole
that produces this creature, intermediate between male a11d
eunuch (italics mine), which is described as feminine." The
belief in mother right and in a prehistory when women created
civilization (while brutish men, trapped by their own biology,
were grunting and presumably still bunting), Wittig writes, actually
perpetuates the myth of "woman" as a biological or "natural"
entity. Such feminist analysis, while momentarily gratifying, nonetheless is ''symmetrical with the biologizing interpretation of history produced up to now by the class of men. It is still the same
method of finding in women and men a biological explanation for
their division, outside of social facts. For me this could never
constitute a lesbian approach to women's oppression, since it assumes that the basis of society or the beginning of society lies in
heterosexuality." Wow.
Monique Wittig rejects the category "woman" because she
understands the ideological, political, and economic construct that it
is. At the same time, she fully embraces "women" (pun
intended): ''Our first task, it seems, is to always thoroughly
dissociate 'women' (the class within which we fight) and
'woman,' the myth. For 'woman' docs not exist for us: it is
only an imaginary formation, while 'women' is the product of
a social relationship. We felt this strongly when everywhere we
refused to be called a 'woman's liberation movement."'
So it seems that I am leaning toward "women." However,
elsewhere, in "The Straight Mind," Wittig socks it to 'cm. She
dismisses the question, "What is woman?", as irrelevant to lesbians. "Frankly, it is a problem that lesbians do not have ... and
it would be incorrect to say that lesbians associate, make love,
live with women, for 'woman' has meaning only in heterosexual systems of thought and heterosexual economic systems. Lesbians are not women (italics mine)."
Let's celebrate Wimmin's History Month.
D
COME TO THE FAIR!
March is not too early to get your acts and crafts in gear for the
May Day Street Festival sponsored by Pride Network lncorpora-ted.
On Saturday, May l, 1993, artists, craftspeople, musicians,
concessionaires, and HUNDREDS of fun-lovin' folks will gather
from 1:00 to 7:00 pm in the west parking lot of Lee Burris's Habana
Inn complex. Susan Bishop, Co-Chair of Pride Network Inc., hopes
that, with community participation and support, this street fair will
be the start of an annual ''Gay Oklahoma State Fair.''
Groups and individuals with a talent or commodity to showcase
at the Festival can rent a booth for a fee of $10.00. This money will
be applied to Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade expenses, and booth
proceeds will belong to the rcntors to use or disperse as they see fit.
Start your planning for participation in the May Day Street
Festival with a call to Susan Bishop at (405) 340-3575. She will send
you an information packet containing registration forms. Hey, ho,
you fantastically artistic and ingenious womcn--comc to the Fair! D
"WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS"
As a part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness of women's
contributions to science and mathematics, the National Women's
History Project has issued a new poster, "Women in Science and
Mathematics." Featuring twenty historic and contemporary women
who have shaped the worlds of science and mathematics, the fullcolor poster is multicultural and covers a wide variety of fields.
The 22"x27" poster is available from the National Women's
History Project, for $8 plus $2 s/h. This poster is only one of
hundreds of multicultural women's history materials available. For
a complete catalog, send $1 to National Women's History Project,
7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492 or call (707)838-6000.
D
Rent -A-Woman
Odd Jobs
Chore5 you don't have time to do? Call me! Repairing. cleaning,
hauling, errand5, pet/hou5e 5itting. minor auto repair &
maintenance. raking. 5hoveling.
943-4070
Laura Choate
Leaf It To Us!
631-3575
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
Floral Designs
Silk and Fresh
Her/and Voice March, 1993
5
IN THEIR OwN WoRos:
LETTERS FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN
WASHINGTON
These are letters received by some of our readers, in reply to
their own . They have been edited only for length and to remove the
name of the recipients.
On Gays In the Military:
Dear --Thank you for contacting my office concerning President
Clinton's proposed reversal of the military policy of excluding
homosexuals from active duty. President Bill Clinton's proposed
policy of allowing homosexuals to serve in the Armed Forces has
caused a great deal of concern for many of my constituents as well
as myself. I have reservations about allowing people of nontraditional
sexual tendencies to enter or remain in active military service.
I am sorry that we cannot agree on all of the issues all of the time.
However, I will keep your views in mind as Congress addresses this
issue.
Sincerely,
Bill K. Brewster, Member of Congress
Dear---:
I appreciate having your thoughts about changing current policy
on whether or not gays should be allowed to serve in the military . I
certainly understand your views on the matter.
It is known and understood that many Americans of different
persuasions as to life-style aspire to serve their country and to put
their lives on the line when our country is endangered.
Balanced against that fact is the reality that service in the Armed
Forces often creates very special circumstances in which men and
women in uniform must serve under very primitive conditions and in
close proximity allowing little privacy yet requiring a high level of
discipline. That is why the military has always bad a strict code of
conduct -- to prevent some bebavior'tbat might be allowed in civilian
life but which would disrupt morale and discipline if allowed in the
military.
Given these competing factors, I joined others in urging President Clinton, Senator Nunn, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and military
leaders to take the time to work together to develop a plan that would
allow all Americans who love their country to serve in the military
but with a strict code of behavior to prevent any lessening of the
military's standards of effectiveness and unit cohesion.
I am very pleased this advice bas been taken.
Sincerely,
David
(David Boren, U.S. Senator)
Dear-----:
Thank you for sharing your views with me regarding the ban on
homosexuals in our Nation's military.
I believe that people should be judged by their conduct, not by
their status . Stricter rules of conduct on sexual behavior for all
military personnel are at the heart of a sensible solution.
My belief is that we don't have a person to waste. I am working
with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military services, the Congress,
and others concerned to design a policy which will ensure equality
and fairness, while preserving the unity and preparedness of our
military.
Sincerely,
Bill CUnton
6 Her/and Voice March, 1993
On SB 574 & HR 1430, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation:
Dear----:
I appreciate knowing of your support for S. 574, the · 'Civil
Rights Amendments Act of 1991." This bill was referred to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, but there was no further action on it in
the 102nd Congress. I agree with you that a person should not be
unfairly discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, sex,
physical disability, or sexual orientation. I have long been a
supporter of civil rights legislation, and as proposals similar to this
bill come before the Senate next year, I will keep your thoughts and
comments in mind.
Sincerely,
David
(David L. Boren, U.S. Senator).
Dear---:
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 574, a bill to amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which purports to give "civil rights"
to homosexuals.
As long as I am a U.S. Senator, I will work with all my strength
and endeavor to ensure such ill-conceived legislation never becomes
Jaw. It is impossible to comprehend the rationale for placing
homosexual behavior on par with race, gender, religion, or ethnic
origin.
Sincerely,
Don Nickles, U.S. Senator
To Vo1cE YouR OPINION:
President Clinton, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500
Senator Boren, 453 Russell Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC
20510.
Senator Nickles, 713 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, D.C.
20510
Representative Jim Inhofe (District 1), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Mike Synar (District 2), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Bill Brewster (District 3), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Dave McCurdy (District 4), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Earnest ls took (District 5), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Representative Glenn English (District 6), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
0
w:
~~~\~Lw
39.
<><c
Open
Tuesday- Saturday 5 P.M. -- 3 A.M
Sunday 10A.M. -- 3 A.M.
Sunday Brunch 10 A.M.
CHRIS GLASER To
SPEAK IN STILLWATER
Noted gay, Christian author Chris Glaser will speak at several
events in Stillwater and Tulsa March 25, 26, 27, and 28. Glaser
received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and has
written extensively on the gay and lesbian community's reconciliation with the church.
'
Glaserwillspeakat7 p.m., Thursday, March25 atOSU'sNoble
Research Center, Room 106, on "The Many Faces of Homophobia."
This event is open to the general public. There is no admission
charge. Thursday's event is sponsored by United Ministries OSU
(UMOSU), the Stillwater chapter of the National Organization of
Women, the OSU Residence Hall Association and the Student Union
Activities Board.
He will be hosted by Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights and
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Tulsa on Friday, March
26, at 7: 30 p.m., in the Heimrich Center at Hillcrest Medical Center,
S. 12th and Trenton. This event will focus on homophobia and is
open to the public. There is a $5 admission charge.
On Saturday, March 27, Glaser will present a workshop in
Stillwater entitled "Coming Out to God". It will be at the Sheerar
Center, 7th and S. Duncan, from 9:30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Registration
will begin at 8:45 a.m. Saturday's event Is only being advertised
In the lesbian/gay community. Admission is free, but a donation to
help defer costs is appreciated. Saturday's event is sponsored by
UMOSU, the Canterbury Association, the Oklahoma Commission
for United Ministries in Higher Education, and the Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council.
At 6 p.m. , Saturday, Glaser will deliver the keynote address at
the Second Annual Alumni Banquet of the OSU Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual Community Association (GLBCA) . For more information
about this event and/or reservations call the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. All OSU alumni, friends, and supports are invited to
attend the banquet.
Sunday, March 28, Glaser will participate with Stillwater
ministers and laypeople in a panel discussion about homosexuality
and the Church. It will begin at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian
Church, 524 S. Duncan, Stillwater. There is no charge for admission .
Reared in the Christian faith as a Baptist, Glaser faced the
challenge of integrating his homosexuality within the context of his
spirituality. His move later into the Presbyterian church is chronicled
in bis first book, Uncommon Calling -- A Gay Man 's Strnggle To
Serve The Church.
The book describes both the process of the Presbyterian debate
over the ordination of gay people as well as the personal and spiritual
dimensions of Glaser's integration of faith, sexuality, and call to
ministry.
Glaser's next book, Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and
Community as Gay Men and Lesbians was written to facilitate
lesbians and gay men in reclaiming Christian faith.
He most recently published a book of prayers entitled Coming
Out to God--Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and
Friends.
He writes regularly for several national publications. He also
helped edit and write Breaking the Silence, Overcoming the Fear:
Resources in Homophobia Education for the Presbyterian Church.
He served as collecting editor of the summer, 1992 issue of Open
Hands, the quarterly journal of the Reconciling Congregations
Program in the United Methodist Church.
Books related to these and other topics will be available for
purchase at each event, courtesy of Caravan Books of Stillwater.
For more information, please contact the GLBCA Helpline at
(405)744-5252 on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. You may also call the office of United Ministries OSU
at 377-9174. In Tulsa, call the Canterbury Association at (918)5839780.
Sponsors for all or part of these events include UMOSU,
PFLAG of Tulsa, TOHR, NOW, The Oklahoma City Gay Christian
Ecumenical Council and the OSU GLBCA.
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Attention OSU Alumni & Friends
The OSU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Association invites you to the 2nd Annual Gay Alumni
Banquet, March 27, with guest speaker Chris Glaser.
D
Yes I will attend. I have enclosed $_ __
($25 for 1, $40 for 2)
D
No, but I'd like to support the GLBCA with a
donation of$_ __
Max Paty - General Manager
P.O. Box 60747
Oklahoma City, OK 73146 - 0747
405/ 525-6100 - FAX 405/232-163 7
Name:, _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Marilyn Best
M. Coleen Woody
IEST&WOODY
Attorneys At Law
1443 N.W. 48th
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118
(405) 843-1745
General Practice
Wllls Probate Personal Injury
Adoptions Contracts Divorce
Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
City_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State__ Zip_ __
Please send this slip and your check to GLBCA, 040
Student Union/OSU, Box 601, Stillwater, OK 74078
L------------------~
Her/and Voice March, 1993
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Thanks to all the women who worked hard to
remodel and rearrange the Herland building.
We now have a library and reading room! If
you haven't been by to see the results of their
work, drop by any Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6
pm. or Sunday from l p.m. to 6 p.m.
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In case you missed It: The Daily Disappointment runs a weekly telephone poll on issues of
current interest . February 8 the question was
"Should President Clinton lift the ban on
iays in the military?" This question elicited
the largest total vote since the poll began, and
no doubt much to Eddie Gaylord's surprise,
the vote was: YES, 5233; and NO, 3,995. So
there, Gaylord.
P-FLAG: Parents & Friends of Lesbians &
Gays, now has an active chapter in Oklahoma
City as well as in Tulsa. The OKC Chapter
meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at St.
Charles Boromeo, in St. Rita's Activity Center, at 12 noon. For more information call Pat
Sneed at 789-4056.
Pallas Athena Celebrates Anniversary: The
Pallas Athena Network was formed one year
ago by women veterans to provide ALL womeq
veterans a "safe space" in which they can
share experiences with other women who
''have been there.'• The voice of the network,
the bi-monthly newsletter "Pallas Athena,"
prints interviews, articles and history as well
as letters and creative works by women veterans. In celebration of its first anniversary, the
PAN bas added several new services designed
to provide additional opportunities for women
veterans to share experiences, opinions, ideas.
Discreet services by/for lesbian veterans are
available by requesting their supplement. For
more information, contact: Pallas Athena,
P. 0. Box 1171, New Market, VA 22844 (No
postcards please.)
The Lesbians' Festivals! Theatre, Music,
Comedy, Writers & Lesbians Everywhere:
The West Coast Lesbians' Festival, Memorial Day Weekend in Santa Barbara, The East
Coast Lesbians' Festlval on Labor Day Weekend, in the mountains, 2 112 hours north of
NYC, and HawaU Fest, Thanksgiving Weekend on Oahu. Particular Productions, 279
Lester Avenue, Oakland CA 9460 6; 9041826 _
04lO .
The Unitarian Unlversallst Fellowship is
hosting a Coffee House/Open Mike on Saturday, March 13, from 7-11 p.m. at720 De Barr,
Norman as a benefit for the Socialist Action
Committee of the Fellowship.
Women with Women with Children, Sunday Afternoon at Our House. We' ll be showing a video about our family -- Gay & Lesbian
Parents and Their Children--Speak Out. Call
PJ & Lou at 942-4331 for directions.
Call for Submissions: Hurricane Alice, a
feminist quarterly, seeks essays, reviews,
poems, short stories, personal experience,
and art work on the theme "Land and Landscape" for their summer '93 issue. They are
interested in women' s perspectives on the
uses of land, and on its conservation; on the
natural beauty of land, and on the recreation
for which it is a setting; and on the aesthetics
of land in terms of gardening, landscaping,
landscape painting. Deadline April 15, 1993
Length, 3,000 words maximum. Send to: HURRICANE ALICE, 207 Lind Hall, 207 Church
St., S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Call for Workshop Proposals, for the Texas
Lesbian Conference, May 21 -23, 1993, in
Houston. If you are interested in developing/
presenting a workshop for this year's conference, the theme of which is ''Many Kinds of
Power," the TLC Steering Committee wants
to bear from you. They are accepting workshop proposals including, but not limited to,
the topics related to the following areas of
lesbians' lives; Personal; Physical; Political;
Spiritual; Friendships; Legal; Medical; Sexual;
Religious; Intimacies; Cultural; Historical.
Your workshop proposal must be received
no later than March 15, and your name must
not be on the actual proposal. On a separate
piece of paper attach your name, address,
telephone number(s), and title of workshop to
the proposal itself; the selection of workshops will be done blindly by reviewers.
Checklist for Proposal Submission: a 150200 word synopsis of your proposed work- . .
shop, with title; On a separate piece of paper,
a brief description of your experience related ·
to this topic; format of workshop - Interac- ·
tive, Lecture, Discussion, Panel, or Other,
requested size limit on attendance; and specific requirements . Mail to TLC Workshop
Committee, c/o L.l.B., P. 0. Box 66748,
Houston, Texas 77266-6748.
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DON'T MISS
'DDSONE!
Travel to the March·• The Executive Travel
Service is offering air and bus travel packages
to the March. Call 521-9100 for infomation.
Herland will coordinate car/van pools to the
March. If you are going and would like to
drive please call and leave a message with the
number of riders you can take, your planned
departure and return dates and if yours is a
"smoking allowed" vehicle. If you need a
ride, please leave a message with the departure and return dates and if you need a "smoking vehicle." We'll try to match up folks and
put you in touch with each other to work out
the details.
"To all Invisibly Disabled Women: Would
you like the chance to tell your personal story
in your own words? We are two women compiling an anthology of writings and artwork
related to your experience as women with
. hidden disabilities. We are looking for essays, poetry, journal entries, ~hort stories,
reproducible artwork, etc, dealing with such
·issues as self-image, sexuality, politics, relationships , personal feelings and experiences,
and just day-to-day getting along. And don't
worry if you're 'not a writer' we just want you
to tell your story in your own way. Let Your
Voice Be Heard! Please send two copies of
each submission along with a 1or2 paragraph
biography to: 610 Koshland Way, Santa Cruz,
CA 95064 by March 21st, 1993. Questions,
call Donna at 408/458-9101 or Fanne at 408/
426-4497."
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- Temporal Coverage
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