extracted text

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1988

Around the Corner
GAY COMMUNITY GEARS UP
FOR GAY PRIDE WEEK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Local gay organizations
are putting the final touches on their plan
for Gay Pride l·Jeek which runs from June 19
throuqh June 26.
The week's activities will beqin with
Oklahoma's first Gay Parade on S~nday, June
19th. Homen and men who would 1i ke to participate in the parade are asked to qather
at Memorial Park , located on N.W . 36ih
Street between Classen and Western, by 1 :30
p.m. Prior to the parade there will be entertainment at Memorial Park. According to
Darlene , acting Director of Oasis Community
Center, music will be provided by Peggy
Johnson and Randy Powell. The Parade will
begin at about 2:00 p.m. and will wind its
way from the park to the Block Party at
N.W . 39th and Barnes.
The Parade is to be lead by People With
Aids from the Winds House in Oklahoma City,
and will include representatives from various organization s from aro und the state,
like Herland Sister Resources, OU's Gay
and Lesbian Alliance, Oasis, and National
Organization for Women, amo ng others.
Speaking at the march festivities will
be Jeffrey Levi, Director of the National
Gay .and Lesbian Task F'orce in Washington .
NGLTF , the only national gay .rights organization in the country with a broad-based
program to achieve gay and le sbian freedom,
was founded in 1973 to advocate, educate,
and organize politically for the achievement of lesbian and gay civtl rights.
Also on hand to lend an air of festival
to the Parade will be the Dallas Gay Marching Band.
The traditional Block Party at parade's
end will hold an array of food and drink
for hungry and thirsty marchers. Also at
the Block Party, for those who have needed
a "book fix" , Herland will have its soonto-be-famous "Mobile Al bum and Book Booth"
(M . A.B.B . for short) set up for business .
A number of gay titles and lesbian magazines have been ordered especially for this
occasion, so plan to drop by M. A. B. B and do
some browsing.
Local bartender John Buettner won the
"Ri ghtfull y Proud in '88" logo contest for
Gay Pride festivities sponsored by Oasis.
His winning design was selected from over
25 entries to become the logo for this
year's celebration which will appear on
posters, t-shirts , and other memorabelia .
Gay Pride will continue beyond Sunday,
June 19th with a variety of activities dur ing the week which wi ll include an evening

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 NW 39th, OKC, OK 7311Z
cheek. This is a peaceful demonstrawith an attorney who will be at Oasis Community Center to answer your questions, an
tion, and it is up to ~to keep it
that way.
evening with PWA's who will give a talk and
answer qu es tions, and several movies to be
shown at the Oasis Community Center . These
- Dress comfortably, but not too commovies will include "Pink Triangle" and
fortably (if you know what I mean!) .
"Before Stonewall" and are sponsored by the
O.U. Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
_Carry a placard if you wish.
The Gay Pride Week celebration will cap
off with "Zoom Beach" on Sunday, June 26 at
_ Have FUN!
Lake Thunderbird. This is a fun gathering
with free ?eer, pop, and ho~ dogs . . Bring
If you have supportive family and frien c
your favorite game or spor~rng equipment
, ask them to show their support by marching
and p1an to spend the day in good company· with you on June 19th.
There are.few laws on a national level
As gays will be policing themselves (pa and fewer still on the state level to pro- . rade organizers will be wearing l avender
tect or acknowledge lesbian and gay r ight s.I T-shirts with armbands) and disorderly conOn June 19th Oklahoma gays will exercise
j' duct will mean removal from the paradie area
participants are asked to please, ~~~~ se ,
the right to peacefully gather in public.
It is hoped that all advocates of human
please cooperate . And, make this a pos'irights and civil rights will s;ome out and . tive, memorab le experience for everye;ne .
show their support by participating in the
For more information, call 525-2437.
1·
rally and march for gay rights .

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HSR NEWSLETTER:

RULES AND REQUESTS
FOR PARADE BEHAVIOR

Mi li tary Life as a Lesbian
- Gay Pride Activities

OKLAHOMA CITY - City permi ts for the
Gay Pride Pa rade have been sec ured and a
police escort has bee n obtained for the
march down N.W. 39th .
According to Darlene, acting Director
of the Oasis CoITTnunity Center, it is important that gays prese nt and project a
positive image to the community and the
people of Oklahoma. To achieve this objective a few rules have been laid down for
parade behavior . These include :
-

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- Bechtel Trial Comments
i/

OASIS CENTER HAS NEW DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA CITY - Due to "extenuating cir
cumstances" Jim Powell recently stepped
down as Director of the Oasis Community
No alcoholic bever~~ will be permit- Center, and Co-Director, Darlene Burgess
ted at Memoria.l Park or along the par- has assumed her role as acting Director of
ade route. If you must drink, please
that organization.
wait until after the parade is over.
In a telephone interview Ms. Burgess
said her goal is to unify Oklahoma City's
Please do not bring children to be in
gay community. The community is currentl y
the pa raife.-As-TCErioCknovm ho1-1
the public may respond to seeing chi l d- divided into a number of different facren in this parade, it is best to leave tions, and she believes this is due to a
lack of communication. "We want communithe kids at home, this time around .
cation" she said, "vie want to turn that
~o
bags over he ads . It has bee n learn lack of communication around .. We are going to be a community center , and !'111
ed that gat her1ngs of more than three
really excited about that." Ms . Burgess
(3) people with coverings over their
head and fac e a re i ll eS@._]_. If you wi sh went on to say, "Oasis wants participatior
not to be recognized, ye t still want to through the year here at the community
center. Let 's make it what its supposed
march it is suggested that you wear
to be."
grease paint or some other make-up to
Ms. Burgess en courages community supdisguise yourse lf. {We have the Ku
port and participation by asking for atKlux Klan to thank for this one!).
tendence at the ne xt Oas i s Board meeting
to held on June 1 at the Oasis , 2135 NW
If something is thrown at you during
39th. For further information call Oasis
the parade ( i e. by a heckler), do not
at 525-243.7 .
throw anything back. Turn the othe-Y:-

S.E.A.H.C. HOLDS CARNIVAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - Southeast Area Health
Center is holding a Carnival/Health Fair
on Saturday, June Z5, from 10:00 - 6:00.
There will be food and drink booths,
various health screening booths, games
and door prize drawings.
Proceedes from the event will be
used to help provide medical care to
low-income patients. Most of our
patients are women and young children,
said Executive Director Jean Kelsey.
We really need everybody to come out
and support the Center. If you want to
help with a booth, call Jean at 632-6688.

A N N0 U NC E S
ALL HERLAND COLLECTIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO YOU
NEXT MEETING:
CALL 794-7464 for time & place

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
a
OKLAHOMA CITY - Herland Camp Director,
Laura, reports "l'e have begun organizing
for the Fall Retreat. It will be held at
Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma on
September 16th through the 18th, and I hope
this will provide folks enough time to plan
ahead and oet a few days off to 'retreat'".
The Spring Retreat at Boiling Springs
State Park "proved exciting and fun-filled
for everyone involved" and helped Herland
to raise badly-needed funds; Laura said.
"The pancake breakfast served on Sunday by
Nancy and Mary was delicious and in conjuction with the stew provided by Terry,
raised an additional $50 for Herland." After expenses, the retreat raised approxi~
mately $1,200 for future programming, books
and tlews letter expenses . There wi 11 even
be some left to help with the new building
costs, but flerland is st il 1 hurting for
building funds. Herland extends a big
thank you to all those who participated in
the Spring Retreat weekend, helping Herland
to stay af loat while at the same time havin g fun doinq it'.
This Fall, Herl and 1·1il 1 be providing
meals throughout the retreat weekend except
for the Saturday night Pot Luc k dinner.
Our very o~m Mary and friends wi 11 be cooking vegetarian and non-ve~etarian meals for
a nominal price, and al 1 proceeds 1vi 11 again benefit Herland .
llerl and wi ll once again offer scho 1arsh i ps and 1vork exchanges . Pl ease contact
Laura at 672-4141 for information. Preregistration is $17-20, based on ability to
pay. On-site registration will be $25.
Herland prefers advance registrat ions so
activit ies and food arrangements may be better planned; however, Laura says she
doesn't mind collecting that extra $5 for
on-site registration!
Due to the number of four-legged children attending past retreats, Herland wil l
require all canine to be leashed and be restricted from the kitchen and main building
from the Fall Retreat foreward . Pets may
be t ied outside or in the cabin, or they
may remain in retreater's car (with windows
rol led down an appropriate distance for
venti lation, of course). Cooperation with
these new requests will .allow Herland retreaters to continue bringing their favorite four-footed friends to share in the
weekend of R & R.
To make each retreat better than the
previous retreat, the Camp Director asks
for your feedback . The registration in
this newsletter, when filled out and returned to Laura will help llerland to improve upon the last retreat. So, please
make plans soon, and return your completed
registration to Laura to secure your spot
at the best Herland Retreat ever!

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HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
at
SEQUOYAH STATE PARK
near Wagoner
SEPTEMBER 16, 17, & 18
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HERLANO FALL RETREAT
FOR ll01£N
Pre-reg1strat1on is Sl7 - $20, based on your abflfty to pay. Upon receipt of your
check, a map to the campsite and 11st of suggested itel!IS to bring wfll be malled
to you. Deadline for pre-registration 1s September 9, 1988.

Number of Pets
(Pets must be k-ep"""t_o_n-.l"'"eash
and no pets in main bldg.)

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----------------- for the Retreat auction.
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Herland Sister Resources
S Laura, camp Di rector
4924 s. Kathy
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma 73135

examination". The jury had no opportunity
l. The refusa l of the t ria l co urt to penni 1
to question anyone. Any in consi stencies or Or. Lenore ~a l ker ( ari ex re rt on the batter ·
questions will al ways be unanswered in our e(_I 1•1oman ' s sy ndrome) t o t es ti -y as an exper1
NOTES FROMTHE JU RY BOX
mind s, ye t we managed to maintain composure. witn ess. to ass i st the tri er or fac t co ncern·
Th e i nvest ioation of the homicide was in inq the fact that Donn a Be c h t ~l was a batsummati on a "ca lamity" of errors. In the
tered woman, and expl ain how she carne to be
Th e Bechtel t r ial has drawn t o a cl ose ; trial the buck was handed to the two Amcare a battered woman, why she staye d with Ke nshe s now be en sent enced and we hav e al l
attendents who passed it back and forth.
net h Bechte l, and her state of min d at the
bequ n se rv in 9 our li fe sentences . qy th e
When it was determined they had no report
time th e acts occ urred which gi ve rise to
"\•1e" I mean Ms. flec htel and eac h of us
(reports t hat could bear witness to Ms.
·the se charges denie d Donn a Be chte l a fair
that sat in the jury box .
Bechtel's demeanor at the time) the buck
trial.
Al l week I ' ve heard various accounts
was handed to the Edmond Police Department . 2. The refus al of the tri al : ourt to inand opi ni ons of the trial. The cruc i al
The Edm.ond Pol ice Department juggled the struct the jury on the burden of proof con accounting of the trial is t he one I exper- buck and passed it from "on the scene" of- cerni nq se l f -defense denied t he accused a
ien ced. It is the one from the "v i ewpoin t" ficers to the Lieutenant who handed it to
fair tr i al .
of th at jury box. l·Je we re drafted and re- the detective in charge, eac h denyinq re3. T~ e trial court erred 1vhen it pi-ohibitmoved from the mainstream of our normal
s~onsibility
.
End re sult : No taped.inter- ed deren se coun se l from quest i oni n ~ jurors
li ves. \.le accepted the r espons i bility and .1 view (re.c order not working at time interabout th e burden of proof in se lf-defen se
gave the case our und i vided attention. Af - view was : rnAde ) and no report by detective
and denied nonna Bech tel a fair trial.
ter all, a woma11' s fate rested in our
in charge a .. ' Ut that interview . The te ch
4: Denial of th e r igh t to cross-examine
hands. Thi s was a ser i ous matter .
invest igator' s report was laced with incon- witnesses against her de nied Donna Bechtel
I be liev e everyone i s ent itl ed to a viq- s istencies. I'm reminded of the police
a fair trial.
01:ous defense and Garv in Issacs certainly. mott~ "to protect and to serve" . I might
5. Refusal of the trial court to permit
li ~ed u ~ to hi s reputat i on in that respect . ask who are they protecting and who are
Donna Bec htel to present evidence in ac1.i11le his behavior was not above reproach, they serv inq ?".
cordance 1•ith the Sixth Amendment to the
the rotten apple must be placed on the pro\•le were denied the right to hear certain United States Constitution denied her a
secution' s table.
1 testimony and see certain evidence. I wou fair trial . (Pol ·ice procedure s concern i no
I will forever remai n ap pall ed at the
wou ld suggest that it would be only "fair" crime scene, conversations with wi tnesse s .
anti cs and behavior I observed in that
to present all the evidence and let the
concerning Kenneth Bechtel).
co urtroom from that jury box. I wo uld ex- twelve of uSdecide what is pertinent and
6. The court repeatedly, during the six
pect unfalterino professional behavior from what i s not . After all, we were drafted to days Donna Bechtel was on the witness stand
t he Di strict At torn ey 's offi ce s ince many
give our opinions . An unbia sed opinion
t~stifying, sustained objections to quesof us ~old that office in a ligh t synonyba sed on bi ase d evidence would be incon sis - tions concerning threats and conversations
rnous wit h the la1~. .l\t the very l east, I
tent with a fair trial. A jury is not al- 7. The trail court on numerous oc2a~ i o ns ·
wo uld ex pect the two prosecutors to main- , lo~e d to speculate . We can only consider
co~men~ed on th ~ evidence in rul ing'Vupon
tain .composure and st ifle giggles while
evidence that has been admitted by the
ob.Jections and in admonitions to defense
testimony was being given. Their overall
court.
counsel an d thi s denied . the accused a fair
behavior would be more befi tt inq cf a
\~e stood armed with conflictinq testitrial.
school~1irls' slumber party than · a court of monies, and without the benefit of a credi- 8. Prosecutorial misconduct denied Oonna
law . Throughout the trial the pro sec utor s ble police report detailing what was said.
Bechtel a fair trial .
1
seemed to be afflicted with some "virus"
~e were given our in st ructions and handed
9. Statements to press before and during
causin!J uncontrollable eye ba ll rotation and the "bu ck ". He retired to the deliberation the trial concerning the case.
·
facial contortions that wo uld suggest each r?om. Th e "buc k" stopped with us, twelve
10
.
The
trial
court's
refusal
to
provide
of them had a mouthful of green parsimmon s. citizens. Based on the evidence that we
Donn~ Bechtel with a court reporter conAt times, it would cause them to poke each 1•ere given and the "letter of the l aw" we cerning all communications about this case
other and snicker.
1 arrived at our verd ict, and now we musi
which is required under 20 O.S . 106 .4 deI would expec~ in a "fair trial 11 the ac - serve it. From this juror's "viewpo int" ,
cused would be qiven the opportunity to re- we were among the few in vo l ve d in this case nied the accused due process and equal protection of the law .
l a ~e th~ir vers ion to us (the Jury) without that did their job .
·
, 11. The Tri al court erred in refu sinq to al·
beinq ridicul ed or int imida ted by gestures
low Donna Bechtel to testify as to threats
Glenda Gibbons
made by the prosecutors . I'm not sure how
made to her by Kenneth BecNtel on her life
Foreman, Bechtel Jury
much of this was vi sible to the audience
and the lives of her children.
but I do know from my chair it was, at '
12. The court erred in refusina to in st ruct
time s, so distracting I wo uld have to sit
the .iury that the burden of proof was on
with my left hand covering part of my face
the state to prove that Donna Bechtel did
to block them out and concentrate on the
not shoot her hu sband in self-defense.
testimony . being gi ve n. I wondered at times
The above information has been provided
how Ms. Bechtel could maintain her train of BECHTEL MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL by the Concerned Citizens for Justice; 1139
thought while giving her testimony. TestiM .\~. 57th Street; Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
mony on which her fate was hinged.
. I would suggest that professional behavior ~ e to ~isten, · an d then address any inThe followinn excer pts were taken from
consistencies or questions in the "crossthe Motion For ~ New Trial for Donna Bechtel

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Executive Dir·ector Position a V i:1il<tbk
Tulsa

Ha~cd

non profit <1gency

Responsible for fund raising, coordination o( All·.·Js· ~(.l L; Ch t.I on
_and HIV testinf~. _prograrn pla.nr1ing drHl irnph::rnent.at,inn,
and _general adrn1n1strative function~. . Ex.per i e:':nu~ w'iL i ; non
1
profI t a.gency and Bachelor's de\~r
"·~ 1-·.::·.-l
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c. o.
"· "·
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...
r 1<:; u r n e
and cover letter no latt~r than June 1:), 1988 Ln
Search Cornrn.it lee
P.O. Box 57.729
Tulsa, OK 74152-2729

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Around the Country

Kowalski is certain Sharon will receive her
mail , cards from the Holiday and Birthday
campaigns will be saved at committee headq ua rte rs.
To help defray Karen Thompson's high legal costs, con tributors may send donations
to Karen Thompson Legal Fund, to: Fund;
32495 County Road #l; St. Cloud, MN 56303.
For more information about the case or to
arrange to have Karen Thompson speak, write
Cheryl Vitow; 149 Stelton Rd.; Piscataway,
NJ 08854 or call 201-752-5302 .

NGLTF lobbyist Peri Jude Radecic. "l~e will
be seeking bipartisan and geographically
balan ce d support."
NGLTF strongly supports this bill and
its counterpart in the Hou se and has prepared a briefing packet that includes copies of the legislation, talking points on
why it is needed, organizational support
statements, sample letters to Senators and
sample letters of support to local newspapers.
Copies of the S 2000 Briefing Packet may
be ordered for a $1.00 postage fee from
NGLTF; 1517 U Street NW,; Washington, DC
20009.

JOPLIN, MO. - There are only 60 women
rabbis in the world. One would expect to
find these few women only in large cities
which have a large Jewish population, how- HOUSE MEMBER OPPOSES GAYS
ever such is not always. the case. OklahoIN HATE CRIMES BILL
ma's neighbor in what is commonly referred
to as the "Bible Belt", and therefore conGAYS ENDORSE JUNE 11th
sidered to be more than a tad backward,
DISARMAMENT MARCH
may be rightfully proud in their ability to
l·JASHINGTON , DC - Representative George
defer that noteriety.
Gekas (R-PA) leads the fight to remove
For we find one of those precious few
sexual orientation from the Hate Crimes
women rabbi~ in Lisa Stern who leads th~
Statistics Act (H.R . 3193). This Act
NEW YORK CITY - Persons concerned about
United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, Miss- would mandate the collection ~f statisthe earth and those who inhabit it are planouri. Congratulations, Joplin, for the
·tics on crimes that are motivated by pre- lning a day of nat~onal demonstrations cal~courage and forsight to move foreward.
judice based on race, religion, sexual or- ing for nuclear disarmament, and end to mil----ientation and ethnicity.
i itary intervention and a governmental comThe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lmitment to economic development and social
(NGLTF) is working to thwart attempts to
justice . The June 11th demonstrations will
remove sexual orientation from the legisla-fbe held simultaneously in San Francisco and
tion .
INew York City, and coincide with the . ,T.hird
Gekas has filed a minority report which j UN Special Sessi_on on Disarmament. n~~
KOWALSKI TO BE TESTED
asserts that "It is not a federal obliga- !Second UN Session on Disarmament in June of
tion to protect citizens in their sexual
! 1982, drew one million people to New York
orientation" . Despite a recent Department : City .
'
of Justice study which found gay people to
The NGLTF has endorsed the activities
be the most frequent victims of _hate viobecause "gay men and lesbians are not single
HIBBING, MN - St. Louis County Judge
Robert Campbell ruled recently that Sharon 1ence today, the ~ekas r~port disputes. the is sue peop 1e. we care deep 1y about issues
Kowalski should be formally tested for com- prevalance of_ anti-gay violence . D~sp1te 1like a sane nuclear policy and an end to
petency, and ordered that her new courtdocument~d evidence of hundi:-e?s of i~stance militarism," said Executive Director Jeffappointed attorney, Gary Pagliacetti, con- of organized hat~ group act~vit~ against
rey Levi. "We have seen first hand how
sult with Duluth-area physicians to select gay men and lesbians, the nnnority report
our government's focus on defense directly
a test site. Kowalski was severely injured asserts ~hat gay people are. n?t the targets i hurts funding for much-needed social proin an automobile accident in Movember 1983. O! organized hate group activity by groups /grams, such as fundinq to fight AIDS or to
Her lover, Karen Thompson, has been fight- like the Ku Klux Klan.
.
.
.
!develop a national health insurance policy'.'
ing Kowalski's anti-gay parents in court
~o prevent Gekas !rom s~cceeding in reInformation on gay/lesbian contingents
for almost four years for the right to see moving the ~exual or~en~atio~ clause from
to the marches and more logistical details
and participate in Kowalski's medical care. the Hate Crimes Stat1st1cs Act, and there- ' may be obtained from the SSD III N~tional
Judge Campbell's ruling means that Koby spreading his bigotry towa rd gays, the
coalition· 11 John Street UB03 · ~ew York
walski ~1ill be tested for the first time
NGLTF urges interested persons - to write to NY 10038: (202) 608-8155'.
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since a court order appointed her father
their representatives today .
guardian three years ago -- an order that
required him to have her tested annually .
Pagliacetti told the court that he had
visited Kowalski four times , and he believes that she understands what others say
to her and that she can communicate effect- SENATE NEEDS SPONSORS FOR
WOMEN DON'T RATE
ively when she desires . He said he feels
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT
she could use a computer to improve her
AS NEWSWORTHY
communication, and move around in an electric wheelchair. Pagliacetti was appointed
by Judge Campbell to be Kowalski's attorney .
,
Women were a part of. only 6% of front
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Gay and
page stories in 1987, and fewer than 11.%
In response to requests from Thompson's
attorneys, Campbell ordered that no attor- Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has launched a of page one photographs included women ineys except Pagiiacetti be allowed to con- cosponsor drive to garner additional sup- Identified by name concluded a study of
tact Kowalski's evaluators until their re- · port for ·S 2000, the Se nate version of the four major newspapers including the New ·
Hate Crimes Sta ti stics Act (HR 3193). In- ! York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,
port is issued . No date has been set for
the testing . He requested that . all parties traduced by Se nators Alan Cranston (0-CA) ! and the Christian Science Monitor. And
and John Kerry (D-MA) on January 25, 1988, of the 11% in photos many were not there
submit to him recommendations for testing
the Se nate bill would require the Depart- i as newsmakers themselves, but as wives of
parameters. Campbell also requested that
both Thompson and the Kowalskis provide him ment of Justice to collect data on crimes !' newsworthy men, such as Nancy Reagan and
Mary Ellen Bork.
with statements detailing how their attor- motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity. j
Of the women pictured, it was noted
neys' fees are paid. When the testinq is
complete , all parties involved in the. liti- The bill is identical to the one currently . that a number of them received such acawaiting House floor action.
gation wil 1 receive a copy of the report_,
1 claim because of resignations or other
S 2000 currently has 4 cosponsors in ad- associated actions: Corazon Aquino leavand a hearing will be held to formally dedition to Senator Kerry and Cranston:
ing the palace after her Cabinet resigned,
fine Kowalski's competence .
Elizabeth Dole resigning as Secretary of
The judge is continuing to allow Donald Brock Adams (D-HA), Claiborne Pell(D-RI),
Paul Simon (D-IL), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI}. Transportation, Rep. Pat Schroeder announKowalski to decide what mail Sharon reThe House bill has 109 cosponsors.
cing her decision not to seek the Democeives, but has ordered that· Donald keep
"Gaining cosponsors is critical to the
cratic presidential nomination.
any mail Sharon has gotten and will get.
from Up and Coming, April 1988
Until the National Committee to Free Sharon successful passage of any bill," explained

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RETREATS
& CONFERENCES

Potpourri

LESBIAN AND GAY
EDUCAT ION CONFERENCE

WOMEN INVITED TO ATTEND DALLAS
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT

WOMEN COMPOSERS SOUGHT

BOSTON , MA - The Fund for Human Digni ty,
The United Federation of Metropolitan
the national lesbian and gay educational
Community Churches ( UFMCC) is sponsori nq a
organization , has announced plans for
)'/Diilen' S retreat over the 4th of July week"The Les bi an and Gay Education Conference :
The Denver Women's Chorus is seeking new end.
Initiatives Toward a National Education
This will be the first annual South
choral works for women by women composers .
The te xt shall make an affirmative stateCentral District UFMCC iiornen's Spirituality Agenda for Our Culturally Diverse Community" . The conference wi 11 be held on Sunment about or for women.
Retreat. The retreat, which will be held
If you compose music about or for women near IJallas, is open to all \~omen. For in- day , July 24, 1988 , at the Boston Park
you ma~ want to try your hand at this. The j formation on programming and other particu- Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston , Massachusetts.
prize ls $1,000 and the pren11ere perform- 1 lars, contact the Metropolitan Conmiunity
The Conference seeks to develop a netance . Deadlrne lS _August 31, 1988, and the ! Church here in Oklahoma City at 521-8352 or
1.work of individuals , projects and organinormnal entry fee ls $10.
I Loral at 495-4390 . .
j zations working to educate verious comFor rnore information contact the Denver I
munities on lesbian and gay issues.
lfomen's Chorus,; Choral Music Competition, i
1,
Issues to be addressed include: stratP.O. Box 26381 Denver, CO 80202 or call
I
egies for educating educators, youth, med( 303) 331-2543 .
I' WORLD FEMINISTS TO DEBATE COMMON CONCERNS
ia, legislators , librarians, religious inA Women's Studies Summer Institute to be ! stitutions, unions, corporations, health
i held July 4-29, 1988 at the Centre for Re- i care and social service agencies, police,
search and Education on Gender, University i and the legal community; educating about
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
of London , will bring together feminists
I racism, classism, sexism, ageism and dis1 from all over the world to meet and debate
abi ~ i ty issues in. the gay corrnnun_i ty;. eduREQUESTED
!
issues of common concern.
catrng about lesbian and gay i ss,uij's 111 the
OTHER LESBIANS WANT TO KNOW ...
I
Among the topics td be discussed and
., Black , Latino , Asian, and Native. ' IJ\mer~ican
communities; incorporating positive gay
For an anthology we are collecting accounts d~bated are women and migration, women's
diaries, women and crime, and reproductive
images into school curricula and AIDS eduof love between women over sixty, by women
and genetic engineering.
, cation ; legal obstacles to gay and lesbian
over sixty for their · unique perspectives on
Further information may be obtained from 1 education, and the politics of teaching
our loving lives. We are interested in readGREG, Institute of Education; Bedford Way; ! sexuality .
ing your material. Please, send poems, short
prose pieces, letters, diary entries, songs ,
London, WClH DAL, England .
!
For more information, contact: The
photographs and drawings (photocopies, please) I
Lesbian and Gay Education Conference, Fund
Include S.A.S.E. Our deadline has been exfor Human Dignity; 666 Broadway , Suite
tended to Ha1\ owe en , 1988 - Crones Day! Send
410; New York, NY 10012, or call 212-529LESBOS TO HOST WOMEN'S STUDIES INSTITUTE
material to OLD LOVERS; c/o WomanSpirit; 2000
1600.
King Mountain Trail; Sunny Valley, OR 97497 .
The Fund for Hurn an Dignity is the only
i Greece will be the location for an Innational organization solely dedicated to
1 ternational Women's Studies Institute from
, fighting anti-gay bigotry through educa1 June 27 to July 20 , 1988, based on the Is1 tion . It operates the only national
i land of Lesbos .
i clearinghouse of educational materials on
I
The program of study will include wo1
1 lesbian and gay i ssues, ;,1nd the only naj men's spirituality, poetry workshops, and
speakers on social and political issues for tional toll-free hotline serving the lesSMOK ING COSTS MORE THAN $$$$ women
in modern Greece as well as trips to 1 bian and gay community .
Athens and Izmir, Turkey .
i
Contact International Women's Studies
Did you k~ow? Surpassing breast cancer, Institute,; 1230 Grant Avenue , Box 601;
lung cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer
San Francisco, CA 94133 , for further indeaths among women in all industrialized
formation .
countries , including the Unlted States .
Smoking-related diseases ki 11 ed over
=========·
315 , 000 Americans in 1984 - more than the
number of American lives lost in all the
_YES
! I want to be a Friend of He rl and •
. HER LAND IS •••
wars this country has fought in the 20th
My minimum donat i on of $12 allows n~ use of
century.
the Herland Library and a 10% di scount on
A non-profit corporation composed of a
store purchases over the next 12 months .
Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
collective .of wlnmrin - open to al'ly won1yn who
are now among the top ten causes of death
wants to be a part of it - whicllWorks to
_$12
_$_ _
for American won~n over the age of 35.
maintain a feminist library and bookstore,
YES! I want to help Herl and with a
While more and more women die of lung
sponsors workshops, retreats, concerts and
CJOilation to t he New Bui lding Fund.
cancer, tobacco companies reep profits.
other events for YOU . Herl and ' s reason for
In 1983, R. J . Reynolds, the largest tobacbeing is to provide a frame~1ork for a variety
_$20
_$15
_$25
co company employing 117,000 people, posted of projects for the support and enjoyment of
the area wimmin's co11Ununity. It is a place
sales of over $13 billion.
_$ _ _
_$50
_$100
to learn and grow, to meet other \•limmin , deJust think about it.
velop lasting friendships, receive support
I would like to volunteer to work at
and nurture the positive self-image that sothe Bookstore .
cietal attitudes sometimes make illusive to
us . Herland exists to serve YOU.
I 1~ould l ike to volunteer my skills to
Your donations are used to pay the rent
help renovate Herla nd's new home .
and
utilities
on
the
Bookstore
building,
and
HERLAND SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS
printing and postage for the monthly HSR
Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards .
OKC - Jn preparation for the future, the
With the exception of the Library , all of
number of Board positions has been increased
Herland ' s services are free, including the
from 15 to 17. Due to this increase Herland
Newsletter . This is why your donation is
Zip:
City : - - - - - - - S t :
has Board vacancies to fill with women ·who
so important: It is Herland's lifeblood .
are interested in the organization and proTelephone Number : (
gression of 0Klahoma's women's community.
Anyone wanting to get involved with women's
Mail to : Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
collective future is encouraged to attend the
2312 NW 39th
next Herland Board meeting.
Oklahoma City , OK 73112

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OOPS

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Layout and paste-up of the Newsletter is rather cutting (layout is composed of a
myriad of little pieces of paper) and sticky (which are glued onto a paper grid
sheet) business. If layout artist and printer are not extra careful with the final
layout sheets it is possible for one (or more) of the little pieces of paper to
become displaced from its proper location and migrate to an improper location, thus
screwing up not one but two articles . Unfortunately, a sample of such a mechanical
blooper may be found in this issue of HSR Newsletter.
The last half of the last paragraph of Sondra Metzger's article ending on page 8 came
dislodged and ended up upside down on the title for the first article on page 5, thus
reducing the journalistic impact and intent of both articles.
To correct this rather embarrassing flaw, readers get the unique opportunity to learn
how the newsletter is composed prior to press time. How wonderfully educational!!
All you have to do is cut out the block of words below marked #1 and paste it at the
end of the third column (after the word "general") at the top of page 8. Next, cut
out the words labeled #2, and glue it to page 5, right under the banner "Around the
Country".
·
Abracadabra, you now have a complete, unadulterated version of the June issue of
HSR Newsletter, as it was originally intended to appear.

#1

To go back now would be a slap in the face
of the coITTTiunity, my community . I didn't
tell that to the high-ranking enlisted woman . Maybe I should have, but is it any of
her busir,ess?

#2

JOPLIN SEES THE FUTURE

the mainstream of military life and have
The only "equal" traininq we received
forgotten most of what they were trained
was in the classroom where we all had to
to do, or what they were taught has changed learn military customs and courte si es,
first aid, military law and close order
over the ye ars .
"All yo u would have to do," she said ,
drill . Our Dis were not so evenl y matched.
The female Dis were obviously the more in"is come to an annual screening once a
year. You 1-1ouldn't have to go to drill or telligent of the two since they made ordinsummer camp at all." Right , Lady . All I'd ary women into Marines in 8 1veeks . For
some reason it took 12 weeks to train the
to do is show up with seabag in hand
1have
SERVICE EXPRESSES ITSELF
for the first flight to Nicaragua, the Per- men.
sian Gulf or some base in the U.S. when the
Women are nmv allowed to be mechanics a
government decides it's time to involve its and work on trucks, tanks, helicopters and
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Charges have been
military in someone else's fight .
radios. Women recruits nmv go out on their
filed against several former drill instructDon't get me wrong . I have nothing aown maneuvers, crawling in sand and mud wi
1
ors and at least one officer as a result of gainst defending my country. If I did, I
with packs on their backs . They must now
on-going. investiqations of lesbianism in
wouldn ' t have joined the Marine Corps in
qualify with an M-16 rifle in order to gradthe Marine Corps.
the first pl ace. I felt a sense of duty
uate from boot camp. \fo111en undergoing ofVarious counts including committing inde- and pride in 1973 when I enlisted, and to
ficer training are taught the same classes
cent acts have been lodged against five wo- this day I still feel proud of those 11
as the men. All this even though wo1ren are
man Marines . Two other women, due to go be- years, 8 mon ths, and 3 days. In 1973, I
still not allowed to go into combat and are
fore administrative hearing boards, are
also felt n.e need for a secure job.
not allowed to hold cambat-related jobs.
When I enlisted, service women were do- This makes me wonder what they thought the
seeking discharges.
Parris Island is the only base providing ing the usual "women" things. We were the women Marines were doinq 1vho served in Viet·
basic training for the over 10,000 viomen rn secretaries and office clerks holding down name where there were no formal front or
the Marine Corps .
the fort while the men ·went out in the
rear 1i nes. They served with no combat
At least ten women are currently under
field to fire vieapons with, blank ammunition training whatsoever.
investigation and, according to a Marine
at an invisible enemy. In boot camp, while
There is another area where the men and
who said she is a target, the probe by the the men were crawling through underbrush,
women are treated alike. It is still aNaval Investigative Service is likely to
digging foxholes, learning hand-to-hand
gainst military la1v for homosexuals to
combat (from an instructor; unlike the wo~ serve their country . A short time ago a
expand .
The woman, who asked not to be identimen who learned it while on dates) and
soldier took his case to federal court
fied, leaked word of the investigation in
learning how to fire an M-16, we women were where the judge reversed the decision to
letters to several nevis organizations betaught the proper way to apply our make-up, discharge him. The judge said the decision
cause "Every base I've been on has had one wear our hair and eat in the presence of a would apply to all branches of the ,armed
of these so-called witch hunts . One of the commanding general. Appearance in uniform forces.
.
'< . .
reasons I went to the· press is to show
was everything.
Anyone reading that who was in tn~ miJithere's an injustice being done. If they're
While the men's maneuvers consisted of
tary knows how long that is going to last.
going to conduct these investigations they crawling through mud, under barbed wire,
The Army has probably appealed the ruling
need to do it on the male side of the house over wa l ls and through miles of sand wi th
already. Homosexuals will never be an acas well . " The woman den i es she is homofull packs on their backs and certain death cepted part of the military .
sexual, and has not been formally charged.
at the hands of the drill instructor (DI)
According to the Department of Defense, if they killed one of "his" sand fleas in
during the past three federal fiscal years, 100 deqree South Carolina heat, we 1vomen
90 women and 219 men have been dismissed
maneuvered throucih the high-ranking brass
Continued on page 8
for homosexuality. More than 40'% of those with our hair in. place, our make-up intridi scharged 1-1ere women, who represent only
cately applied and our manners at the ready
about 5% of the Corps' personnel.
while participatinq in the required afterDepartment of Defen-se figures also show noon tea .
·
that, during the same three year period,
662 cases of homosexual i ty among Marines
were investigated by the Naval Investigative Services and about a third of the in i
vestigations involved women .
BATCHELDER FOR CONGRESS
There is no clear reason for the disparThis Democrat will VOTE Democrat!
ity, and the matter has never been studied,
My Dream ror Dislrict 6 is...
said Corps spokeswoman Joanne Schilling in
More family-owned fanns and ranches. More jobs
with job security and the: hope of job-retraining. More
Washington . She denied that any special
family-owned homes and a fururc in which people
attention was being paid to lesbians.
expect to have jobs and own homes. More programs

Expressions

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From "A Newsletter" 5/88
Nashville \~omen ' s Al l iance

Elect
"Batch"

keeping drugs out of the country and prognms keeping

Batchelder
(To replace the incumbent "Democrat" Glenn English)

Tuesday, August 23

~~-~-.-..,.---.-,.-,

Democratic Primary

MILITARY SERVICE:
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL

Strong Farm Policy!
... And Leadership for ...

The other day I had a conversation with
a woman who was a high-ranking enlisted person in the Marine Corps . She was trying to
convince me that I shouldn't throw away 11
years worth of career and should go into the
inactive reserve. Inactive reservists are
the people who are called back to active
duty when the United States goes to war.
These are the people who have been out of

Opportunily 1nd Juslice ror ALL means rights,

Jobs • Education • Environment
Opportunity and Justice for ALL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
By Sondra L. Metzger

oppcwtun.ities and treatment before the law should not be

abridged on account of gender, race, religion, age,

Seeds of Prosperity in District 6
Economic Strength for the U.S.
A Sensible Plan to Reduce the
Trillion Dollar National Debt

· ~-

524-5492 for information or speakers. Donations to BATCHELDER
FOR CONGRESS may be sent to 1931 NE 69th St., OKC, OK 73111.

CaU

jobs in the country. More confidancc that our land,
water, and air will DOI be fouled with pollution, and tha1
polluters will pay for lhc dean-up. Moce opponunity
and justice in the worlc. place and e.conomic life for
women, people of color, AU. people. More faith that
the US presence and involvcmcms around the world
reflects the high values we believe in and helps lO brina:
relief to root causes of staniatioo and suffcrin& among
the world's poor, so thai our way of life will be the
model they will choose as their own. More failh that
our funue will be free or the fear of nuclear war which
would destroy everything wonh defending. More faith
that our government can and will uuly reflect the
imen:sts of average people, not just those of the wealthy
corporate donors to political campaigns. The US
govenunent is ours. It will reflect the standards we set
for it. Lee's set them high!

nation of origin, or gender orientation. We cannot
judge or disaiminatc against other human beings and
keep our own souls intact Let us join together in
District 6 for justice, jobs, and equal opportunity for
alL.ec.onomic justice for farmers, workers, women,
and people of color. ln unity there is slJ'Cngth.
Together we can have political clout thu will benefit all
Oklahomans.
If my campaign sounds like your campaign, jump
in and help me make a diffen:ncc in Oklahoma politics.
Wri1e or call for infonnation and a ~
Camgajgn Kjt. Send a donation as your can afford
10

BATOIEUJER FOR C'ONGRESS, 1931 NE

6911!, OKC, OK 7311 L

7 Paid for by Batchelder for Congress

Continued from page 7
When I was a yo ung corpora l not knowing
t here was a close t to be in l et alone be in
i t, I was ordered to be ·a part of the witch
hunts on the base at which I was stationed .
My feeling s about it at .the time were mainly fo cused on what a person 's sexua l preference had to do with the performance of
their military ob lig ations . Some of the
women were outstanding Mar ines with unblemished records and were very proud of their

Corps. It didn't seem like i t was anyone's
bu sines s who the women l oved or slept with
in their off-duty hours, especially the
Marine Corps ' . I reluctantly followed the
orders even though it seemed li ke an attack
on the very freedom the military is there
to protect.
Looking bac k, I feel like one of
Hitler's troopers . Although I did my best
to avoid participating in the witch hunts ,
l gave in to the system and did not speak
up for any of the Marines involved, nor did

I lend them any support . I wasn't sure
what to do ; I was very nai ve and very
afraid of the government .
I finally left the Marine Cor ps in January of this year. Now out of the closet,
I was tired of lying, tired of the sexist
treatment of women and tired of the homophobic attitude of the military in general.

•• 1pon11rs •••

IS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGING?

If yo u are pl anning to move, and you don't want
to miss any is sues of the HSR Newsletter, please let
us know your new address BEFORE you move . The Post
Office wil l NO T forward the Newsletter, and Herland
will NOT change your address without your authorization. Therefore , to insure receipt of the Newsletter fill out and ma il us this Change of Address form
BE FORE yo u move. The form may al so be used to add a
new name to the mailing list.

Loral

c. Reeves, c.P.A.

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 219
Oklahoma City, OK 7.3116

(405) 842-n20

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Old Address : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

848-6429

City :
State : - - - - - - Z i p : - - - - - - - - - -

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
LICENSED PROPEISIONAL COUNSELOR

Mew Address:
City :

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
ICIOI N PEN•YLVANIA. OKLAHOMA c1n. OIC 73' 12

State:------ Zip:---------Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 7311 2

- ·- - - - - - -

--."..'
en
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___

...,..

s....

•

~

"C

"'
...
c.

-

KEMCO
PRINTING INC.

"C

Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

classi11d 1dvertising
160 1

s. Broadway. Unit D • E<lmond. Okla. 73013

FOR SALE - Lovely male Irish Setter needs responsible,
loving home. Excellen t companion. $50. 794-7464.
FOR SALE OR LEASE - Very nice 3 BR, lY, bath brick home
on one acre in Noble. $3 75 mo . 794-7 464 .

SHELLY ZAIKIS, MGA
Professional Handwriting Analyst

GOLDEN THREADS , a contact publication for lesbians over
50 and wome n who love older women . Canada and U.S .
Confidential, warm, reliable . For free informat ion
se nd self -addressed envelop ; (U . S. residents please
stamp it) . Sample copy mailed discreetly, $5. 00
(U. S. ). GOLDEN THREADS: P.O . Box 2416; Quincy , MA
02269.

> Job counselor
> Compatibility
> Classes offered year-round
(405) 946-6928
8



VOLUME 5, NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1988

Around the Corner
GAY COMMUNITY GEARS UP
FOR GAY PRIDE WEEK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Local gay organizations
are putting the final touches on their plan
for Gay Pride l·Jeek which runs from June 19
throuqh June 26.
The week's activities will beqin with
Oklahoma's first Gay Parade on S~nday, June
19th. Homen and men who would 1i ke to participate in the parade are asked to qather
at Memorial Park , located on N.W . 36ih
Street between Classen and Western, by 1 :30
p.m. Prior to the parade there will be entertainment at Memorial Park. According to
Darlene , acting Director of Oasis Community
Center, music will be provided by Peggy
Johnson and Randy Powell. The Parade will
begin at about 2:00 p.m. and will wind its
way from the park to the Block Party at
N.W . 39th and Barnes.
The Parade is to be lead by People With
Aids from the Winds House in Oklahoma City,
and will include representatives from various organization s from aro und the state,
like Herland Sister Resources, OU's Gay
and Lesbian Alliance, Oasis, and National
Organization for Women, amo ng others.
Speaking at the march festivities will
be Jeffrey Levi, Director of the National
Gay .and Lesbian Task F'orce in Washington .
NGLTF , the only national gay .rights organization in the country with a broad-based
program to achieve gay and le sbian freedom,
was founded in 1973 to advocate, educate,
and organize politically for the achievement of lesbian and gay civtl rights.
Also on hand to lend an air of festival
to the Parade will be the Dallas Gay Marching Band.
The traditional Block Party at parade's
end will hold an array of food and drink
for hungry and thirsty marchers. Also at
the Block Party, for those who have needed
a "book fix" , Herland will have its soonto-be-famous "Mobile Al bum and Book Booth"
(M . A.B.B . for short) set up for business .
A number of gay titles and lesbian magazines have been ordered especially for this
occasion, so plan to drop by M. A. B. B and do
some browsing.
Local bartender John Buettner won the
"Ri ghtfull y Proud in '88" logo contest for
Gay Pride festivities sponsored by Oasis.
His winning design was selected from over
25 entries to become the logo for this
year's celebration which will appear on
posters, t-shirts , and other memorabelia .
Gay Pride will continue beyond Sunday,
June 19th with a variety of activities dur ing the week which wi ll include an evening

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 NW 39th, OKC, OK 7311Z
cheek. This is a peaceful demonstrawith an attorney who will be at Oasis Community Center to answer your questions, an
tion, and it is up to ~to keep it
that way.
evening with PWA's who will give a talk and
answer qu es tions, and several movies to be
shown at the Oasis Community Center . These
- Dress comfortably, but not too commovies will include "Pink Triangle" and
fortably (if you know what I mean!) .
"Before Stonewall" and are sponsored by the
O.U. Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
_Carry a placard if you wish.
The Gay Pride Week celebration will cap
off with "Zoom Beach" on Sunday, June 26 at
_ Have FUN!
Lake Thunderbird. This is a fun gathering
with free ?eer, pop, and ho~ dogs . . Bring
If you have supportive family and frien c
your favorite game or spor~rng equipment
, ask them to show their support by marching
and p1an to spend the day in good company· with you on June 19th.
There are.few laws on a national level
As gays will be policing themselves (pa and fewer still on the state level to pro- . rade organizers will be wearing l avender
tect or acknowledge lesbian and gay r ight s.I T-shirts with armbands) and disorderly conOn June 19th Oklahoma gays will exercise
j' duct will mean removal from the paradie area
participants are asked to please, ~~~~ se ,
the right to peacefully gather in public.
It is hoped that all advocates of human
please cooperate . And, make this a pos'irights and civil rights will s;ome out and . tive, memorab le experience for everye;ne .
show their support by participating in the
For more information, call 525-2437.
1·
rally and march for gay rights .

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HSR NEWSLETTER:

RULES AND REQUESTS
FOR PARADE BEHAVIOR

Mi li tary Life as a Lesbian
- Gay Pride Activities

OKLAHOMA CITY - City permi ts for the
Gay Pride Pa rade have been sec ured and a
police escort has bee n obtained for the
march down N.W. 39th .
According to Darlene, acting Director
of the Oasis CoITTnunity Center, it is important that gays prese nt and project a
positive image to the community and the
people of Oklahoma. To achieve this objective a few rules have been laid down for
parade behavior . These include :
-

-

-

-

- Bechtel Trial Comments
i/

OASIS CENTER HAS NEW DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA CITY - Due to "extenuating cir
cumstances" Jim Powell recently stepped
down as Director of the Oasis Community
No alcoholic bever~~ will be permit- Center, and Co-Director, Darlene Burgess
ted at Memoria.l Park or along the par- has assumed her role as acting Director of
ade route. If you must drink, please
that organization.
wait until after the parade is over.
In a telephone interview Ms. Burgess
said her goal is to unify Oklahoma City's
Please do not bring children to be in
gay community. The community is currentl y
the pa raife.-As-TCErioCknovm ho1-1
the public may respond to seeing chi l d- divided into a number of different facren in this parade, it is best to leave tions, and she believes this is due to a
lack of communication. "We want communithe kids at home, this time around .
cation" she said, "vie want to turn that
~o
bags over he ads . It has bee n learn lack of communication around .. We are going to be a community center , and !'111
ed that gat her1ngs of more than three
really excited about that." Ms . Burgess
(3) people with coverings over their
head and fac e a re i ll eS@._]_. If you wi sh went on to say, "Oasis wants participatior
not to be recognized, ye t still want to through the year here at the community
center. Let 's make it what its supposed
march it is suggested that you wear
to be."
grease paint or some other make-up to
Ms. Burgess en courages community supdisguise yourse lf. {We have the Ku
port and participation by asking for atKlux Klan to thank for this one!).
tendence at the ne xt Oas i s Board meeting
to held on June 1 at the Oasis , 2135 NW
If something is thrown at you during
39th. For further information call Oasis
the parade ( i e. by a heckler), do not
at 525-243.7 .
throw anything back. Turn the othe-Y:-

S.E.A.H.C. HOLDS CARNIVAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - Southeast Area Health
Center is holding a Carnival/Health Fair
on Saturday, June Z5, from 10:00 - 6:00.
There will be food and drink booths,
various health screening booths, games
and door prize drawings.
Proceedes from the event will be
used to help provide medical care to
low-income patients. Most of our
patients are women and young children,
said Executive Director Jean Kelsey.
We really need everybody to come out
and support the Center. If you want to
help with a booth, call Jean at 632-6688.

A N N0 U NC E S
ALL HERLAND COLLECTIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO YOU
NEXT MEETING:
CALL 794-7464 for time & place

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
a
OKLAHOMA CITY - Herland Camp Director,
Laura, reports "l'e have begun organizing
for the Fall Retreat. It will be held at
Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma on
September 16th through the 18th, and I hope
this will provide folks enough time to plan
ahead and oet a few days off to 'retreat'".
The Spring Retreat at Boiling Springs
State Park "proved exciting and fun-filled
for everyone involved" and helped Herland
to raise badly-needed funds; Laura said.
"The pancake breakfast served on Sunday by
Nancy and Mary was delicious and in conjuction with the stew provided by Terry,
raised an additional $50 for Herland." After expenses, the retreat raised approxi~
mately $1,200 for future programming, books
and tlews letter expenses . There wi 11 even
be some left to help with the new building
costs, but flerland is st il 1 hurting for
building funds. Herland extends a big
thank you to all those who participated in
the Spring Retreat weekend, helping Herland
to stay af loat while at the same time havin g fun doinq it'.
This Fall, Herl and 1·1il 1 be providing
meals throughout the retreat weekend except
for the Saturday night Pot Luc k dinner.
Our very o~m Mary and friends wi 11 be cooking vegetarian and non-ve~etarian meals for
a nominal price, and al 1 proceeds 1vi 11 again benefit Herland .
llerl and wi ll once again offer scho 1arsh i ps and 1vork exchanges . Pl ease contact
Laura at 672-4141 for information. Preregistration is $17-20, based on ability to
pay. On-site registration will be $25.
Herland prefers advance registrat ions so
activit ies and food arrangements may be better planned; however, Laura says she
doesn't mind collecting that extra $5 for
on-site registration!
Due to the number of four-legged children attending past retreats, Herland wil l
require all canine to be leashed and be restricted from the kitchen and main building
from the Fall Retreat foreward . Pets may
be t ied outside or in the cabin, or they
may remain in retreater's car (with windows
rol led down an appropriate distance for
venti lation, of course). Cooperation with
these new requests will .allow Herland retreaters to continue bringing their favorite four-footed friends to share in the
weekend of R & R.
To make each retreat better than the
previous retreat, the Camp Director asks
for your feedback . The registration in
this newsletter, when filled out and returned to Laura will help llerland to improve upon the last retreat. So, please
make plans soon, and return your completed
registration to Laura to secure your spot
at the best Herland Retreat ever!

a

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HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
at
SEQUOYAH STATE PARK
near Wagoner
SEPTEMBER 16, 17, & 18
Ga-...~a.,...~a.....MUlt4..,
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HERLANO FALL RETREAT
FOR ll01£N
Pre-reg1strat1on is Sl7 - $20, based on your abflfty to pay. Upon receipt of your
check, a map to the campsite and 11st of suggested itel!IS to bring wfll be malled
to you. Deadline for pre-registration 1s September 9, 1988.

Number of Pets
(Pets must be k-ep"""t_o_n-.l"'"eash
and no pets in main bldg.)

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----------------- for the Retreat auction.
lla11 to :

2

Herland Sister Resources
S Laura, camp Di rector
4924 s. Kathy
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma 73135

examination". The jury had no opportunity
l. The refusa l of the t ria l co urt to penni 1
to question anyone. Any in consi stencies or Or. Lenore ~a l ker ( ari ex re rt on the batter ·
questions will al ways be unanswered in our e(_I 1•1oman ' s sy ndrome) t o t es ti -y as an exper1
NOTES FROMTHE JU RY BOX
mind s, ye t we managed to maintain composure. witn ess. to ass i st the tri er or fac t co ncern·
Th e i nvest ioation of the homicide was in inq the fact that Donn a Be c h t ~l was a batsummati on a "ca lamity" of errors. In the
tered woman, and expl ain how she carne to be
Th e Bechtel t r ial has drawn t o a cl ose ; trial the buck was handed to the two Amcare a battered woman, why she staye d with Ke nshe s now be en sent enced and we hav e al l
attendents who passed it back and forth.
net h Bechte l, and her state of min d at the
bequ n se rv in 9 our li fe sentences . qy th e
When it was determined they had no report
time th e acts occ urred which gi ve rise to
"\•1e" I mean Ms. flec htel and eac h of us
(reports t hat could bear witness to Ms.
·the se charges denie d Donn a Be chte l a fair
that sat in the jury box .
Bechtel's demeanor at the time) the buck
trial.
Al l week I ' ve heard various accounts
was handed to the Edmond Police Department . 2. The refus al of the tri al : ourt to inand opi ni ons of the trial. The cruc i al
The Edm.ond Pol ice Department juggled the struct the jury on the burden of proof con accounting of the trial is t he one I exper- buck and passed it from "on the scene" of- cerni nq se l f -defense denied t he accused a
ien ced. It is the one from the "v i ewpoin t" ficers to the Lieutenant who handed it to
fair tr i al .
of th at jury box. l·Je we re drafted and re- the detective in charge, eac h denyinq re3. T~ e trial court erred 1vhen it pi-ohibitmoved from the mainstream of our normal
s~onsibility
.
End re sult : No taped.inter- ed deren se coun se l from quest i oni n ~ jurors
li ves. \.le accepted the r espons i bility and .1 view (re.c order not working at time interabout th e burden of proof in se lf-defen se
gave the case our und i vided attention. Af - view was : rnAde ) and no report by detective
and denied nonna Bech tel a fair trial.
ter all, a woma11' s fate rested in our
in charge a .. ' Ut that interview . The te ch
4: Denial of th e r igh t to cross-examine
hands. Thi s was a ser i ous matter .
invest igator' s report was laced with incon- witnesses against her de nied Donna Bechtel
I be liev e everyone i s ent itl ed to a viq- s istencies. I'm reminded of the police
a fair trial.
01:ous defense and Garv in Issacs certainly. mott~ "to protect and to serve" . I might
5. Refusal of the trial court to permit
li ~ed u ~ to hi s reputat i on in that respect . ask who are they protecting and who are
Donna Bec htel to present evidence in ac1.i11le his behavior was not above reproach, they serv inq ?".
cordance 1•ith the Sixth Amendment to the
the rotten apple must be placed on the pro\•le were denied the right to hear certain United States Constitution denied her a
secution' s table.
1 testimony and see certain evidence. I wou fair trial . (Pol ·ice procedure s concern i no
I will forever remai n ap pall ed at the
wou ld suggest that it would be only "fair" crime scene, conversations with wi tnesse s .
anti cs and behavior I observed in that
to present all the evidence and let the
concerning Kenneth Bechtel).
co urtroom from that jury box. I wo uld ex- twelve of uSdecide what is pertinent and
6. The court repeatedly, during the six
pect unfalterino professional behavior from what i s not . After all, we were drafted to days Donna Bechtel was on the witness stand
t he Di strict At torn ey 's offi ce s ince many
give our opinions . An unbia sed opinion
t~stifying, sustained objections to quesof us ~old that office in a ligh t synonyba sed on bi ase d evidence would be incon sis - tions concerning threats and conversations
rnous wit h the la1~. .l\t the very l east, I
tent with a fair trial. A jury is not al- 7. The trail court on numerous oc2a~ i o ns ·
wo uld ex pect the two prosecutors to main- , lo~e d to speculate . We can only consider
co~men~ed on th ~ evidence in rul ing'Vupon
tain .composure and st ifle giggles while
evidence that has been admitted by the
ob.Jections and in admonitions to defense
testimony was being given. Their overall
court.
counsel an d thi s denied . the accused a fair
behavior would be more befi tt inq cf a
\~e stood armed with conflictinq testitrial.
school~1irls' slumber party than · a court of monies, and without the benefit of a credi- 8. Prosecutorial misconduct denied Oonna
law . Throughout the trial the pro sec utor s ble police report detailing what was said.
Bechtel a fair trial .
1
seemed to be afflicted with some "virus"
~e were given our in st ructions and handed
9. Statements to press before and during
causin!J uncontrollable eye ba ll rotation and the "bu ck ". He retired to the deliberation the trial concerning the case.
·
facial contortions that wo uld suggest each r?om. Th e "buc k" stopped with us, twelve
10
.
The
trial
court's
refusal
to
provide
of them had a mouthful of green parsimmon s. citizens. Based on the evidence that we
Donn~ Bechtel with a court reporter conAt times, it would cause them to poke each 1•ere given and the "letter of the l aw" we cerning all communications about this case
other and snicker.
1 arrived at our verd ict, and now we musi
which is required under 20 O.S . 106 .4 deI would expec~ in a "fair trial 11 the ac - serve it. From this juror's "viewpo int" ,
cused would be qiven the opportunity to re- we were among the few in vo l ve d in this case nied the accused due process and equal protection of the law .
l a ~e th~ir vers ion to us (the Jury) without that did their job .
·
, 11. The Tri al court erred in refu sinq to al·
beinq ridicul ed or int imida ted by gestures
low Donna Bechtel to testify as to threats
Glenda Gibbons
made by the prosecutors . I'm not sure how
made to her by Kenneth BecNtel on her life
Foreman, Bechtel Jury
much of this was vi sible to the audience
and the lives of her children.
but I do know from my chair it was, at '
12. The court erred in refusina to in st ruct
time s, so distracting I wo uld have to sit
the .iury that the burden of proof was on
with my left hand covering part of my face
the state to prove that Donna Bechtel did
to block them out and concentrate on the
not shoot her hu sband in self-defense.
testimony . being gi ve n. I wondered at times
The above information has been provided
how Ms. Bechtel could maintain her train of BECHTEL MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL by the Concerned Citizens for Justice; 1139
thought while giving her testimony. TestiM .\~. 57th Street; Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
mony on which her fate was hinged.
. I would suggest that professional behavior ~ e to ~isten, · an d then address any inThe followinn excer pts were taken from
consistencies or questions in the "crossthe Motion For ~ New Trial for Donna Bechtel

I
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---··--·- - - - - -

Executive Dir·ector Position a V i:1il<tbk
Tulsa

Ha~cd

non profit <1gency

Responsible for fund raising, coordination o( All·.·Js· ~(.l L; Ch t.I on
_and HIV testinf~. _prograrn pla.nr1ing drHl irnph::rnent.at,inn,
and _general adrn1n1strative function~. . Ex.per i e:':nu~ w'iL i ; non
1
profI t a.gency and Bachelor's de\~r
"·~ 1-·.::·.-l
·.:~,.;__'
c. o.
"· "·
, '1 t ...·; 1· r·· o._c
... J .
.. . .rid
...
r 1<:; u r n e
and cover letter no latt~r than June 1:), 1988 Ln
Search Cornrn.it lee
P.O. Box 57.729
Tulsa, OK 74152-2729

1

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Around the Country

Kowalski is certain Sharon will receive her
mail , cards from the Holiday and Birthday
campaigns will be saved at committee headq ua rte rs.
To help defray Karen Thompson's high legal costs, con tributors may send donations
to Karen Thompson Legal Fund, to: Fund;
32495 County Road #l; St. Cloud, MN 56303.
For more information about the case or to
arrange to have Karen Thompson speak, write
Cheryl Vitow; 149 Stelton Rd.; Piscataway,
NJ 08854 or call 201-752-5302 .

NGLTF lobbyist Peri Jude Radecic. "l~e will
be seeking bipartisan and geographically
balan ce d support."
NGLTF strongly supports this bill and
its counterpart in the Hou se and has prepared a briefing packet that includes copies of the legislation, talking points on
why it is needed, organizational support
statements, sample letters to Senators and
sample letters of support to local newspapers.
Copies of the S 2000 Briefing Packet may
be ordered for a $1.00 postage fee from
NGLTF; 1517 U Street NW,; Washington, DC
20009.

JOPLIN, MO. - There are only 60 women
rabbis in the world. One would expect to
find these few women only in large cities
which have a large Jewish population, how- HOUSE MEMBER OPPOSES GAYS
ever such is not always. the case. OklahoIN HATE CRIMES BILL
ma's neighbor in what is commonly referred
to as the "Bible Belt", and therefore conGAYS ENDORSE JUNE 11th
sidered to be more than a tad backward,
DISARMAMENT MARCH
may be rightfully proud in their ability to
l·JASHINGTON , DC - Representative George
defer that noteriety.
Gekas (R-PA) leads the fight to remove
For we find one of those precious few
sexual orientation from the Hate Crimes
women rabbi~ in Lisa Stern who leads th~
Statistics Act (H.R . 3193). This Act
NEW YORK CITY - Persons concerned about
United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, Miss- would mandate the collection ~f statisthe earth and those who inhabit it are planouri. Congratulations, Joplin, for the
·tics on crimes that are motivated by pre- lning a day of nat~onal demonstrations cal~courage and forsight to move foreward.
judice based on race, religion, sexual or- ing for nuclear disarmament, and end to mil----ientation and ethnicity.
i itary intervention and a governmental comThe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lmitment to economic development and social
(NGLTF) is working to thwart attempts to
justice . The June 11th demonstrations will
remove sexual orientation from the legisla-fbe held simultaneously in San Francisco and
tion .
INew York City, and coincide with the . ,T.hird
Gekas has filed a minority report which j UN Special Sessi_on on Disarmament. n~~
KOWALSKI TO BE TESTED
asserts that "It is not a federal obliga- !Second UN Session on Disarmament in June of
tion to protect citizens in their sexual
! 1982, drew one million people to New York
orientation" . Despite a recent Department : City .
'
of Justice study which found gay people to
The NGLTF has endorsed the activities
be the most frequent victims of _hate viobecause "gay men and lesbians are not single
HIBBING, MN - St. Louis County Judge
Robert Campbell ruled recently that Sharon 1ence today, the ~ekas r~port disputes. the is sue peop 1e. we care deep 1y about issues
Kowalski should be formally tested for com- prevalance of_ anti-gay violence . D~sp1te 1like a sane nuclear policy and an end to
petency, and ordered that her new courtdocument~d evidence of hundi:-e?s of i~stance militarism," said Executive Director Jeffappointed attorney, Gary Pagliacetti, con- of organized hat~ group act~vit~ against
rey Levi. "We have seen first hand how
sult with Duluth-area physicians to select gay men and lesbians, the nnnority report
our government's focus on defense directly
a test site. Kowalski was severely injured asserts ~hat gay people are. n?t the targets i hurts funding for much-needed social proin an automobile accident in Movember 1983. O! organized hate group activity by groups /grams, such as fundinq to fight AIDS or to
Her lover, Karen Thompson, has been fight- like the Ku Klux Klan.
.
.
.
!develop a national health insurance policy'.'
ing Kowalski's anti-gay parents in court
~o prevent Gekas !rom s~cceeding in reInformation on gay/lesbian contingents
for almost four years for the right to see moving the ~exual or~en~atio~ clause from
to the marches and more logistical details
and participate in Kowalski's medical care. the Hate Crimes Stat1st1cs Act, and there- ' may be obtained from the SSD III N~tional
Judge Campbell's ruling means that Koby spreading his bigotry towa rd gays, the
coalition· 11 John Street UB03 · ~ew York
walski ~1ill be tested for the first time
NGLTF urges interested persons - to write to NY 10038: (202) 608-8155'.
'
'
since a court order appointed her father
their representatives today .
guardian three years ago -- an order that
required him to have her tested annually .
Pagliacetti told the court that he had
visited Kowalski four times , and he believes that she understands what others say
to her and that she can communicate effect- SENATE NEEDS SPONSORS FOR
WOMEN DON'T RATE
ively when she desires . He said he feels
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT
she could use a computer to improve her
AS NEWSWORTHY
communication, and move around in an electric wheelchair. Pagliacetti was appointed
by Judge Campbell to be Kowalski's attorney .
,
Women were a part of. only 6% of front
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Gay and
page stories in 1987, and fewer than 11.%
In response to requests from Thompson's
attorneys, Campbell ordered that no attor- Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has launched a of page one photographs included women ineys except Pagiiacetti be allowed to con- cosponsor drive to garner additional sup- Identified by name concluded a study of
tact Kowalski's evaluators until their re- · port for ·S 2000, the Se nate version of the four major newspapers including the New ·
Hate Crimes Sta ti stics Act (HR 3193). In- ! York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,
port is issued . No date has been set for
the testing . He requested that . all parties traduced by Se nators Alan Cranston (0-CA) ! and the Christian Science Monitor. And
and John Kerry (D-MA) on January 25, 1988, of the 11% in photos many were not there
submit to him recommendations for testing
the Se nate bill would require the Depart- i as newsmakers themselves, but as wives of
parameters. Campbell also requested that
both Thompson and the Kowalskis provide him ment of Justice to collect data on crimes !' newsworthy men, such as Nancy Reagan and
Mary Ellen Bork.
with statements detailing how their attor- motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity. j
Of the women pictured, it was noted
neys' fees are paid. When the testinq is
complete , all parties involved in the. liti- The bill is identical to the one currently . that a number of them received such acawaiting House floor action.
gation wil 1 receive a copy of the report_,
1 claim because of resignations or other
S 2000 currently has 4 cosponsors in ad- associated actions: Corazon Aquino leavand a hearing will be held to formally dedition to Senator Kerry and Cranston:
ing the palace after her Cabinet resigned,
fine Kowalski's competence .
Elizabeth Dole resigning as Secretary of
The judge is continuing to allow Donald Brock Adams (D-HA), Claiborne Pell(D-RI),
Paul Simon (D-IL), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI}. Transportation, Rep. Pat Schroeder announKowalski to decide what mail Sharon reThe House bill has 109 cosponsors.
cing her decision not to seek the Democeives, but has ordered that· Donald keep
"Gaining cosponsors is critical to the
cratic presidential nomination.
any mail Sharon has gotten and will get.
from Up and Coming, April 1988
Until the National Committee to Free Sharon successful passage of any bill," explained

l

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5

RETREATS
& CONFERENCES

Potpourri

LESBIAN AND GAY
EDUCAT ION CONFERENCE

WOMEN INVITED TO ATTEND DALLAS
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT

WOMEN COMPOSERS SOUGHT

BOSTON , MA - The Fund for Human Digni ty,
The United Federation of Metropolitan
the national lesbian and gay educational
Community Churches ( UFMCC) is sponsori nq a
organization , has announced plans for
)'/Diilen' S retreat over the 4th of July week"The Les bi an and Gay Education Conference :
The Denver Women's Chorus is seeking new end.
Initiatives Toward a National Education
This will be the first annual South
choral works for women by women composers .
The te xt shall make an affirmative stateCentral District UFMCC iiornen's Spirituality Agenda for Our Culturally Diverse Community" . The conference wi 11 be held on Sunment about or for women.
Retreat. The retreat, which will be held
If you compose music about or for women near IJallas, is open to all \~omen. For in- day , July 24, 1988 , at the Boston Park
you ma~ want to try your hand at this. The j formation on programming and other particu- Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston , Massachusetts.
prize ls $1,000 and the pren11ere perform- 1 lars, contact the Metropolitan Conmiunity
The Conference seeks to develop a netance . Deadlrne lS _August 31, 1988, and the ! Church here in Oklahoma City at 521-8352 or
1.work of individuals , projects and organinormnal entry fee ls $10.
I Loral at 495-4390 . .
j zations working to educate verious comFor rnore information contact the Denver I
munities on lesbian and gay issues.
lfomen's Chorus,; Choral Music Competition, i
1,
Issues to be addressed include: stratP.O. Box 26381 Denver, CO 80202 or call
I
egies for educating educators, youth, med( 303) 331-2543 .
I' WORLD FEMINISTS TO DEBATE COMMON CONCERNS
ia, legislators , librarians, religious inA Women's Studies Summer Institute to be ! stitutions, unions, corporations, health
i held July 4-29, 1988 at the Centre for Re- i care and social service agencies, police,
search and Education on Gender, University i and the legal community; educating about
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
of London , will bring together feminists
I racism, classism, sexism, ageism and dis1 from all over the world to meet and debate
abi ~ i ty issues in. the gay corrnnun_i ty;. eduREQUESTED
!
issues of common concern.
catrng about lesbian and gay i ss,uij's 111 the
OTHER LESBIANS WANT TO KNOW ...
I
Among the topics td be discussed and
., Black , Latino , Asian, and Native. ' IJ\mer~ican
communities; incorporating positive gay
For an anthology we are collecting accounts d~bated are women and migration, women's
diaries, women and crime, and reproductive
images into school curricula and AIDS eduof love between women over sixty, by women
and genetic engineering.
, cation ; legal obstacles to gay and lesbian
over sixty for their · unique perspectives on
Further information may be obtained from 1 education, and the politics of teaching
our loving lives. We are interested in readGREG, Institute of Education; Bedford Way; ! sexuality .
ing your material. Please, send poems, short
prose pieces, letters, diary entries, songs ,
London, WClH DAL, England .
!
For more information, contact: The
photographs and drawings (photocopies, please) I
Lesbian and Gay Education Conference, Fund
Include S.A.S.E. Our deadline has been exfor Human Dignity; 666 Broadway , Suite
tended to Ha1\ owe en , 1988 - Crones Day! Send
410; New York, NY 10012, or call 212-529LESBOS TO HOST WOMEN'S STUDIES INSTITUTE
material to OLD LOVERS; c/o WomanSpirit; 2000
1600.
King Mountain Trail; Sunny Valley, OR 97497 .
The Fund for Hurn an Dignity is the only
i Greece will be the location for an Innational organization solely dedicated to
1 ternational Women's Studies Institute from
, fighting anti-gay bigotry through educa1 June 27 to July 20 , 1988, based on the Is1 tion . It operates the only national
i land of Lesbos .
i clearinghouse of educational materials on
I
The program of study will include wo1
1 lesbian and gay i ssues, ;,1nd the only naj men's spirituality, poetry workshops, and
speakers on social and political issues for tional toll-free hotline serving the lesSMOK ING COSTS MORE THAN $$$$ women
in modern Greece as well as trips to 1 bian and gay community .
Athens and Izmir, Turkey .
i
Contact International Women's Studies
Did you k~ow? Surpassing breast cancer, Institute,; 1230 Grant Avenue , Box 601;
lung cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer
San Francisco, CA 94133 , for further indeaths among women in all industrialized
formation .
countries , including the Unlted States .
Smoking-related diseases ki 11 ed over
=========·
315 , 000 Americans in 1984 - more than the
number of American lives lost in all the
_YES
! I want to be a Friend of He rl and •
. HER LAND IS •••
wars this country has fought in the 20th
My minimum donat i on of $12 allows n~ use of
century.
the Herland Library and a 10% di scount on
A non-profit corporation composed of a
store purchases over the next 12 months .
Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
collective .of wlnmrin - open to al'ly won1yn who
are now among the top ten causes of death
wants to be a part of it - whicllWorks to
_$12
_$_ _
for American won~n over the age of 35.
maintain a feminist library and bookstore,
YES! I want to help Herl and with a
While more and more women die of lung
sponsors workshops, retreats, concerts and
CJOilation to t he New Bui lding Fund.
cancer, tobacco companies reep profits.
other events for YOU . Herl and ' s reason for
In 1983, R. J . Reynolds, the largest tobacbeing is to provide a frame~1ork for a variety
_$20
_$15
_$25
co company employing 117,000 people, posted of projects for the support and enjoyment of
the area wimmin's co11Ununity. It is a place
sales of over $13 billion.
_$ _ _
_$50
_$100
to learn and grow, to meet other \•limmin , deJust think about it.
velop lasting friendships, receive support
I would like to volunteer to work at
and nurture the positive self-image that sothe Bookstore .
cietal attitudes sometimes make illusive to
us . Herland exists to serve YOU.
I 1~ould l ike to volunteer my skills to
Your donations are used to pay the rent
help renovate Herla nd's new home .
and
utilities
on
the
Bookstore
building,
and
HERLAND SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS
printing and postage for the monthly HSR
Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards .
OKC - Jn preparation for the future, the
With the exception of the Library , all of
number of Board positions has been increased
Herland ' s services are free, including the
from 15 to 17. Due to this increase Herland
Newsletter . This is why your donation is
Zip:
City : - - - - - - - S t :
has Board vacancies to fill with women ·who
so important: It is Herland's lifeblood .
are interested in the organization and proTelephone Number : (
gression of 0Klahoma's women's community.
Anyone wanting to get involved with women's
Mail to : Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
collective future is encouraged to attend the
2312 NW 39th
next Herland Board meeting.
Oklahoma City , OK 73112

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OOPS

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Layout and paste-up of the Newsletter is rather cutting (layout is composed of a
myriad of little pieces of paper) and sticky (which are glued onto a paper grid
sheet) business. If layout artist and printer are not extra careful with the final
layout sheets it is possible for one (or more) of the little pieces of paper to
become displaced from its proper location and migrate to an improper location, thus
screwing up not one but two articles . Unfortunately, a sample of such a mechanical
blooper may be found in this issue of HSR Newsletter.
The last half of the last paragraph of Sondra Metzger's article ending on page 8 came
dislodged and ended up upside down on the title for the first article on page 5, thus
reducing the journalistic impact and intent of both articles.
To correct this rather embarrassing flaw, readers get the unique opportunity to learn
how the newsletter is composed prior to press time. How wonderfully educational!!
All you have to do is cut out the block of words below marked #1 and paste it at the
end of the third column (after the word "general") at the top of page 8. Next, cut
out the words labeled #2, and glue it to page 5, right under the banner "Around the
Country".
·
Abracadabra, you now have a complete, unadulterated version of the June issue of
HSR Newsletter, as it was originally intended to appear.

#1

To go back now would be a slap in the face
of the coITTTiunity, my community . I didn't
tell that to the high-ranking enlisted woman . Maybe I should have, but is it any of
her busir,ess?

#2

JOPLIN SEES THE FUTURE

the mainstream of military life and have
The only "equal" traininq we received
forgotten most of what they were trained
was in the classroom where we all had to
to do, or what they were taught has changed learn military customs and courte si es,
first aid, military law and close order
over the ye ars .
"All yo u would have to do," she said ,
drill . Our Dis were not so evenl y matched.
The female Dis were obviously the more in"is come to an annual screening once a
year. You 1-1ouldn't have to go to drill or telligent of the two since they made ordinsummer camp at all." Right , Lady . All I'd ary women into Marines in 8 1veeks . For
some reason it took 12 weeks to train the
to do is show up with seabag in hand
1have
SERVICE EXPRESSES ITSELF
for the first flight to Nicaragua, the Per- men.
sian Gulf or some base in the U.S. when the
Women are nmv allowed to be mechanics a
government decides it's time to involve its and work on trucks, tanks, helicopters and
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Charges have been
military in someone else's fight .
radios. Women recruits nmv go out on their
filed against several former drill instructDon't get me wrong . I have nothing aown maneuvers, crawling in sand and mud wi
1
ors and at least one officer as a result of gainst defending my country. If I did, I
with packs on their backs . They must now
on-going. investiqations of lesbianism in
wouldn ' t have joined the Marine Corps in
qualify with an M-16 rifle in order to gradthe Marine Corps.
the first pl ace. I felt a sense of duty
uate from boot camp. \fo111en undergoing ofVarious counts including committing inde- and pride in 1973 when I enlisted, and to
ficer training are taught the same classes
cent acts have been lodged against five wo- this day I still feel proud of those 11
as the men. All this even though wo1ren are
man Marines . Two other women, due to go be- years, 8 mon ths, and 3 days. In 1973, I
still not allowed to go into combat and are
fore administrative hearing boards, are
also felt n.e need for a secure job.
not allowed to hold cambat-related jobs.
When I enlisted, service women were do- This makes me wonder what they thought the
seeking discharges.
Parris Island is the only base providing ing the usual "women" things. We were the women Marines were doinq 1vho served in Viet·
basic training for the over 10,000 viomen rn secretaries and office clerks holding down name where there were no formal front or
the Marine Corps .
the fort while the men ·went out in the
rear 1i nes. They served with no combat
At least ten women are currently under
field to fire vieapons with, blank ammunition training whatsoever.
investigation and, according to a Marine
at an invisible enemy. In boot camp, while
There is another area where the men and
who said she is a target, the probe by the the men were crawling through underbrush,
women are treated alike. It is still aNaval Investigative Service is likely to
digging foxholes, learning hand-to-hand
gainst military la1v for homosexuals to
combat (from an instructor; unlike the wo~ serve their country . A short time ago a
expand .
The woman, who asked not to be identimen who learned it while on dates) and
soldier took his case to federal court
fied, leaked word of the investigation in
learning how to fire an M-16, we women were where the judge reversed the decision to
letters to several nevis organizations betaught the proper way to apply our make-up, discharge him. The judge said the decision
cause "Every base I've been on has had one wear our hair and eat in the presence of a would apply to all branches of the ,armed
of these so-called witch hunts . One of the commanding general. Appearance in uniform forces.
.
'< . .
reasons I went to the· press is to show
was everything.
Anyone reading that who was in tn~ miJithere's an injustice being done. If they're
While the men's maneuvers consisted of
tary knows how long that is going to last.
going to conduct these investigations they crawling through mud, under barbed wire,
The Army has probably appealed the ruling
need to do it on the male side of the house over wa l ls and through miles of sand wi th
already. Homosexuals will never be an acas well . " The woman den i es she is homofull packs on their backs and certain death cepted part of the military .
sexual, and has not been formally charged.
at the hands of the drill instructor (DI)
According to the Department of Defense, if they killed one of "his" sand fleas in
during the past three federal fiscal years, 100 deqree South Carolina heat, we 1vomen
90 women and 219 men have been dismissed
maneuvered throucih the high-ranking brass
Continued on page 8
for homosexuality. More than 40'% of those with our hair in. place, our make-up intridi scharged 1-1ere women, who represent only
cately applied and our manners at the ready
about 5% of the Corps' personnel.
while participatinq in the required afterDepartment of Defen-se figures also show noon tea .
·
that, during the same three year period,
662 cases of homosexual i ty among Marines
were investigated by the Naval Investigative Services and about a third of the in i
vestigations involved women .
BATCHELDER FOR CONGRESS
There is no clear reason for the disparThis Democrat will VOTE Democrat!
ity, and the matter has never been studied,
My Dream ror Dislrict 6 is...
said Corps spokeswoman Joanne Schilling in
More family-owned fanns and ranches. More jobs
with job security and the: hope of job-retraining. More
Washington . She denied that any special
family-owned homes and a fururc in which people
attention was being paid to lesbians.
expect to have jobs and own homes. More programs

Expressions

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From "A Newsletter" 5/88
Nashville \~omen ' s Al l iance

Elect
"Batch"

keeping drugs out of the country and prognms keeping

Batchelder
(To replace the incumbent "Democrat" Glenn English)

Tuesday, August 23

~~-~-.-..,.---.-,.-,

Democratic Primary

MILITARY SERVICE:
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL

Strong Farm Policy!
... And Leadership for ...

The other day I had a conversation with
a woman who was a high-ranking enlisted person in the Marine Corps . She was trying to
convince me that I shouldn't throw away 11
years worth of career and should go into the
inactive reserve. Inactive reservists are
the people who are called back to active
duty when the United States goes to war.
These are the people who have been out of

Opportunily 1nd Juslice ror ALL means rights,

Jobs • Education • Environment
Opportunity and Justice for ALL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
By Sondra L. Metzger

oppcwtun.ities and treatment before the law should not be

abridged on account of gender, race, religion, age,

Seeds of Prosperity in District 6
Economic Strength for the U.S.
A Sensible Plan to Reduce the
Trillion Dollar National Debt

· ~-

524-5492 for information or speakers. Donations to BATCHELDER
FOR CONGRESS may be sent to 1931 NE 69th St., OKC, OK 73111.

CaU

jobs in the country. More confidancc that our land,
water, and air will DOI be fouled with pollution, and tha1
polluters will pay for lhc dean-up. Moce opponunity
and justice in the worlc. place and e.conomic life for
women, people of color, AU. people. More faith that
the US presence and involvcmcms around the world
reflects the high values we believe in and helps lO brina:
relief to root causes of staniatioo and suffcrin& among
the world's poor, so thai our way of life will be the
model they will choose as their own. More failh that
our funue will be free or the fear of nuclear war which
would destroy everything wonh defending. More faith
that our government can and will uuly reflect the
imen:sts of average people, not just those of the wealthy
corporate donors to political campaigns. The US
govenunent is ours. It will reflect the standards we set
for it. Lee's set them high!

nation of origin, or gender orientation. We cannot
judge or disaiminatc against other human beings and
keep our own souls intact Let us join together in
District 6 for justice, jobs, and equal opportunity for
alL.ec.onomic justice for farmers, workers, women,
and people of color. ln unity there is slJ'Cngth.
Together we can have political clout thu will benefit all
Oklahomans.
If my campaign sounds like your campaign, jump
in and help me make a diffen:ncc in Oklahoma politics.
Wri1e or call for infonnation and a ~
Camgajgn Kjt. Send a donation as your can afford
10

BATOIEUJER FOR C'ONGRESS, 1931 NE

6911!, OKC, OK 7311 L

7 Paid for by Batchelder for Congress

Continued from page 7
When I was a yo ung corpora l not knowing
t here was a close t to be in l et alone be in
i t, I was ordered to be ·a part of the witch
hunts on the base at which I was stationed .
My feeling s about it at .the time were mainly fo cused on what a person 's sexua l preference had to do with the performance of
their military ob lig ations . Some of the
women were outstanding Mar ines with unblemished records and were very proud of their

Corps. It didn't seem like i t was anyone's
bu sines s who the women l oved or slept with
in their off-duty hours, especially the
Marine Corps ' . I reluctantly followed the
orders even though it seemed li ke an attack
on the very freedom the military is there
to protect.
Looking bac k, I feel like one of
Hitler's troopers . Although I did my best
to avoid participating in the witch hunts ,
l gave in to the system and did not speak
up for any of the Marines involved, nor did

I lend them any support . I wasn't sure
what to do ; I was very nai ve and very
afraid of the government .
I finally left the Marine Cor ps in January of this year. Now out of the closet,
I was tired of lying, tired of the sexist
treatment of women and tired of the homophobic attitude of the military in general.

•• 1pon11rs •••

IS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGING?

If yo u are pl anning to move, and you don't want
to miss any is sues of the HSR Newsletter, please let
us know your new address BEFORE you move . The Post
Office wil l NO T forward the Newsletter, and Herland
will NOT change your address without your authorization. Therefore , to insure receipt of the Newsletter fill out and ma il us this Change of Address form
BE FORE yo u move. The form may al so be used to add a
new name to the mailing list.

Loral

c. Reeves, c.P.A.

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 219
Oklahoma City, OK 7.3116

(405) 842-n20

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Old Address : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

848-6429

City :
State : - - - - - - Z i p : - - - - - - - - - -

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
LICENSED PROPEISIONAL COUNSELOR

Mew Address:
City :

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
ICIOI N PEN•YLVANIA. OKLAHOMA c1n. OIC 73' 12

State:------ Zip:---------Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 7311 2

- ·- - - - - - -

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KEMCO
PRINTING INC.

"C

Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

classi11d 1dvertising
160 1

s. Broadway. Unit D • E<lmond. Okla. 73013

FOR SALE - Lovely male Irish Setter needs responsible,
loving home. Excellen t companion. $50. 794-7464.
FOR SALE OR LEASE - Very nice 3 BR, lY, bath brick home
on one acre in Noble. $3 75 mo . 794-7 464 .

SHELLY ZAIKIS, MGA
Professional Handwriting Analyst

GOLDEN THREADS , a contact publication for lesbians over
50 and wome n who love older women . Canada and U.S .
Confidential, warm, reliable . For free informat ion
se nd self -addressed envelop ; (U . S. residents please
stamp it) . Sample copy mailed discreetly, $5. 00
(U. S. ). GOLDEN THREADS: P.O . Box 2416; Quincy , MA
02269.

> Job counselor
> Compatibility
> Classes offered year-round
(405) 946-6928
8



VOLUME 5, NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1988

Around the Corner
GAY COMMUNITY GEARS UP
FOR GAY PRIDE WEEK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Local gay organizations
are putting the final touches on their plan
for Gay Pride l·Jeek which runs from June 19
throuqh June 26.
The week's activities will beqin with
Oklahoma's first Gay Parade on S~nday, June
19th. Homen and men who would 1i ke to participate in the parade are asked to qather
at Memorial Park , located on N.W . 36ih
Street between Classen and Western, by 1 :30
p.m. Prior to the parade there will be entertainment at Memorial Park. According to
Darlene , acting Director of Oasis Community
Center, music will be provided by Peggy
Johnson and Randy Powell. The Parade will
begin at about 2:00 p.m. and will wind its
way from the park to the Block Party at
N.W . 39th and Barnes.
The Parade is to be lead by People With
Aids from the Winds House in Oklahoma City,
and will include representatives from various organization s from aro und the state,
like Herland Sister Resources, OU's Gay
and Lesbian Alliance, Oasis, and National
Organization for Women, amo ng others.
Speaking at the march festivities will
be Jeffrey Levi, Director of the National
Gay .and Lesbian Task F'orce in Washington .
NGLTF , the only national gay .rights organization in the country with a broad-based
program to achieve gay and le sbian freedom,
was founded in 1973 to advocate, educate,
and organize politically for the achievement of lesbian and gay civtl rights.
Also on hand to lend an air of festival
to the Parade will be the Dallas Gay Marching Band.
The traditional Block Party at parade's
end will hold an array of food and drink
for hungry and thirsty marchers. Also at
the Block Party, for those who have needed
a "book fix" , Herland will have its soonto-be-famous "Mobile Al bum and Book Booth"
(M . A.B.B . for short) set up for business .
A number of gay titles and lesbian magazines have been ordered especially for this
occasion, so plan to drop by M. A. B. B and do
some browsing.
Local bartender John Buettner won the
"Ri ghtfull y Proud in '88" logo contest for
Gay Pride festivities sponsored by Oasis.
His winning design was selected from over
25 entries to become the logo for this
year's celebration which will appear on
posters, t-shirts , and other memorabelia .
Gay Pride will continue beyond Sunday,
June 19th with a variety of activities dur ing the week which wi ll include an evening

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 NW 39th, OKC, OK 7311Z
cheek. This is a peaceful demonstrawith an attorney who will be at Oasis Community Center to answer your questions, an
tion, and it is up to ~to keep it
that way.
evening with PWA's who will give a talk and
answer qu es tions, and several movies to be
shown at the Oasis Community Center . These
- Dress comfortably, but not too commovies will include "Pink Triangle" and
fortably (if you know what I mean!) .
"Before Stonewall" and are sponsored by the
O.U. Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
_Carry a placard if you wish.
The Gay Pride Week celebration will cap
off with "Zoom Beach" on Sunday, June 26 at
_ Have FUN!
Lake Thunderbird. This is a fun gathering
with free ?eer, pop, and ho~ dogs . . Bring
If you have supportive family and frien c
your favorite game or spor~rng equipment
, ask them to show their support by marching
and p1an to spend the day in good company· with you on June 19th.
There are.few laws on a national level
As gays will be policing themselves (pa and fewer still on the state level to pro- . rade organizers will be wearing l avender
tect or acknowledge lesbian and gay r ight s.I T-shirts with armbands) and disorderly conOn June 19th Oklahoma gays will exercise
j' duct will mean removal from the paradie area
participants are asked to please, ~~~~ se ,
the right to peacefully gather in public.
It is hoped that all advocates of human
please cooperate . And, make this a pos'irights and civil rights will s;ome out and . tive, memorab le experience for everye;ne .
show their support by participating in the
For more information, call 525-2437.
1·
rally and march for gay rights .

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HSR NEWSLETTER:

RULES AND REQUESTS
FOR PARADE BEHAVIOR

Mi li tary Life as a Lesbian
- Gay Pride Activities

OKLAHOMA CITY - City permi ts for the
Gay Pride Pa rade have been sec ured and a
police escort has bee n obtained for the
march down N.W. 39th .
According to Darlene, acting Director
of the Oasis CoITTnunity Center, it is important that gays prese nt and project a
positive image to the community and the
people of Oklahoma. To achieve this objective a few rules have been laid down for
parade behavior . These include :
-

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- Bechtel Trial Comments
i/

OASIS CENTER HAS NEW DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA CITY - Due to "extenuating cir
cumstances" Jim Powell recently stepped
down as Director of the Oasis Community
No alcoholic bever~~ will be permit- Center, and Co-Director, Darlene Burgess
ted at Memoria.l Park or along the par- has assumed her role as acting Director of
ade route. If you must drink, please
that organization.
wait until after the parade is over.
In a telephone interview Ms. Burgess
said her goal is to unify Oklahoma City's
Please do not bring children to be in
gay community. The community is currentl y
the pa raife.-As-TCErioCknovm ho1-1
the public may respond to seeing chi l d- divided into a number of different facren in this parade, it is best to leave tions, and she believes this is due to a
lack of communication. "We want communithe kids at home, this time around .
cation" she said, "vie want to turn that
~o
bags over he ads . It has bee n learn lack of communication around .. We are going to be a community center , and !'111
ed that gat her1ngs of more than three
really excited about that." Ms . Burgess
(3) people with coverings over their
head and fac e a re i ll eS@._]_. If you wi sh went on to say, "Oasis wants participatior
not to be recognized, ye t still want to through the year here at the community
center. Let 's make it what its supposed
march it is suggested that you wear
to be."
grease paint or some other make-up to
Ms. Burgess en courages community supdisguise yourse lf. {We have the Ku
port and participation by asking for atKlux Klan to thank for this one!).
tendence at the ne xt Oas i s Board meeting
to held on June 1 at the Oasis , 2135 NW
If something is thrown at you during
39th. For further information call Oasis
the parade ( i e. by a heckler), do not
at 525-243.7 .
throw anything back. Turn the othe-Y:-

S.E.A.H.C. HOLDS CARNIVAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - Southeast Area Health
Center is holding a Carnival/Health Fair
on Saturday, June Z5, from 10:00 - 6:00.
There will be food and drink booths,
various health screening booths, games
and door prize drawings.
Proceedes from the event will be
used to help provide medical care to
low-income patients. Most of our
patients are women and young children,
said Executive Director Jean Kelsey.
We really need everybody to come out
and support the Center. If you want to
help with a booth, call Jean at 632-6688.

A N N0 U NC E S
ALL HERLAND COLLECTIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO YOU
NEXT MEETING:
CALL 794-7464 for time & place

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
a
OKLAHOMA CITY - Herland Camp Director,
Laura, reports "l'e have begun organizing
for the Fall Retreat. It will be held at
Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma on
September 16th through the 18th, and I hope
this will provide folks enough time to plan
ahead and oet a few days off to 'retreat'".
The Spring Retreat at Boiling Springs
State Park "proved exciting and fun-filled
for everyone involved" and helped Herland
to raise badly-needed funds; Laura said.
"The pancake breakfast served on Sunday by
Nancy and Mary was delicious and in conjuction with the stew provided by Terry,
raised an additional $50 for Herland." After expenses, the retreat raised approxi~
mately $1,200 for future programming, books
and tlews letter expenses . There wi 11 even
be some left to help with the new building
costs, but flerland is st il 1 hurting for
building funds. Herland extends a big
thank you to all those who participated in
the Spring Retreat weekend, helping Herland
to stay af loat while at the same time havin g fun doinq it'.
This Fall, Herl and 1·1il 1 be providing
meals throughout the retreat weekend except
for the Saturday night Pot Luc k dinner.
Our very o~m Mary and friends wi 11 be cooking vegetarian and non-ve~etarian meals for
a nominal price, and al 1 proceeds 1vi 11 again benefit Herland .
llerl and wi ll once again offer scho 1arsh i ps and 1vork exchanges . Pl ease contact
Laura at 672-4141 for information. Preregistration is $17-20, based on ability to
pay. On-site registration will be $25.
Herland prefers advance registrat ions so
activit ies and food arrangements may be better planned; however, Laura says she
doesn't mind collecting that extra $5 for
on-site registration!
Due to the number of four-legged children attending past retreats, Herland wil l
require all canine to be leashed and be restricted from the kitchen and main building
from the Fall Retreat foreward . Pets may
be t ied outside or in the cabin, or they
may remain in retreater's car (with windows
rol led down an appropriate distance for
venti lation, of course). Cooperation with
these new requests will .allow Herland retreaters to continue bringing their favorite four-footed friends to share in the
weekend of R & R.
To make each retreat better than the
previous retreat, the Camp Director asks
for your feedback . The registration in
this newsletter, when filled out and returned to Laura will help llerland to improve upon the last retreat. So, please
make plans soon, and return your completed
registration to Laura to secure your spot
at the best Herland Retreat ever!

a

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•

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
at
SEQUOYAH STATE PARK
near Wagoner
SEPTEMBER 16, 17, & 18
Ga-...~a.,...~a.....MUlt4..,
..~.,........,..n-...4n.,...~,.~....,.

HERLANO FALL RETREAT
FOR ll01£N
Pre-reg1strat1on is Sl7 - $20, based on your abflfty to pay. Upon receipt of your
check, a map to the campsite and 11st of suggested itel!IS to bring wfll be malled
to you. Deadline for pre-registration 1s September 9, 1988.

Number of Pets
(Pets must be k-ep"""t_o_n-.l"'"eash
and no pets in main bldg.)

Name(s ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Address

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Zip

Phone

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l would like a work exchange

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I would 11ke to lead a discussion group o n - - - - - - - - -

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Things I liked at other retreats were - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Things I disliked about other retreats were - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Suggested solutions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I would like to p r o v i d e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----------------- for the Retreat auction.
lla11 to :

2

Herland Sister Resources
S Laura, camp Di rector
4924 s. Kathy
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma 73135

examination". The jury had no opportunity
l. The refusa l of the t ria l co urt to penni 1
to question anyone. Any in consi stencies or Or. Lenore ~a l ker ( ari ex re rt on the batter ·
questions will al ways be unanswered in our e(_I 1•1oman ' s sy ndrome) t o t es ti -y as an exper1
NOTES FROMTHE JU RY BOX
mind s, ye t we managed to maintain composure. witn ess. to ass i st the tri er or fac t co ncern·
Th e i nvest ioation of the homicide was in inq the fact that Donn a Be c h t ~l was a batsummati on a "ca lamity" of errors. In the
tered woman, and expl ain how she carne to be
Th e Bechtel t r ial has drawn t o a cl ose ; trial the buck was handed to the two Amcare a battered woman, why she staye d with Ke nshe s now be en sent enced and we hav e al l
attendents who passed it back and forth.
net h Bechte l, and her state of min d at the
bequ n se rv in 9 our li fe sentences . qy th e
When it was determined they had no report
time th e acts occ urred which gi ve rise to
"\•1e" I mean Ms. flec htel and eac h of us
(reports t hat could bear witness to Ms.
·the se charges denie d Donn a Be chte l a fair
that sat in the jury box .
Bechtel's demeanor at the time) the buck
trial.
Al l week I ' ve heard various accounts
was handed to the Edmond Police Department . 2. The refus al of the tri al : ourt to inand opi ni ons of the trial. The cruc i al
The Edm.ond Pol ice Department juggled the struct the jury on the burden of proof con accounting of the trial is t he one I exper- buck and passed it from "on the scene" of- cerni nq se l f -defense denied t he accused a
ien ced. It is the one from the "v i ewpoin t" ficers to the Lieutenant who handed it to
fair tr i al .
of th at jury box. l·Je we re drafted and re- the detective in charge, eac h denyinq re3. T~ e trial court erred 1vhen it pi-ohibitmoved from the mainstream of our normal
s~onsibility
.
End re sult : No taped.inter- ed deren se coun se l from quest i oni n ~ jurors
li ves. \.le accepted the r espons i bility and .1 view (re.c order not working at time interabout th e burden of proof in se lf-defen se
gave the case our und i vided attention. Af - view was : rnAde ) and no report by detective
and denied nonna Bech tel a fair trial.
ter all, a woma11' s fate rested in our
in charge a .. ' Ut that interview . The te ch
4: Denial of th e r igh t to cross-examine
hands. Thi s was a ser i ous matter .
invest igator' s report was laced with incon- witnesses against her de nied Donna Bechtel
I be liev e everyone i s ent itl ed to a viq- s istencies. I'm reminded of the police
a fair trial.
01:ous defense and Garv in Issacs certainly. mott~ "to protect and to serve" . I might
5. Refusal of the trial court to permit
li ~ed u ~ to hi s reputat i on in that respect . ask who are they protecting and who are
Donna Bec htel to present evidence in ac1.i11le his behavior was not above reproach, they serv inq ?".
cordance 1•ith the Sixth Amendment to the
the rotten apple must be placed on the pro\•le were denied the right to hear certain United States Constitution denied her a
secution' s table.
1 testimony and see certain evidence. I wou fair trial . (Pol ·ice procedure s concern i no
I will forever remai n ap pall ed at the
wou ld suggest that it would be only "fair" crime scene, conversations with wi tnesse s .
anti cs and behavior I observed in that
to present all the evidence and let the
concerning Kenneth Bechtel).
co urtroom from that jury box. I wo uld ex- twelve of uSdecide what is pertinent and
6. The court repeatedly, during the six
pect unfalterino professional behavior from what i s not . After all, we were drafted to days Donna Bechtel was on the witness stand
t he Di strict At torn ey 's offi ce s ince many
give our opinions . An unbia sed opinion
t~stifying, sustained objections to quesof us ~old that office in a ligh t synonyba sed on bi ase d evidence would be incon sis - tions concerning threats and conversations
rnous wit h the la1~. .l\t the very l east, I
tent with a fair trial. A jury is not al- 7. The trail court on numerous oc2a~ i o ns ·
wo uld ex pect the two prosecutors to main- , lo~e d to speculate . We can only consider
co~men~ed on th ~ evidence in rul ing'Vupon
tain .composure and st ifle giggles while
evidence that has been admitted by the
ob.Jections and in admonitions to defense
testimony was being given. Their overall
court.
counsel an d thi s denied . the accused a fair
behavior would be more befi tt inq cf a
\~e stood armed with conflictinq testitrial.
school~1irls' slumber party than · a court of monies, and without the benefit of a credi- 8. Prosecutorial misconduct denied Oonna
law . Throughout the trial the pro sec utor s ble police report detailing what was said.
Bechtel a fair trial .
1
seemed to be afflicted with some "virus"
~e were given our in st ructions and handed
9. Statements to press before and during
causin!J uncontrollable eye ba ll rotation and the "bu ck ". He retired to the deliberation the trial concerning the case.
·
facial contortions that wo uld suggest each r?om. Th e "buc k" stopped with us, twelve
10
.
The
trial
court's
refusal
to
provide
of them had a mouthful of green parsimmon s. citizens. Based on the evidence that we
Donn~ Bechtel with a court reporter conAt times, it would cause them to poke each 1•ere given and the "letter of the l aw" we cerning all communications about this case
other and snicker.
1 arrived at our verd ict, and now we musi
which is required under 20 O.S . 106 .4 deI would expec~ in a "fair trial 11 the ac - serve it. From this juror's "viewpo int" ,
cused would be qiven the opportunity to re- we were among the few in vo l ve d in this case nied the accused due process and equal protection of the law .
l a ~e th~ir vers ion to us (the Jury) without that did their job .
·
, 11. The Tri al court erred in refu sinq to al·
beinq ridicul ed or int imida ted by gestures
low Donna Bechtel to testify as to threats
Glenda Gibbons
made by the prosecutors . I'm not sure how
made to her by Kenneth BecNtel on her life
Foreman, Bechtel Jury
much of this was vi sible to the audience
and the lives of her children.
but I do know from my chair it was, at '
12. The court erred in refusina to in st ruct
time s, so distracting I wo uld have to sit
the .iury that the burden of proof was on
with my left hand covering part of my face
the state to prove that Donna Bechtel did
to block them out and concentrate on the
not shoot her hu sband in self-defense.
testimony . being gi ve n. I wondered at times
The above information has been provided
how Ms. Bechtel could maintain her train of BECHTEL MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL by the Concerned Citizens for Justice; 1139
thought while giving her testimony. TestiM .\~. 57th Street; Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
mony on which her fate was hinged.
. I would suggest that professional behavior ~ e to ~isten, · an d then address any inThe followinn excer pts were taken from
consistencies or questions in the "crossthe Motion For ~ New Trial for Donna Bechtel

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Executive Dir·ector Position a V i:1il<tbk
Tulsa

Ha~cd

non profit <1gency

Responsible for fund raising, coordination o( All·.·Js· ~(.l L; Ch t.I on
_and HIV testinf~. _prograrn pla.nr1ing drHl irnph::rnent.at,inn,
and _general adrn1n1strative function~. . Ex.per i e:':nu~ w'iL i ; non
1
profI t a.gency and Bachelor's de\~r
"·~ 1-·.::·.-l
·.:~,.;__'
c. o.
"· "·
, '1 t ...·; 1· r·· o._c
... J .
.. . .rid
...
r 1<:; u r n e
and cover letter no latt~r than June 1:), 1988 Ln
Search Cornrn.it lee
P.O. Box 57.729
Tulsa, OK 74152-2729

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Around the Country

Kowalski is certain Sharon will receive her
mail , cards from the Holiday and Birthday
campaigns will be saved at committee headq ua rte rs.
To help defray Karen Thompson's high legal costs, con tributors may send donations
to Karen Thompson Legal Fund, to: Fund;
32495 County Road #l; St. Cloud, MN 56303.
For more information about the case or to
arrange to have Karen Thompson speak, write
Cheryl Vitow; 149 Stelton Rd.; Piscataway,
NJ 08854 or call 201-752-5302 .

NGLTF lobbyist Peri Jude Radecic. "l~e will
be seeking bipartisan and geographically
balan ce d support."
NGLTF strongly supports this bill and
its counterpart in the Hou se and has prepared a briefing packet that includes copies of the legislation, talking points on
why it is needed, organizational support
statements, sample letters to Senators and
sample letters of support to local newspapers.
Copies of the S 2000 Briefing Packet may
be ordered for a $1.00 postage fee from
NGLTF; 1517 U Street NW,; Washington, DC
20009.

JOPLIN, MO. - There are only 60 women
rabbis in the world. One would expect to
find these few women only in large cities
which have a large Jewish population, how- HOUSE MEMBER OPPOSES GAYS
ever such is not always. the case. OklahoIN HATE CRIMES BILL
ma's neighbor in what is commonly referred
to as the "Bible Belt", and therefore conGAYS ENDORSE JUNE 11th
sidered to be more than a tad backward,
DISARMAMENT MARCH
may be rightfully proud in their ability to
l·JASHINGTON , DC - Representative George
defer that noteriety.
Gekas (R-PA) leads the fight to remove
For we find one of those precious few
sexual orientation from the Hate Crimes
women rabbi~ in Lisa Stern who leads th~
Statistics Act (H.R . 3193). This Act
NEW YORK CITY - Persons concerned about
United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, Miss- would mandate the collection ~f statisthe earth and those who inhabit it are planouri. Congratulations, Joplin, for the
·tics on crimes that are motivated by pre- lning a day of nat~onal demonstrations cal~courage and forsight to move foreward.
judice based on race, religion, sexual or- ing for nuclear disarmament, and end to mil----ientation and ethnicity.
i itary intervention and a governmental comThe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lmitment to economic development and social
(NGLTF) is working to thwart attempts to
justice . The June 11th demonstrations will
remove sexual orientation from the legisla-fbe held simultaneously in San Francisco and
tion .
INew York City, and coincide with the . ,T.hird
Gekas has filed a minority report which j UN Special Sessi_on on Disarmament. n~~
KOWALSKI TO BE TESTED
asserts that "It is not a federal obliga- !Second UN Session on Disarmament in June of
tion to protect citizens in their sexual
! 1982, drew one million people to New York
orientation" . Despite a recent Department : City .
'
of Justice study which found gay people to
The NGLTF has endorsed the activities
be the most frequent victims of _hate viobecause "gay men and lesbians are not single
HIBBING, MN - St. Louis County Judge
Robert Campbell ruled recently that Sharon 1ence today, the ~ekas r~port disputes. the is sue peop 1e. we care deep 1y about issues
Kowalski should be formally tested for com- prevalance of_ anti-gay violence . D~sp1te 1like a sane nuclear policy and an end to
petency, and ordered that her new courtdocument~d evidence of hundi:-e?s of i~stance militarism," said Executive Director Jeffappointed attorney, Gary Pagliacetti, con- of organized hat~ group act~vit~ against
rey Levi. "We have seen first hand how
sult with Duluth-area physicians to select gay men and lesbians, the nnnority report
our government's focus on defense directly
a test site. Kowalski was severely injured asserts ~hat gay people are. n?t the targets i hurts funding for much-needed social proin an automobile accident in Movember 1983. O! organized hate group activity by groups /grams, such as fundinq to fight AIDS or to
Her lover, Karen Thompson, has been fight- like the Ku Klux Klan.
.
.
.
!develop a national health insurance policy'.'
ing Kowalski's anti-gay parents in court
~o prevent Gekas !rom s~cceeding in reInformation on gay/lesbian contingents
for almost four years for the right to see moving the ~exual or~en~atio~ clause from
to the marches and more logistical details
and participate in Kowalski's medical care. the Hate Crimes Stat1st1cs Act, and there- ' may be obtained from the SSD III N~tional
Judge Campbell's ruling means that Koby spreading his bigotry towa rd gays, the
coalition· 11 John Street UB03 · ~ew York
walski ~1ill be tested for the first time
NGLTF urges interested persons - to write to NY 10038: (202) 608-8155'.
'
'
since a court order appointed her father
their representatives today .
guardian three years ago -- an order that
required him to have her tested annually .
Pagliacetti told the court that he had
visited Kowalski four times , and he believes that she understands what others say
to her and that she can communicate effect- SENATE NEEDS SPONSORS FOR
WOMEN DON'T RATE
ively when she desires . He said he feels
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT
she could use a computer to improve her
AS NEWSWORTHY
communication, and move around in an electric wheelchair. Pagliacetti was appointed
by Judge Campbell to be Kowalski's attorney .
,
Women were a part of. only 6% of front
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Gay and
page stories in 1987, and fewer than 11.%
In response to requests from Thompson's
attorneys, Campbell ordered that no attor- Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has launched a of page one photographs included women ineys except Pagiiacetti be allowed to con- cosponsor drive to garner additional sup- Identified by name concluded a study of
tact Kowalski's evaluators until their re- · port for ·S 2000, the Se nate version of the four major newspapers including the New ·
Hate Crimes Sta ti stics Act (HR 3193). In- ! York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,
port is issued . No date has been set for
the testing . He requested that . all parties traduced by Se nators Alan Cranston (0-CA) ! and the Christian Science Monitor. And
and John Kerry (D-MA) on January 25, 1988, of the 11% in photos many were not there
submit to him recommendations for testing
the Se nate bill would require the Depart- i as newsmakers themselves, but as wives of
parameters. Campbell also requested that
both Thompson and the Kowalskis provide him ment of Justice to collect data on crimes !' newsworthy men, such as Nancy Reagan and
Mary Ellen Bork.
with statements detailing how their attor- motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity. j
Of the women pictured, it was noted
neys' fees are paid. When the testinq is
complete , all parties involved in the. liti- The bill is identical to the one currently . that a number of them received such acawaiting House floor action.
gation wil 1 receive a copy of the report_,
1 claim because of resignations or other
S 2000 currently has 4 cosponsors in ad- associated actions: Corazon Aquino leavand a hearing will be held to formally dedition to Senator Kerry and Cranston:
ing the palace after her Cabinet resigned,
fine Kowalski's competence .
Elizabeth Dole resigning as Secretary of
The judge is continuing to allow Donald Brock Adams (D-HA), Claiborne Pell(D-RI),
Paul Simon (D-IL), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI}. Transportation, Rep. Pat Schroeder announKowalski to decide what mail Sharon reThe House bill has 109 cosponsors.
cing her decision not to seek the Democeives, but has ordered that· Donald keep
"Gaining cosponsors is critical to the
cratic presidential nomination.
any mail Sharon has gotten and will get.
from Up and Coming, April 1988
Until the National Committee to Free Sharon successful passage of any bill," explained

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RETREATS
& CONFERENCES

Potpourri

LESBIAN AND GAY
EDUCAT ION CONFERENCE

WOMEN INVITED TO ATTEND DALLAS
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT

WOMEN COMPOSERS SOUGHT

BOSTON , MA - The Fund for Human Digni ty,
The United Federation of Metropolitan
the national lesbian and gay educational
Community Churches ( UFMCC) is sponsori nq a
organization , has announced plans for
)'/Diilen' S retreat over the 4th of July week"The Les bi an and Gay Education Conference :
The Denver Women's Chorus is seeking new end.
Initiatives Toward a National Education
This will be the first annual South
choral works for women by women composers .
The te xt shall make an affirmative stateCentral District UFMCC iiornen's Spirituality Agenda for Our Culturally Diverse Community" . The conference wi 11 be held on Sunment about or for women.
Retreat. The retreat, which will be held
If you compose music about or for women near IJallas, is open to all \~omen. For in- day , July 24, 1988 , at the Boston Park
you ma~ want to try your hand at this. The j formation on programming and other particu- Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston , Massachusetts.
prize ls $1,000 and the pren11ere perform- 1 lars, contact the Metropolitan Conmiunity
The Conference seeks to develop a netance . Deadlrne lS _August 31, 1988, and the ! Church here in Oklahoma City at 521-8352 or
1.work of individuals , projects and organinormnal entry fee ls $10.
I Loral at 495-4390 . .
j zations working to educate verious comFor rnore information contact the Denver I
munities on lesbian and gay issues.
lfomen's Chorus,; Choral Music Competition, i
1,
Issues to be addressed include: stratP.O. Box 26381 Denver, CO 80202 or call
I
egies for educating educators, youth, med( 303) 331-2543 .
I' WORLD FEMINISTS TO DEBATE COMMON CONCERNS
ia, legislators , librarians, religious inA Women's Studies Summer Institute to be ! stitutions, unions, corporations, health
i held July 4-29, 1988 at the Centre for Re- i care and social service agencies, police,
search and Education on Gender, University i and the legal community; educating about
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
of London , will bring together feminists
I racism, classism, sexism, ageism and dis1 from all over the world to meet and debate
abi ~ i ty issues in. the gay corrnnun_i ty;. eduREQUESTED
!
issues of common concern.
catrng about lesbian and gay i ss,uij's 111 the
OTHER LESBIANS WANT TO KNOW ...
I
Among the topics td be discussed and
., Black , Latino , Asian, and Native. ' IJ\mer~ican
communities; incorporating positive gay
For an anthology we are collecting accounts d~bated are women and migration, women's
diaries, women and crime, and reproductive
images into school curricula and AIDS eduof love between women over sixty, by women
and genetic engineering.
, cation ; legal obstacles to gay and lesbian
over sixty for their · unique perspectives on
Further information may be obtained from 1 education, and the politics of teaching
our loving lives. We are interested in readGREG, Institute of Education; Bedford Way; ! sexuality .
ing your material. Please, send poems, short
prose pieces, letters, diary entries, songs ,
London, WClH DAL, England .
!
For more information, contact: The
photographs and drawings (photocopies, please) I
Lesbian and Gay Education Conference, Fund
Include S.A.S.E. Our deadline has been exfor Human Dignity; 666 Broadway , Suite
tended to Ha1\ owe en , 1988 - Crones Day! Send
410; New York, NY 10012, or call 212-529LESBOS TO HOST WOMEN'S STUDIES INSTITUTE
material to OLD LOVERS; c/o WomanSpirit; 2000
1600.
King Mountain Trail; Sunny Valley, OR 97497 .
The Fund for Hurn an Dignity is the only
i Greece will be the location for an Innational organization solely dedicated to
1 ternational Women's Studies Institute from
, fighting anti-gay bigotry through educa1 June 27 to July 20 , 1988, based on the Is1 tion . It operates the only national
i land of Lesbos .
i clearinghouse of educational materials on
I
The program of study will include wo1
1 lesbian and gay i ssues, ;,1nd the only naj men's spirituality, poetry workshops, and
speakers on social and political issues for tional toll-free hotline serving the lesSMOK ING COSTS MORE THAN $$$$ women
in modern Greece as well as trips to 1 bian and gay community .
Athens and Izmir, Turkey .
i
Contact International Women's Studies
Did you k~ow? Surpassing breast cancer, Institute,; 1230 Grant Avenue , Box 601;
lung cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer
San Francisco, CA 94133 , for further indeaths among women in all industrialized
formation .
countries , including the Unlted States .
Smoking-related diseases ki 11 ed over
=========·
315 , 000 Americans in 1984 - more than the
number of American lives lost in all the
_YES
! I want to be a Friend of He rl and •
. HER LAND IS •••
wars this country has fought in the 20th
My minimum donat i on of $12 allows n~ use of
century.
the Herland Library and a 10% di scount on
A non-profit corporation composed of a
store purchases over the next 12 months .
Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
collective .of wlnmrin - open to al'ly won1yn who
are now among the top ten causes of death
wants to be a part of it - whicllWorks to
_$12
_$_ _
for American won~n over the age of 35.
maintain a feminist library and bookstore,
YES! I want to help Herl and with a
While more and more women die of lung
sponsors workshops, retreats, concerts and
CJOilation to t he New Bui lding Fund.
cancer, tobacco companies reep profits.
other events for YOU . Herl and ' s reason for
In 1983, R. J . Reynolds, the largest tobacbeing is to provide a frame~1ork for a variety
_$20
_$15
_$25
co company employing 117,000 people, posted of projects for the support and enjoyment of
the area wimmin's co11Ununity. It is a place
sales of over $13 billion.
_$ _ _
_$50
_$100
to learn and grow, to meet other \•limmin , deJust think about it.
velop lasting friendships, receive support
I would like to volunteer to work at
and nurture the positive self-image that sothe Bookstore .
cietal attitudes sometimes make illusive to
us . Herland exists to serve YOU.
I 1~ould l ike to volunteer my skills to
Your donations are used to pay the rent
help renovate Herla nd's new home .
and
utilities
on
the
Bookstore
building,
and
HERLAND SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS
printing and postage for the monthly HSR
Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards .
OKC - Jn preparation for the future, the
With the exception of the Library , all of
number of Board positions has been increased
Herland ' s services are free, including the
from 15 to 17. Due to this increase Herland
Newsletter . This is why your donation is
Zip:
City : - - - - - - - S t :
has Board vacancies to fill with women ·who
so important: It is Herland's lifeblood .
are interested in the organization and proTelephone Number : (
gression of 0Klahoma's women's community.
Anyone wanting to get involved with women's
Mail to : Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
collective future is encouraged to attend the
2312 NW 39th
next Herland Board meeting.
Oklahoma City , OK 73112

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OOPS

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Layout and paste-up of the Newsletter is rather cutting (layout is composed of a
myriad of little pieces of paper) and sticky (which are glued onto a paper grid
sheet) business. If layout artist and printer are not extra careful with the final
layout sheets it is possible for one (or more) of the little pieces of paper to
become displaced from its proper location and migrate to an improper location, thus
screwing up not one but two articles . Unfortunately, a sample of such a mechanical
blooper may be found in this issue of HSR Newsletter.
The last half of the last paragraph of Sondra Metzger's article ending on page 8 came
dislodged and ended up upside down on the title for the first article on page 5, thus
reducing the journalistic impact and intent of both articles.
To correct this rather embarrassing flaw, readers get the unique opportunity to learn
how the newsletter is composed prior to press time. How wonderfully educational!!
All you have to do is cut out the block of words below marked #1 and paste it at the
end of the third column (after the word "general") at the top of page 8. Next, cut
out the words labeled #2, and glue it to page 5, right under the banner "Around the
Country".
·
Abracadabra, you now have a complete, unadulterated version of the June issue of
HSR Newsletter, as it was originally intended to appear.

#1

To go back now would be a slap in the face
of the coITTTiunity, my community . I didn't
tell that to the high-ranking enlisted woman . Maybe I should have, but is it any of
her busir,ess?

#2

JOPLIN SEES THE FUTURE

the mainstream of military life and have
The only "equal" traininq we received
forgotten most of what they were trained
was in the classroom where we all had to
to do, or what they were taught has changed learn military customs and courte si es,
first aid, military law and close order
over the ye ars .
"All yo u would have to do," she said ,
drill . Our Dis were not so evenl y matched.
The female Dis were obviously the more in"is come to an annual screening once a
year. You 1-1ouldn't have to go to drill or telligent of the two since they made ordinsummer camp at all." Right , Lady . All I'd ary women into Marines in 8 1veeks . For
some reason it took 12 weeks to train the
to do is show up with seabag in hand
1have
SERVICE EXPRESSES ITSELF
for the first flight to Nicaragua, the Per- men.
sian Gulf or some base in the U.S. when the
Women are nmv allowed to be mechanics a
government decides it's time to involve its and work on trucks, tanks, helicopters and
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Charges have been
military in someone else's fight .
radios. Women recruits nmv go out on their
filed against several former drill instructDon't get me wrong . I have nothing aown maneuvers, crawling in sand and mud wi
1
ors and at least one officer as a result of gainst defending my country. If I did, I
with packs on their backs . They must now
on-going. investiqations of lesbianism in
wouldn ' t have joined the Marine Corps in
qualify with an M-16 rifle in order to gradthe Marine Corps.
the first pl ace. I felt a sense of duty
uate from boot camp. \fo111en undergoing ofVarious counts including committing inde- and pride in 1973 when I enlisted, and to
ficer training are taught the same classes
cent acts have been lodged against five wo- this day I still feel proud of those 11
as the men. All this even though wo1ren are
man Marines . Two other women, due to go be- years, 8 mon ths, and 3 days. In 1973, I
still not allowed to go into combat and are
fore administrative hearing boards, are
also felt n.e need for a secure job.
not allowed to hold cambat-related jobs.
When I enlisted, service women were do- This makes me wonder what they thought the
seeking discharges.
Parris Island is the only base providing ing the usual "women" things. We were the women Marines were doinq 1vho served in Viet·
basic training for the over 10,000 viomen rn secretaries and office clerks holding down name where there were no formal front or
the Marine Corps .
the fort while the men ·went out in the
rear 1i nes. They served with no combat
At least ten women are currently under
field to fire vieapons with, blank ammunition training whatsoever.
investigation and, according to a Marine
at an invisible enemy. In boot camp, while
There is another area where the men and
who said she is a target, the probe by the the men were crawling through underbrush,
women are treated alike. It is still aNaval Investigative Service is likely to
digging foxholes, learning hand-to-hand
gainst military la1v for homosexuals to
combat (from an instructor; unlike the wo~ serve their country . A short time ago a
expand .
The woman, who asked not to be identimen who learned it while on dates) and
soldier took his case to federal court
fied, leaked word of the investigation in
learning how to fire an M-16, we women were where the judge reversed the decision to
letters to several nevis organizations betaught the proper way to apply our make-up, discharge him. The judge said the decision
cause "Every base I've been on has had one wear our hair and eat in the presence of a would apply to all branches of the ,armed
of these so-called witch hunts . One of the commanding general. Appearance in uniform forces.
.
'< . .
reasons I went to the· press is to show
was everything.
Anyone reading that who was in tn~ miJithere's an injustice being done. If they're
While the men's maneuvers consisted of
tary knows how long that is going to last.
going to conduct these investigations they crawling through mud, under barbed wire,
The Army has probably appealed the ruling
need to do it on the male side of the house over wa l ls and through miles of sand wi th
already. Homosexuals will never be an acas well . " The woman den i es she is homofull packs on their backs and certain death cepted part of the military .
sexual, and has not been formally charged.
at the hands of the drill instructor (DI)
According to the Department of Defense, if they killed one of "his" sand fleas in
during the past three federal fiscal years, 100 deqree South Carolina heat, we 1vomen
90 women and 219 men have been dismissed
maneuvered throucih the high-ranking brass
Continued on page 8
for homosexuality. More than 40'% of those with our hair in. place, our make-up intridi scharged 1-1ere women, who represent only
cately applied and our manners at the ready
about 5% of the Corps' personnel.
while participatinq in the required afterDepartment of Defen-se figures also show noon tea .
·
that, during the same three year period,
662 cases of homosexual i ty among Marines
were investigated by the Naval Investigative Services and about a third of the in i
vestigations involved women .
BATCHELDER FOR CONGRESS
There is no clear reason for the disparThis Democrat will VOTE Democrat!
ity, and the matter has never been studied,
My Dream ror Dislrict 6 is...
said Corps spokeswoman Joanne Schilling in
More family-owned fanns and ranches. More jobs
with job security and the: hope of job-retraining. More
Washington . She denied that any special
family-owned homes and a fururc in which people
attention was being paid to lesbians.
expect to have jobs and own homes. More programs

Expressions

!

!

t

From "A Newsletter" 5/88
Nashville \~omen ' s Al l iance

Elect
"Batch"

keeping drugs out of the country and prognms keeping

Batchelder
(To replace the incumbent "Democrat" Glenn English)

Tuesday, August 23

~~-~-.-..,.---.-,.-,

Democratic Primary

MILITARY SERVICE:
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL

Strong Farm Policy!
... And Leadership for ...

The other day I had a conversation with
a woman who was a high-ranking enlisted person in the Marine Corps . She was trying to
convince me that I shouldn't throw away 11
years worth of career and should go into the
inactive reserve. Inactive reservists are
the people who are called back to active
duty when the United States goes to war.
These are the people who have been out of

Opportunily 1nd Juslice ror ALL means rights,

Jobs • Education • Environment
Opportunity and Justice for ALL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
By Sondra L. Metzger

oppcwtun.ities and treatment before the law should not be

abridged on account of gender, race, religion, age,

Seeds of Prosperity in District 6
Economic Strength for the U.S.
A Sensible Plan to Reduce the
Trillion Dollar National Debt

· ~-

524-5492 for information or speakers. Donations to BATCHELDER
FOR CONGRESS may be sent to 1931 NE 69th St., OKC, OK 73111.

CaU

jobs in the country. More confidancc that our land,
water, and air will DOI be fouled with pollution, and tha1
polluters will pay for lhc dean-up. Moce opponunity
and justice in the worlc. place and e.conomic life for
women, people of color, AU. people. More faith that
the US presence and involvcmcms around the world
reflects the high values we believe in and helps lO brina:
relief to root causes of staniatioo and suffcrin& among
the world's poor, so thai our way of life will be the
model they will choose as their own. More failh that
our funue will be free or the fear of nuclear war which
would destroy everything wonh defending. More faith
that our government can and will uuly reflect the
imen:sts of average people, not just those of the wealthy
corporate donors to political campaigns. The US
govenunent is ours. It will reflect the standards we set
for it. Lee's set them high!

nation of origin, or gender orientation. We cannot
judge or disaiminatc against other human beings and
keep our own souls intact Let us join together in
District 6 for justice, jobs, and equal opportunity for
alL.ec.onomic justice for farmers, workers, women,
and people of color. ln unity there is slJ'Cngth.
Together we can have political clout thu will benefit all
Oklahomans.
If my campaign sounds like your campaign, jump
in and help me make a diffen:ncc in Oklahoma politics.
Wri1e or call for infonnation and a ~
Camgajgn Kjt. Send a donation as your can afford
10

BATOIEUJER FOR C'ONGRESS, 1931 NE

6911!, OKC, OK 7311 L

7 Paid for by Batchelder for Congress

Continued from page 7
When I was a yo ung corpora l not knowing
t here was a close t to be in l et alone be in
i t, I was ordered to be ·a part of the witch
hunts on the base at which I was stationed .
My feeling s about it at .the time were mainly fo cused on what a person 's sexua l preference had to do with the performance of
their military ob lig ations . Some of the
women were outstanding Mar ines with unblemished records and were very proud of their

Corps. It didn't seem like i t was anyone's
bu sines s who the women l oved or slept with
in their off-duty hours, especially the
Marine Corps ' . I reluctantly followed the
orders even though it seemed li ke an attack
on the very freedom the military is there
to protect.
Looking bac k, I feel like one of
Hitler's troopers . Although I did my best
to avoid participating in the witch hunts ,
l gave in to the system and did not speak
up for any of the Marines involved, nor did

I lend them any support . I wasn't sure
what to do ; I was very nai ve and very
afraid of the government .
I finally left the Marine Cor ps in January of this year. Now out of the closet,
I was tired of lying, tired of the sexist
treatment of women and tired of the homophobic attitude of the military in general.

•• 1pon11rs •••

IS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGING?

If yo u are pl anning to move, and you don't want
to miss any is sues of the HSR Newsletter, please let
us know your new address BEFORE you move . The Post
Office wil l NO T forward the Newsletter, and Herland
will NOT change your address without your authorization. Therefore , to insure receipt of the Newsletter fill out and ma il us this Change of Address form
BE FORE yo u move. The form may al so be used to add a
new name to the mailing list.

Loral

c. Reeves, c.P.A.

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 219
Oklahoma City, OK 7.3116

(405) 842-n20

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Old Address : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

848-6429

City :
State : - - - - - - Z i p : - - - - - - - - - -

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
LICENSED PROPEISIONAL COUNSELOR

Mew Address:
City :

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
ICIOI N PEN•YLVANIA. OKLAHOMA c1n. OIC 73' 12

State:------ Zip:---------Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 7311 2

- ·- - - - - - -

--."..'
en
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•

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-

KEMCO
PRINTING INC.

"C

Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

classi11d 1dvertising
160 1

s. Broadway. Unit D • E<lmond. Okla. 73013

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loving home. Excellen t companion. $50. 794-7464.
FOR SALE OR LEASE - Very nice 3 BR, lY, bath brick home
on one acre in Noble. $3 75 mo . 794-7 464 .

SHELLY ZAIKIS, MGA
Professional Handwriting Analyst

GOLDEN THREADS , a contact publication for lesbians over
50 and wome n who love older women . Canada and U.S .
Confidential, warm, reliable . For free informat ion
se nd self -addressed envelop ; (U . S. residents please
stamp it) . Sample copy mailed discreetly, $5. 00
(U. S. ). GOLDEN THREADS: P.O . Box 2416; Quincy , MA
02269.

> Job counselor
> Compatibility
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(405) 946-6928
8



VOLUME 5, NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1988

Around the Corner
GAY COMMUNITY GEARS UP
FOR GAY PRIDE WEEK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Local gay organizations
are putting the final touches on their plan
for Gay Pride l·Jeek which runs from June 19
throuqh June 26.
The week's activities will beqin with
Oklahoma's first Gay Parade on S~nday, June
19th. Homen and men who would 1i ke to participate in the parade are asked to qather
at Memorial Park , located on N.W . 36ih
Street between Classen and Western, by 1 :30
p.m. Prior to the parade there will be entertainment at Memorial Park. According to
Darlene , acting Director of Oasis Community
Center, music will be provided by Peggy
Johnson and Randy Powell. The Parade will
begin at about 2:00 p.m. and will wind its
way from the park to the Block Party at
N.W . 39th and Barnes.
The Parade is to be lead by People With
Aids from the Winds House in Oklahoma City,
and will include representatives from various organization s from aro und the state,
like Herland Sister Resources, OU's Gay
and Lesbian Alliance, Oasis, and National
Organization for Women, amo ng others.
Speaking at the march festivities will
be Jeffrey Levi, Director of the National
Gay .and Lesbian Task F'orce in Washington .
NGLTF , the only national gay .rights organization in the country with a broad-based
program to achieve gay and le sbian freedom,
was founded in 1973 to advocate, educate,
and organize politically for the achievement of lesbian and gay civtl rights.
Also on hand to lend an air of festival
to the Parade will be the Dallas Gay Marching Band.
The traditional Block Party at parade's
end will hold an array of food and drink
for hungry and thirsty marchers. Also at
the Block Party, for those who have needed
a "book fix" , Herland will have its soonto-be-famous "Mobile Al bum and Book Booth"
(M . A.B.B . for short) set up for business .
A number of gay titles and lesbian magazines have been ordered especially for this
occasion, so plan to drop by M. A. B. B and do
some browsing.
Local bartender John Buettner won the
"Ri ghtfull y Proud in '88" logo contest for
Gay Pride festivities sponsored by Oasis.
His winning design was selected from over
25 entries to become the logo for this
year's celebration which will appear on
posters, t-shirts , and other memorabelia .
Gay Pride will continue beyond Sunday,
June 19th with a variety of activities dur ing the week which wi ll include an evening

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 NW 39th, OKC, OK 7311Z
cheek. This is a peaceful demonstrawith an attorney who will be at Oasis Community Center to answer your questions, an
tion, and it is up to ~to keep it
that way.
evening with PWA's who will give a talk and
answer qu es tions, and several movies to be
shown at the Oasis Community Center . These
- Dress comfortably, but not too commovies will include "Pink Triangle" and
fortably (if you know what I mean!) .
"Before Stonewall" and are sponsored by the
O.U. Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
_Carry a placard if you wish.
The Gay Pride Week celebration will cap
off with "Zoom Beach" on Sunday, June 26 at
_ Have FUN!
Lake Thunderbird. This is a fun gathering
with free ?eer, pop, and ho~ dogs . . Bring
If you have supportive family and frien c
your favorite game or spor~rng equipment
, ask them to show their support by marching
and p1an to spend the day in good company· with you on June 19th.
There are.few laws on a national level
As gays will be policing themselves (pa and fewer still on the state level to pro- . rade organizers will be wearing l avender
tect or acknowledge lesbian and gay r ight s.I T-shirts with armbands) and disorderly conOn June 19th Oklahoma gays will exercise
j' duct will mean removal from the paradie area
participants are asked to please, ~~~~ se ,
the right to peacefully gather in public.
It is hoped that all advocates of human
please cooperate . And, make this a pos'irights and civil rights will s;ome out and . tive, memorab le experience for everye;ne .
show their support by participating in the
For more information, call 525-2437.
1·
rally and march for gay rights .

I
I
I

I
I

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HSR NEWSLETTER:

RULES AND REQUESTS
FOR PARADE BEHAVIOR

Mi li tary Life as a Lesbian
- Gay Pride Activities

OKLAHOMA CITY - City permi ts for the
Gay Pride Pa rade have been sec ured and a
police escort has bee n obtained for the
march down N.W. 39th .
According to Darlene, acting Director
of the Oasis CoITTnunity Center, it is important that gays prese nt and project a
positive image to the community and the
people of Oklahoma. To achieve this objective a few rules have been laid down for
parade behavior . These include :
-

-

-

-

- Bechtel Trial Comments
i/

OASIS CENTER HAS NEW DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA CITY - Due to "extenuating cir
cumstances" Jim Powell recently stepped
down as Director of the Oasis Community
No alcoholic bever~~ will be permit- Center, and Co-Director, Darlene Burgess
ted at Memoria.l Park or along the par- has assumed her role as acting Director of
ade route. If you must drink, please
that organization.
wait until after the parade is over.
In a telephone interview Ms. Burgess
said her goal is to unify Oklahoma City's
Please do not bring children to be in
gay community. The community is currentl y
the pa raife.-As-TCErioCknovm ho1-1
the public may respond to seeing chi l d- divided into a number of different facren in this parade, it is best to leave tions, and she believes this is due to a
lack of communication. "We want communithe kids at home, this time around .
cation" she said, "vie want to turn that
~o
bags over he ads . It has bee n learn lack of communication around .. We are going to be a community center , and !'111
ed that gat her1ngs of more than three
really excited about that." Ms . Burgess
(3) people with coverings over their
head and fac e a re i ll eS@._]_. If you wi sh went on to say, "Oasis wants participatior
not to be recognized, ye t still want to through the year here at the community
center. Let 's make it what its supposed
march it is suggested that you wear
to be."
grease paint or some other make-up to
Ms. Burgess en courages community supdisguise yourse lf. {We have the Ku
port and participation by asking for atKlux Klan to thank for this one!).
tendence at the ne xt Oas i s Board meeting
to held on June 1 at the Oasis , 2135 NW
If something is thrown at you during
39th. For further information call Oasis
the parade ( i e. by a heckler), do not
at 525-243.7 .
throw anything back. Turn the othe-Y:-

S.E.A.H.C. HOLDS CARNIVAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - Southeast Area Health
Center is holding a Carnival/Health Fair
on Saturday, June Z5, from 10:00 - 6:00.
There will be food and drink booths,
various health screening booths, games
and door prize drawings.
Proceedes from the event will be
used to help provide medical care to
low-income patients. Most of our
patients are women and young children,
said Executive Director Jean Kelsey.
We really need everybody to come out
and support the Center. If you want to
help with a booth, call Jean at 632-6688.

A N N0 U NC E S
ALL HERLAND COLLECTIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO YOU
NEXT MEETING:
CALL 794-7464 for time & place

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
a
OKLAHOMA CITY - Herland Camp Director,
Laura, reports "l'e have begun organizing
for the Fall Retreat. It will be held at
Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma on
September 16th through the 18th, and I hope
this will provide folks enough time to plan
ahead and oet a few days off to 'retreat'".
The Spring Retreat at Boiling Springs
State Park "proved exciting and fun-filled
for everyone involved" and helped Herland
to raise badly-needed funds; Laura said.
"The pancake breakfast served on Sunday by
Nancy and Mary was delicious and in conjuction with the stew provided by Terry,
raised an additional $50 for Herland." After expenses, the retreat raised approxi~
mately $1,200 for future programming, books
and tlews letter expenses . There wi 11 even
be some left to help with the new building
costs, but flerland is st il 1 hurting for
building funds. Herland extends a big
thank you to all those who participated in
the Spring Retreat weekend, helping Herland
to stay af loat while at the same time havin g fun doinq it'.
This Fall, Herl and 1·1il 1 be providing
meals throughout the retreat weekend except
for the Saturday night Pot Luc k dinner.
Our very o~m Mary and friends wi 11 be cooking vegetarian and non-ve~etarian meals for
a nominal price, and al 1 proceeds 1vi 11 again benefit Herland .
llerl and wi ll once again offer scho 1arsh i ps and 1vork exchanges . Pl ease contact
Laura at 672-4141 for information. Preregistration is $17-20, based on ability to
pay. On-site registration will be $25.
Herland prefers advance registrat ions so
activit ies and food arrangements may be better planned; however, Laura says she
doesn't mind collecting that extra $5 for
on-site registration!
Due to the number of four-legged children attending past retreats, Herland wil l
require all canine to be leashed and be restricted from the kitchen and main building
from the Fall Retreat foreward . Pets may
be t ied outside or in the cabin, or they
may remain in retreater's car (with windows
rol led down an appropriate distance for
venti lation, of course). Cooperation with
these new requests will .allow Herland retreaters to continue bringing their favorite four-footed friends to share in the
weekend of R & R.
To make each retreat better than the
previous retreat, the Camp Director asks
for your feedback . The registration in
this newsletter, when filled out and returned to Laura will help llerland to improve upon the last retreat. So, please
make plans soon, and return your completed
registration to Laura to secure your spot
at the best Herland Retreat ever!

a

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HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
at
SEQUOYAH STATE PARK
near Wagoner
SEPTEMBER 16, 17, & 18
Ga-...~a.,...~a.....MUlt4..,
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HERLANO FALL RETREAT
FOR ll01£N
Pre-reg1strat1on is Sl7 - $20, based on your abflfty to pay. Upon receipt of your
check, a map to the campsite and 11st of suggested itel!IS to bring wfll be malled
to you. Deadline for pre-registration 1s September 9, 1988.

Number of Pets
(Pets must be k-ep"""t_o_n-.l"'"eash
and no pets in main bldg.)

Name(s ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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----------------- for the Retreat auction.
lla11 to :

2

Herland Sister Resources
S Laura, camp Di rector
4924 s. Kathy
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma 73135

examination". The jury had no opportunity
l. The refusa l of the t ria l co urt to penni 1
to question anyone. Any in consi stencies or Or. Lenore ~a l ker ( ari ex re rt on the batter ·
questions will al ways be unanswered in our e(_I 1•1oman ' s sy ndrome) t o t es ti -y as an exper1
NOTES FROMTHE JU RY BOX
mind s, ye t we managed to maintain composure. witn ess. to ass i st the tri er or fac t co ncern·
Th e i nvest ioation of the homicide was in inq the fact that Donn a Be c h t ~l was a batsummati on a "ca lamity" of errors. In the
tered woman, and expl ain how she carne to be
Th e Bechtel t r ial has drawn t o a cl ose ; trial the buck was handed to the two Amcare a battered woman, why she staye d with Ke nshe s now be en sent enced and we hav e al l
attendents who passed it back and forth.
net h Bechte l, and her state of min d at the
bequ n se rv in 9 our li fe sentences . qy th e
When it was determined they had no report
time th e acts occ urred which gi ve rise to
"\•1e" I mean Ms. flec htel and eac h of us
(reports t hat could bear witness to Ms.
·the se charges denie d Donn a Be chte l a fair
that sat in the jury box .
Bechtel's demeanor at the time) the buck
trial.
Al l week I ' ve heard various accounts
was handed to the Edmond Police Department . 2. The refus al of the tri al : ourt to inand opi ni ons of the trial. The cruc i al
The Edm.ond Pol ice Department juggled the struct the jury on the burden of proof con accounting of the trial is t he one I exper- buck and passed it from "on the scene" of- cerni nq se l f -defense denied t he accused a
ien ced. It is the one from the "v i ewpoin t" ficers to the Lieutenant who handed it to
fair tr i al .
of th at jury box. l·Je we re drafted and re- the detective in charge, eac h denyinq re3. T~ e trial court erred 1vhen it pi-ohibitmoved from the mainstream of our normal
s~onsibility
.
End re sult : No taped.inter- ed deren se coun se l from quest i oni n ~ jurors
li ves. \.le accepted the r espons i bility and .1 view (re.c order not working at time interabout th e burden of proof in se lf-defen se
gave the case our und i vided attention. Af - view was : rnAde ) and no report by detective
and denied nonna Bech tel a fair trial.
ter all, a woma11' s fate rested in our
in charge a .. ' Ut that interview . The te ch
4: Denial of th e r igh t to cross-examine
hands. Thi s was a ser i ous matter .
invest igator' s report was laced with incon- witnesses against her de nied Donna Bechtel
I be liev e everyone i s ent itl ed to a viq- s istencies. I'm reminded of the police
a fair trial.
01:ous defense and Garv in Issacs certainly. mott~ "to protect and to serve" . I might
5. Refusal of the trial court to permit
li ~ed u ~ to hi s reputat i on in that respect . ask who are they protecting and who are
Donna Bec htel to present evidence in ac1.i11le his behavior was not above reproach, they serv inq ?".
cordance 1•ith the Sixth Amendment to the
the rotten apple must be placed on the pro\•le were denied the right to hear certain United States Constitution denied her a
secution' s table.
1 testimony and see certain evidence. I wou fair trial . (Pol ·ice procedure s concern i no
I will forever remai n ap pall ed at the
wou ld suggest that it would be only "fair" crime scene, conversations with wi tnesse s .
anti cs and behavior I observed in that
to present all the evidence and let the
concerning Kenneth Bechtel).
co urtroom from that jury box. I wo uld ex- twelve of uSdecide what is pertinent and
6. The court repeatedly, during the six
pect unfalterino professional behavior from what i s not . After all, we were drafted to days Donna Bechtel was on the witness stand
t he Di strict At torn ey 's offi ce s ince many
give our opinions . An unbia sed opinion
t~stifying, sustained objections to quesof us ~old that office in a ligh t synonyba sed on bi ase d evidence would be incon sis - tions concerning threats and conversations
rnous wit h the la1~. .l\t the very l east, I
tent with a fair trial. A jury is not al- 7. The trail court on numerous oc2a~ i o ns ·
wo uld ex pect the two prosecutors to main- , lo~e d to speculate . We can only consider
co~men~ed on th ~ evidence in rul ing'Vupon
tain .composure and st ifle giggles while
evidence that has been admitted by the
ob.Jections and in admonitions to defense
testimony was being given. Their overall
court.
counsel an d thi s denied . the accused a fair
behavior would be more befi tt inq cf a
\~e stood armed with conflictinq testitrial.
school~1irls' slumber party than · a court of monies, and without the benefit of a credi- 8. Prosecutorial misconduct denied Oonna
law . Throughout the trial the pro sec utor s ble police report detailing what was said.
Bechtel a fair trial .
1
seemed to be afflicted with some "virus"
~e were given our in st ructions and handed
9. Statements to press before and during
causin!J uncontrollable eye ba ll rotation and the "bu ck ". He retired to the deliberation the trial concerning the case.
·
facial contortions that wo uld suggest each r?om. Th e "buc k" stopped with us, twelve
10
.
The
trial
court's
refusal
to
provide
of them had a mouthful of green parsimmon s. citizens. Based on the evidence that we
Donn~ Bechtel with a court reporter conAt times, it would cause them to poke each 1•ere given and the "letter of the l aw" we cerning all communications about this case
other and snicker.
1 arrived at our verd ict, and now we musi
which is required under 20 O.S . 106 .4 deI would expec~ in a "fair trial 11 the ac - serve it. From this juror's "viewpo int" ,
cused would be qiven the opportunity to re- we were among the few in vo l ve d in this case nied the accused due process and equal protection of the law .
l a ~e th~ir vers ion to us (the Jury) without that did their job .
·
, 11. The Tri al court erred in refu sinq to al·
beinq ridicul ed or int imida ted by gestures
low Donna Bechtel to testify as to threats
Glenda Gibbons
made by the prosecutors . I'm not sure how
made to her by Kenneth BecNtel on her life
Foreman, Bechtel Jury
much of this was vi sible to the audience
and the lives of her children.
but I do know from my chair it was, at '
12. The court erred in refusina to in st ruct
time s, so distracting I wo uld have to sit
the .iury that the burden of proof was on
with my left hand covering part of my face
the state to prove that Donna Bechtel did
to block them out and concentrate on the
not shoot her hu sband in self-defense.
testimony . being gi ve n. I wondered at times
The above information has been provided
how Ms. Bechtel could maintain her train of BECHTEL MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL by the Concerned Citizens for Justice; 1139
thought while giving her testimony. TestiM .\~. 57th Street; Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
mony on which her fate was hinged.
. I would suggest that professional behavior ~ e to ~isten, · an d then address any inThe followinn excer pts were taken from
consistencies or questions in the "crossthe Motion For ~ New Trial for Donna Bechtel

I
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---··--·- - - - - -

Executive Dir·ector Position a V i:1il<tbk
Tulsa

Ha~cd

non profit <1gency

Responsible for fund raising, coordination o( All·.·Js· ~(.l L; Ch t.I on
_and HIV testinf~. _prograrn pla.nr1ing drHl irnph::rnent.at,inn,
and _general adrn1n1strative function~. . Ex.per i e:':nu~ w'iL i ; non
1
profI t a.gency and Bachelor's de\~r
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and cover letter no latt~r than June 1:), 1988 Ln
Search Cornrn.it lee
P.O. Box 57.729
Tulsa, OK 74152-2729

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Around the Country

Kowalski is certain Sharon will receive her
mail , cards from the Holiday and Birthday
campaigns will be saved at committee headq ua rte rs.
To help defray Karen Thompson's high legal costs, con tributors may send donations
to Karen Thompson Legal Fund, to: Fund;
32495 County Road #l; St. Cloud, MN 56303.
For more information about the case or to
arrange to have Karen Thompson speak, write
Cheryl Vitow; 149 Stelton Rd.; Piscataway,
NJ 08854 or call 201-752-5302 .

NGLTF lobbyist Peri Jude Radecic. "l~e will
be seeking bipartisan and geographically
balan ce d support."
NGLTF strongly supports this bill and
its counterpart in the Hou se and has prepared a briefing packet that includes copies of the legislation, talking points on
why it is needed, organizational support
statements, sample letters to Senators and
sample letters of support to local newspapers.
Copies of the S 2000 Briefing Packet may
be ordered for a $1.00 postage fee from
NGLTF; 1517 U Street NW,; Washington, DC
20009.

JOPLIN, MO. - There are only 60 women
rabbis in the world. One would expect to
find these few women only in large cities
which have a large Jewish population, how- HOUSE MEMBER OPPOSES GAYS
ever such is not always. the case. OklahoIN HATE CRIMES BILL
ma's neighbor in what is commonly referred
to as the "Bible Belt", and therefore conGAYS ENDORSE JUNE 11th
sidered to be more than a tad backward,
DISARMAMENT MARCH
may be rightfully proud in their ability to
l·JASHINGTON , DC - Representative George
defer that noteriety.
Gekas (R-PA) leads the fight to remove
For we find one of those precious few
sexual orientation from the Hate Crimes
women rabbi~ in Lisa Stern who leads th~
Statistics Act (H.R . 3193). This Act
NEW YORK CITY - Persons concerned about
United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, Miss- would mandate the collection ~f statisthe earth and those who inhabit it are planouri. Congratulations, Joplin, for the
·tics on crimes that are motivated by pre- lning a day of nat~onal demonstrations cal~courage and forsight to move foreward.
judice based on race, religion, sexual or- ing for nuclear disarmament, and end to mil----ientation and ethnicity.
i itary intervention and a governmental comThe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lmitment to economic development and social
(NGLTF) is working to thwart attempts to
justice . The June 11th demonstrations will
remove sexual orientation from the legisla-fbe held simultaneously in San Francisco and
tion .
INew York City, and coincide with the . ,T.hird
Gekas has filed a minority report which j UN Special Sessi_on on Disarmament. n~~
KOWALSKI TO BE TESTED
asserts that "It is not a federal obliga- !Second UN Session on Disarmament in June of
tion to protect citizens in their sexual
! 1982, drew one million people to New York
orientation" . Despite a recent Department : City .
'
of Justice study which found gay people to
The NGLTF has endorsed the activities
be the most frequent victims of _hate viobecause "gay men and lesbians are not single
HIBBING, MN - St. Louis County Judge
Robert Campbell ruled recently that Sharon 1ence today, the ~ekas r~port disputes. the is sue peop 1e. we care deep 1y about issues
Kowalski should be formally tested for com- prevalance of_ anti-gay violence . D~sp1te 1like a sane nuclear policy and an end to
petency, and ordered that her new courtdocument~d evidence of hundi:-e?s of i~stance militarism," said Executive Director Jeffappointed attorney, Gary Pagliacetti, con- of organized hat~ group act~vit~ against
rey Levi. "We have seen first hand how
sult with Duluth-area physicians to select gay men and lesbians, the nnnority report
our government's focus on defense directly
a test site. Kowalski was severely injured asserts ~hat gay people are. n?t the targets i hurts funding for much-needed social proin an automobile accident in Movember 1983. O! organized hate group activity by groups /grams, such as fundinq to fight AIDS or to
Her lover, Karen Thompson, has been fight- like the Ku Klux Klan.
.
.
.
!develop a national health insurance policy'.'
ing Kowalski's anti-gay parents in court
~o prevent Gekas !rom s~cceeding in reInformation on gay/lesbian contingents
for almost four years for the right to see moving the ~exual or~en~atio~ clause from
to the marches and more logistical details
and participate in Kowalski's medical care. the Hate Crimes Stat1st1cs Act, and there- ' may be obtained from the SSD III N~tional
Judge Campbell's ruling means that Koby spreading his bigotry towa rd gays, the
coalition· 11 John Street UB03 · ~ew York
walski ~1ill be tested for the first time
NGLTF urges interested persons - to write to NY 10038: (202) 608-8155'.
'
'
since a court order appointed her father
their representatives today .
guardian three years ago -- an order that
required him to have her tested annually .
Pagliacetti told the court that he had
visited Kowalski four times , and he believes that she understands what others say
to her and that she can communicate effect- SENATE NEEDS SPONSORS FOR
WOMEN DON'T RATE
ively when she desires . He said he feels
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT
she could use a computer to improve her
AS NEWSWORTHY
communication, and move around in an electric wheelchair. Pagliacetti was appointed
by Judge Campbell to be Kowalski's attorney .
,
Women were a part of. only 6% of front
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Gay and
page stories in 1987, and fewer than 11.%
In response to requests from Thompson's
attorneys, Campbell ordered that no attor- Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has launched a of page one photographs included women ineys except Pagiiacetti be allowed to con- cosponsor drive to garner additional sup- Identified by name concluded a study of
tact Kowalski's evaluators until their re- · port for ·S 2000, the Se nate version of the four major newspapers including the New ·
Hate Crimes Sta ti stics Act (HR 3193). In- ! York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,
port is issued . No date has been set for
the testing . He requested that . all parties traduced by Se nators Alan Cranston (0-CA) ! and the Christian Science Monitor. And
and John Kerry (D-MA) on January 25, 1988, of the 11% in photos many were not there
submit to him recommendations for testing
the Se nate bill would require the Depart- i as newsmakers themselves, but as wives of
parameters. Campbell also requested that
both Thompson and the Kowalskis provide him ment of Justice to collect data on crimes !' newsworthy men, such as Nancy Reagan and
Mary Ellen Bork.
with statements detailing how their attor- motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity. j
Of the women pictured, it was noted
neys' fees are paid. When the testinq is
complete , all parties involved in the. liti- The bill is identical to the one currently . that a number of them received such acawaiting House floor action.
gation wil 1 receive a copy of the report_,
1 claim because of resignations or other
S 2000 currently has 4 cosponsors in ad- associated actions: Corazon Aquino leavand a hearing will be held to formally dedition to Senator Kerry and Cranston:
ing the palace after her Cabinet resigned,
fine Kowalski's competence .
Elizabeth Dole resigning as Secretary of
The judge is continuing to allow Donald Brock Adams (D-HA), Claiborne Pell(D-RI),
Paul Simon (D-IL), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI}. Transportation, Rep. Pat Schroeder announKowalski to decide what mail Sharon reThe House bill has 109 cosponsors.
cing her decision not to seek the Democeives, but has ordered that· Donald keep
"Gaining cosponsors is critical to the
cratic presidential nomination.
any mail Sharon has gotten and will get.
from Up and Coming, April 1988
Until the National Committee to Free Sharon successful passage of any bill," explained

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RETREATS
& CONFERENCES

Potpourri

LESBIAN AND GAY
EDUCAT ION CONFERENCE

WOMEN INVITED TO ATTEND DALLAS
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT

WOMEN COMPOSERS SOUGHT

BOSTON , MA - The Fund for Human Digni ty,
The United Federation of Metropolitan
the national lesbian and gay educational
Community Churches ( UFMCC) is sponsori nq a
organization , has announced plans for
)'/Diilen' S retreat over the 4th of July week"The Les bi an and Gay Education Conference :
The Denver Women's Chorus is seeking new end.
Initiatives Toward a National Education
This will be the first annual South
choral works for women by women composers .
The te xt shall make an affirmative stateCentral District UFMCC iiornen's Spirituality Agenda for Our Culturally Diverse Community" . The conference wi 11 be held on Sunment about or for women.
Retreat. The retreat, which will be held
If you compose music about or for women near IJallas, is open to all \~omen. For in- day , July 24, 1988 , at the Boston Park
you ma~ want to try your hand at this. The j formation on programming and other particu- Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston , Massachusetts.
prize ls $1,000 and the pren11ere perform- 1 lars, contact the Metropolitan Conmiunity
The Conference seeks to develop a netance . Deadlrne lS _August 31, 1988, and the ! Church here in Oklahoma City at 521-8352 or
1.work of individuals , projects and organinormnal entry fee ls $10.
I Loral at 495-4390 . .
j zations working to educate verious comFor rnore information contact the Denver I
munities on lesbian and gay issues.
lfomen's Chorus,; Choral Music Competition, i
1,
Issues to be addressed include: stratP.O. Box 26381 Denver, CO 80202 or call
I
egies for educating educators, youth, med( 303) 331-2543 .
I' WORLD FEMINISTS TO DEBATE COMMON CONCERNS
ia, legislators , librarians, religious inA Women's Studies Summer Institute to be ! stitutions, unions, corporations, health
i held July 4-29, 1988 at the Centre for Re- i care and social service agencies, police,
search and Education on Gender, University i and the legal community; educating about
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
of London , will bring together feminists
I racism, classism, sexism, ageism and dis1 from all over the world to meet and debate
abi ~ i ty issues in. the gay corrnnun_i ty;. eduREQUESTED
!
issues of common concern.
catrng about lesbian and gay i ss,uij's 111 the
OTHER LESBIANS WANT TO KNOW ...
I
Among the topics td be discussed and
., Black , Latino , Asian, and Native. ' IJ\mer~ican
communities; incorporating positive gay
For an anthology we are collecting accounts d~bated are women and migration, women's
diaries, women and crime, and reproductive
images into school curricula and AIDS eduof love between women over sixty, by women
and genetic engineering.
, cation ; legal obstacles to gay and lesbian
over sixty for their · unique perspectives on
Further information may be obtained from 1 education, and the politics of teaching
our loving lives. We are interested in readGREG, Institute of Education; Bedford Way; ! sexuality .
ing your material. Please, send poems, short
prose pieces, letters, diary entries, songs ,
London, WClH DAL, England .
!
For more information, contact: The
photographs and drawings (photocopies, please) I
Lesbian and Gay Education Conference, Fund
Include S.A.S.E. Our deadline has been exfor Human Dignity; 666 Broadway , Suite
tended to Ha1\ owe en , 1988 - Crones Day! Send
410; New York, NY 10012, or call 212-529LESBOS TO HOST WOMEN'S STUDIES INSTITUTE
material to OLD LOVERS; c/o WomanSpirit; 2000
1600.
King Mountain Trail; Sunny Valley, OR 97497 .
The Fund for Hurn an Dignity is the only
i Greece will be the location for an Innational organization solely dedicated to
1 ternational Women's Studies Institute from
, fighting anti-gay bigotry through educa1 June 27 to July 20 , 1988, based on the Is1 tion . It operates the only national
i land of Lesbos .
i clearinghouse of educational materials on
I
The program of study will include wo1
1 lesbian and gay i ssues, ;,1nd the only naj men's spirituality, poetry workshops, and
speakers on social and political issues for tional toll-free hotline serving the lesSMOK ING COSTS MORE THAN $$$$ women
in modern Greece as well as trips to 1 bian and gay community .
Athens and Izmir, Turkey .
i
Contact International Women's Studies
Did you k~ow? Surpassing breast cancer, Institute,; 1230 Grant Avenue , Box 601;
lung cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer
San Francisco, CA 94133 , for further indeaths among women in all industrialized
formation .
countries , including the Unlted States .
Smoking-related diseases ki 11 ed over
=========·
315 , 000 Americans in 1984 - more than the
number of American lives lost in all the
_YES
! I want to be a Friend of He rl and •
. HER LAND IS •••
wars this country has fought in the 20th
My minimum donat i on of $12 allows n~ use of
century.
the Herland Library and a 10% di scount on
A non-profit corporation composed of a
store purchases over the next 12 months .
Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
collective .of wlnmrin - open to al'ly won1yn who
are now among the top ten causes of death
wants to be a part of it - whicllWorks to
_$12
_$_ _
for American won~n over the age of 35.
maintain a feminist library and bookstore,
YES! I want to help Herl and with a
While more and more women die of lung
sponsors workshops, retreats, concerts and
CJOilation to t he New Bui lding Fund.
cancer, tobacco companies reep profits.
other events for YOU . Herl and ' s reason for
In 1983, R. J . Reynolds, the largest tobacbeing is to provide a frame~1ork for a variety
_$20
_$15
_$25
co company employing 117,000 people, posted of projects for the support and enjoyment of
the area wimmin's co11Ununity. It is a place
sales of over $13 billion.
_$ _ _
_$50
_$100
to learn and grow, to meet other \•limmin , deJust think about it.
velop lasting friendships, receive support
I would like to volunteer to work at
and nurture the positive self-image that sothe Bookstore .
cietal attitudes sometimes make illusive to
us . Herland exists to serve YOU.
I 1~ould l ike to volunteer my skills to
Your donations are used to pay the rent
help renovate Herla nd's new home .
and
utilities
on
the
Bookstore
building,
and
HERLAND SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS
printing and postage for the monthly HSR
Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards .
OKC - Jn preparation for the future, the
With the exception of the Library , all of
number of Board positions has been increased
Herland ' s services are free, including the
from 15 to 17. Due to this increase Herland
Newsletter . This is why your donation is
Zip:
City : - - - - - - - S t :
has Board vacancies to fill with women ·who
so important: It is Herland's lifeblood .
are interested in the organization and proTelephone Number : (
gression of 0Klahoma's women's community.
Anyone wanting to get involved with women's
Mail to : Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
collective future is encouraged to attend the
2312 NW 39th
next Herland Board meeting.
Oklahoma City , OK 73112

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OOPS

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Layout and paste-up of the Newsletter is rather cutting (layout is composed of a
myriad of little pieces of paper) and sticky (which are glued onto a paper grid
sheet) business. If layout artist and printer are not extra careful with the final
layout sheets it is possible for one (or more) of the little pieces of paper to
become displaced from its proper location and migrate to an improper location, thus
screwing up not one but two articles . Unfortunately, a sample of such a mechanical
blooper may be found in this issue of HSR Newsletter.
The last half of the last paragraph of Sondra Metzger's article ending on page 8 came
dislodged and ended up upside down on the title for the first article on page 5, thus
reducing the journalistic impact and intent of both articles.
To correct this rather embarrassing flaw, readers get the unique opportunity to learn
how the newsletter is composed prior to press time. How wonderfully educational!!
All you have to do is cut out the block of words below marked #1 and paste it at the
end of the third column (after the word "general") at the top of page 8. Next, cut
out the words labeled #2, and glue it to page 5, right under the banner "Around the
Country".
·
Abracadabra, you now have a complete, unadulterated version of the June issue of
HSR Newsletter, as it was originally intended to appear.

#1

To go back now would be a slap in the face
of the coITTTiunity, my community . I didn't
tell that to the high-ranking enlisted woman . Maybe I should have, but is it any of
her busir,ess?

#2

JOPLIN SEES THE FUTURE

the mainstream of military life and have
The only "equal" traininq we received
forgotten most of what they were trained
was in the classroom where we all had to
to do, or what they were taught has changed learn military customs and courte si es,
first aid, military law and close order
over the ye ars .
"All yo u would have to do," she said ,
drill . Our Dis were not so evenl y matched.
The female Dis were obviously the more in"is come to an annual screening once a
year. You 1-1ouldn't have to go to drill or telligent of the two since they made ordinsummer camp at all." Right , Lady . All I'd ary women into Marines in 8 1veeks . For
some reason it took 12 weeks to train the
to do is show up with seabag in hand
1have
SERVICE EXPRESSES ITSELF
for the first flight to Nicaragua, the Per- men.
sian Gulf or some base in the U.S. when the
Women are nmv allowed to be mechanics a
government decides it's time to involve its and work on trucks, tanks, helicopters and
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Charges have been
military in someone else's fight .
radios. Women recruits nmv go out on their
filed against several former drill instructDon't get me wrong . I have nothing aown maneuvers, crawling in sand and mud wi
1
ors and at least one officer as a result of gainst defending my country. If I did, I
with packs on their backs . They must now
on-going. investiqations of lesbianism in
wouldn ' t have joined the Marine Corps in
qualify with an M-16 rifle in order to gradthe Marine Corps.
the first pl ace. I felt a sense of duty
uate from boot camp. \fo111en undergoing ofVarious counts including committing inde- and pride in 1973 when I enlisted, and to
ficer training are taught the same classes
cent acts have been lodged against five wo- this day I still feel proud of those 11
as the men. All this even though wo1ren are
man Marines . Two other women, due to go be- years, 8 mon ths, and 3 days. In 1973, I
still not allowed to go into combat and are
fore administrative hearing boards, are
also felt n.e need for a secure job.
not allowed to hold cambat-related jobs.
When I enlisted, service women were do- This makes me wonder what they thought the
seeking discharges.
Parris Island is the only base providing ing the usual "women" things. We were the women Marines were doinq 1vho served in Viet·
basic training for the over 10,000 viomen rn secretaries and office clerks holding down name where there were no formal front or
the Marine Corps .
the fort while the men ·went out in the
rear 1i nes. They served with no combat
At least ten women are currently under
field to fire vieapons with, blank ammunition training whatsoever.
investigation and, according to a Marine
at an invisible enemy. In boot camp, while
There is another area where the men and
who said she is a target, the probe by the the men were crawling through underbrush,
women are treated alike. It is still aNaval Investigative Service is likely to
digging foxholes, learning hand-to-hand
gainst military la1v for homosexuals to
combat (from an instructor; unlike the wo~ serve their country . A short time ago a
expand .
The woman, who asked not to be identimen who learned it while on dates) and
soldier took his case to federal court
fied, leaked word of the investigation in
learning how to fire an M-16, we women were where the judge reversed the decision to
letters to several nevis organizations betaught the proper way to apply our make-up, discharge him. The judge said the decision
cause "Every base I've been on has had one wear our hair and eat in the presence of a would apply to all branches of the ,armed
of these so-called witch hunts . One of the commanding general. Appearance in uniform forces.
.
'< . .
reasons I went to the· press is to show
was everything.
Anyone reading that who was in tn~ miJithere's an injustice being done. If they're
While the men's maneuvers consisted of
tary knows how long that is going to last.
going to conduct these investigations they crawling through mud, under barbed wire,
The Army has probably appealed the ruling
need to do it on the male side of the house over wa l ls and through miles of sand wi th
already. Homosexuals will never be an acas well . " The woman den i es she is homofull packs on their backs and certain death cepted part of the military .
sexual, and has not been formally charged.
at the hands of the drill instructor (DI)
According to the Department of Defense, if they killed one of "his" sand fleas in
during the past three federal fiscal years, 100 deqree South Carolina heat, we 1vomen
90 women and 219 men have been dismissed
maneuvered throucih the high-ranking brass
Continued on page 8
for homosexuality. More than 40'% of those with our hair in. place, our make-up intridi scharged 1-1ere women, who represent only
cately applied and our manners at the ready
about 5% of the Corps' personnel.
while participatinq in the required afterDepartment of Defen-se figures also show noon tea .
·
that, during the same three year period,
662 cases of homosexual i ty among Marines
were investigated by the Naval Investigative Services and about a third of the in i
vestigations involved women .
BATCHELDER FOR CONGRESS
There is no clear reason for the disparThis Democrat will VOTE Democrat!
ity, and the matter has never been studied,
My Dream ror Dislrict 6 is...
said Corps spokeswoman Joanne Schilling in
More family-owned fanns and ranches. More jobs
with job security and the: hope of job-retraining. More
Washington . She denied that any special
family-owned homes and a fururc in which people
attention was being paid to lesbians.
expect to have jobs and own homes. More programs

Expressions

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From "A Newsletter" 5/88
Nashville \~omen ' s Al l iance

Elect
"Batch"

keeping drugs out of the country and prognms keeping

Batchelder
(To replace the incumbent "Democrat" Glenn English)

Tuesday, August 23

~~-~-.-..,.---.-,.-,

Democratic Primary

MILITARY SERVICE:
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL

Strong Farm Policy!
... And Leadership for ...

The other day I had a conversation with
a woman who was a high-ranking enlisted person in the Marine Corps . She was trying to
convince me that I shouldn't throw away 11
years worth of career and should go into the
inactive reserve. Inactive reservists are
the people who are called back to active
duty when the United States goes to war.
These are the people who have been out of

Opportunily 1nd Juslice ror ALL means rights,

Jobs • Education • Environment
Opportunity and Justice for ALL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
By Sondra L. Metzger

oppcwtun.ities and treatment before the law should not be

abridged on account of gender, race, religion, age,

Seeds of Prosperity in District 6
Economic Strength for the U.S.
A Sensible Plan to Reduce the
Trillion Dollar National Debt

· ~-

524-5492 for information or speakers. Donations to BATCHELDER
FOR CONGRESS may be sent to 1931 NE 69th St., OKC, OK 73111.

CaU

jobs in the country. More confidancc that our land,
water, and air will DOI be fouled with pollution, and tha1
polluters will pay for lhc dean-up. Moce opponunity
and justice in the worlc. place and e.conomic life for
women, people of color, AU. people. More faith that
the US presence and involvcmcms around the world
reflects the high values we believe in and helps lO brina:
relief to root causes of staniatioo and suffcrin& among
the world's poor, so thai our way of life will be the
model they will choose as their own. More failh that
our funue will be free or the fear of nuclear war which
would destroy everything wonh defending. More faith
that our government can and will uuly reflect the
imen:sts of average people, not just those of the wealthy
corporate donors to political campaigns. The US
govenunent is ours. It will reflect the standards we set
for it. Lee's set them high!

nation of origin, or gender orientation. We cannot
judge or disaiminatc against other human beings and
keep our own souls intact Let us join together in
District 6 for justice, jobs, and equal opportunity for
alL.ec.onomic justice for farmers, workers, women,
and people of color. ln unity there is slJ'Cngth.
Together we can have political clout thu will benefit all
Oklahomans.
If my campaign sounds like your campaign, jump
in and help me make a diffen:ncc in Oklahoma politics.
Wri1e or call for infonnation and a ~
Camgajgn Kjt. Send a donation as your can afford
10

BATOIEUJER FOR C'ONGRESS, 1931 NE

6911!, OKC, OK 7311 L

7 Paid for by Batchelder for Congress

Continued from page 7
When I was a yo ung corpora l not knowing
t here was a close t to be in l et alone be in
i t, I was ordered to be ·a part of the witch
hunts on the base at which I was stationed .
My feeling s about it at .the time were mainly fo cused on what a person 's sexua l preference had to do with the performance of
their military ob lig ations . Some of the
women were outstanding Mar ines with unblemished records and were very proud of their

Corps. It didn't seem like i t was anyone's
bu sines s who the women l oved or slept with
in their off-duty hours, especially the
Marine Corps ' . I reluctantly followed the
orders even though it seemed li ke an attack
on the very freedom the military is there
to protect.
Looking bac k, I feel like one of
Hitler's troopers . Although I did my best
to avoid participating in the witch hunts ,
l gave in to the system and did not speak
up for any of the Marines involved, nor did

I lend them any support . I wasn't sure
what to do ; I was very nai ve and very
afraid of the government .
I finally left the Marine Cor ps in January of this year. Now out of the closet,
I was tired of lying, tired of the sexist
treatment of women and tired of the homophobic attitude of the military in general.

•• 1pon11rs •••

IS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGING?

If yo u are pl anning to move, and you don't want
to miss any is sues of the HSR Newsletter, please let
us know your new address BEFORE you move . The Post
Office wil l NO T forward the Newsletter, and Herland
will NOT change your address without your authorization. Therefore , to insure receipt of the Newsletter fill out and ma il us this Change of Address form
BE FORE yo u move. The form may al so be used to add a
new name to the mailing list.

Loral

c. Reeves, c.P.A.

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 219
Oklahoma City, OK 7.3116

(405) 842-n20

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Old Address : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

848-6429

City :
State : - - - - - - Z i p : - - - - - - - - - -

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
LICENSED PROPEISIONAL COUNSELOR

Mew Address:
City :

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
ICIOI N PEN•YLVANIA. OKLAHOMA c1n. OIC 73' 12

State:------ Zip:---------Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 7311 2

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VOLUME 5, NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1988

Around the Corner
GAY COMMUNITY GEARS UP
FOR GAY PRIDE WEEK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Local gay organizations
are putting the final touches on their plan
for Gay Pride l·Jeek which runs from June 19
throuqh June 26.
The week's activities will beqin with
Oklahoma's first Gay Parade on S~nday, June
19th. Homen and men who would 1i ke to participate in the parade are asked to qather
at Memorial Park , located on N.W . 36ih
Street between Classen and Western, by 1 :30
p.m. Prior to the parade there will be entertainment at Memorial Park. According to
Darlene , acting Director of Oasis Community
Center, music will be provided by Peggy
Johnson and Randy Powell. The Parade will
begin at about 2:00 p.m. and will wind its
way from the park to the Block Party at
N.W . 39th and Barnes.
The Parade is to be lead by People With
Aids from the Winds House in Oklahoma City,
and will include representatives from various organization s from aro und the state,
like Herland Sister Resources, OU's Gay
and Lesbian Alliance, Oasis, and National
Organization for Women, amo ng others.
Speaking at the march festivities will
be Jeffrey Levi, Director of the National
Gay .and Lesbian Task F'orce in Washington .
NGLTF , the only national gay .rights organization in the country with a broad-based
program to achieve gay and le sbian freedom,
was founded in 1973 to advocate, educate,
and organize politically for the achievement of lesbian and gay civtl rights.
Also on hand to lend an air of festival
to the Parade will be the Dallas Gay Marching Band.
The traditional Block Party at parade's
end will hold an array of food and drink
for hungry and thirsty marchers. Also at
the Block Party, for those who have needed
a "book fix" , Herland will have its soonto-be-famous "Mobile Al bum and Book Booth"
(M . A.B.B . for short) set up for business .
A number of gay titles and lesbian magazines have been ordered especially for this
occasion, so plan to drop by M. A. B. B and do
some browsing.
Local bartender John Buettner won the
"Ri ghtfull y Proud in '88" logo contest for
Gay Pride festivities sponsored by Oasis.
His winning design was selected from over
25 entries to become the logo for this
year's celebration which will appear on
posters, t-shirts , and other memorabelia .
Gay Pride will continue beyond Sunday,
June 19th with a variety of activities dur ing the week which wi ll include an evening

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 NW 39th, OKC, OK 7311Z
cheek. This is a peaceful demonstrawith an attorney who will be at Oasis Community Center to answer your questions, an
tion, and it is up to ~to keep it
that way.
evening with PWA's who will give a talk and
answer qu es tions, and several movies to be
shown at the Oasis Community Center . These
- Dress comfortably, but not too commovies will include "Pink Triangle" and
fortably (if you know what I mean!) .
"Before Stonewall" and are sponsored by the
O.U. Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
_Carry a placard if you wish.
The Gay Pride Week celebration will cap
off with "Zoom Beach" on Sunday, June 26 at
_ Have FUN!
Lake Thunderbird. This is a fun gathering
with free ?eer, pop, and ho~ dogs . . Bring
If you have supportive family and frien c
your favorite game or spor~rng equipment
, ask them to show their support by marching
and p1an to spend the day in good company· with you on June 19th.
There are.few laws on a national level
As gays will be policing themselves (pa and fewer still on the state level to pro- . rade organizers will be wearing l avender
tect or acknowledge lesbian and gay r ight s.I T-shirts with armbands) and disorderly conOn June 19th Oklahoma gays will exercise
j' duct will mean removal from the paradie area
participants are asked to please, ~~~~ se ,
the right to peacefully gather in public.
It is hoped that all advocates of human
please cooperate . And, make this a pos'irights and civil rights will s;ome out and . tive, memorab le experience for everye;ne .
show their support by participating in the
For more information, call 525-2437.
1·
rally and march for gay rights .

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HSR NEWSLETTER:

RULES AND REQUESTS
FOR PARADE BEHAVIOR

Mi li tary Life as a Lesbian
- Gay Pride Activities

OKLAHOMA CITY - City permi ts for the
Gay Pride Pa rade have been sec ured and a
police escort has bee n obtained for the
march down N.W. 39th .
According to Darlene, acting Director
of the Oasis CoITTnunity Center, it is important that gays prese nt and project a
positive image to the community and the
people of Oklahoma. To achieve this objective a few rules have been laid down for
parade behavior . These include :
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- Bechtel Trial Comments
i/

OASIS CENTER HAS NEW DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA CITY - Due to "extenuating cir
cumstances" Jim Powell recently stepped
down as Director of the Oasis Community
No alcoholic bever~~ will be permit- Center, and Co-Director, Darlene Burgess
ted at Memoria.l Park or along the par- has assumed her role as acting Director of
ade route. If you must drink, please
that organization.
wait until after the parade is over.
In a telephone interview Ms. Burgess
said her goal is to unify Oklahoma City's
Please do not bring children to be in
gay community. The community is currentl y
the pa raife.-As-TCErioCknovm ho1-1
the public may respond to seeing chi l d- divided into a number of different facren in this parade, it is best to leave tions, and she believes this is due to a
lack of communication. "We want communithe kids at home, this time around .
cation" she said, "vie want to turn that
~o
bags over he ads . It has bee n learn lack of communication around .. We are going to be a community center , and !'111
ed that gat her1ngs of more than three
really excited about that." Ms . Burgess
(3) people with coverings over their
head and fac e a re i ll eS@._]_. If you wi sh went on to say, "Oasis wants participatior
not to be recognized, ye t still want to through the year here at the community
center. Let 's make it what its supposed
march it is suggested that you wear
to be."
grease paint or some other make-up to
Ms. Burgess en courages community supdisguise yourse lf. {We have the Ku
port and participation by asking for atKlux Klan to thank for this one!).
tendence at the ne xt Oas i s Board meeting
to held on June 1 at the Oasis , 2135 NW
If something is thrown at you during
39th. For further information call Oasis
the parade ( i e. by a heckler), do not
at 525-243.7 .
throw anything back. Turn the othe-Y:-

S.E.A.H.C. HOLDS CARNIVAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - Southeast Area Health
Center is holding a Carnival/Health Fair
on Saturday, June Z5, from 10:00 - 6:00.
There will be food and drink booths,
various health screening booths, games
and door prize drawings.
Proceedes from the event will be
used to help provide medical care to
low-income patients. Most of our
patients are women and young children,
said Executive Director Jean Kelsey.
We really need everybody to come out
and support the Center. If you want to
help with a booth, call Jean at 632-6688.

A N N0 U NC E S
ALL HERLAND COLLECTIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO YOU
NEXT MEETING:
CALL 794-7464 for time & place

HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
a
OKLAHOMA CITY - Herland Camp Director,
Laura, reports "l'e have begun organizing
for the Fall Retreat. It will be held at
Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma on
September 16th through the 18th, and I hope
this will provide folks enough time to plan
ahead and oet a few days off to 'retreat'".
The Spring Retreat at Boiling Springs
State Park "proved exciting and fun-filled
for everyone involved" and helped Herland
to raise badly-needed funds; Laura said.
"The pancake breakfast served on Sunday by
Nancy and Mary was delicious and in conjuction with the stew provided by Terry,
raised an additional $50 for Herland." After expenses, the retreat raised approxi~
mately $1,200 for future programming, books
and tlews letter expenses . There wi 11 even
be some left to help with the new building
costs, but flerland is st il 1 hurting for
building funds. Herland extends a big
thank you to all those who participated in
the Spring Retreat weekend, helping Herland
to stay af loat while at the same time havin g fun doinq it'.
This Fall, Herl and 1·1il 1 be providing
meals throughout the retreat weekend except
for the Saturday night Pot Luc k dinner.
Our very o~m Mary and friends wi 11 be cooking vegetarian and non-ve~etarian meals for
a nominal price, and al 1 proceeds 1vi 11 again benefit Herland .
llerl and wi ll once again offer scho 1arsh i ps and 1vork exchanges . Pl ease contact
Laura at 672-4141 for information. Preregistration is $17-20, based on ability to
pay. On-site registration will be $25.
Herland prefers advance registrat ions so
activit ies and food arrangements may be better planned; however, Laura says she
doesn't mind collecting that extra $5 for
on-site registration!
Due to the number of four-legged children attending past retreats, Herland wil l
require all canine to be leashed and be restricted from the kitchen and main building
from the Fall Retreat foreward . Pets may
be t ied outside or in the cabin, or they
may remain in retreater's car (with windows
rol led down an appropriate distance for
venti lation, of course). Cooperation with
these new requests will .allow Herland retreaters to continue bringing their favorite four-footed friends to share in the
weekend of R & R.
To make each retreat better than the
previous retreat, the Camp Director asks
for your feedback . The registration in
this newsletter, when filled out and returned to Laura will help llerland to improve upon the last retreat. So, please
make plans soon, and return your completed
registration to Laura to secure your spot
at the best Herland Retreat ever!

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HERLAND'S FALL RETREAT
at
SEQUOYAH STATE PARK
near Wagoner
SEPTEMBER 16, 17, & 18
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HERLANO FALL RETREAT
FOR ll01£N
Pre-reg1strat1on is Sl7 - $20, based on your abflfty to pay. Upon receipt of your
check, a map to the campsite and 11st of suggested itel!IS to bring wfll be malled
to you. Deadline for pre-registration 1s September 9, 1988.

Number of Pets
(Pets must be k-ep"""t_o_n-.l"'"eash
and no pets in main bldg.)

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----------------- for the Retreat auction.
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Herland Sister Resources
S Laura, camp Di rector
4924 s. Kathy
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma 73135

examination". The jury had no opportunity
l. The refusa l of the t ria l co urt to penni 1
to question anyone. Any in consi stencies or Or. Lenore ~a l ker ( ari ex re rt on the batter ·
questions will al ways be unanswered in our e(_I 1•1oman ' s sy ndrome) t o t es ti -y as an exper1
NOTES FROMTHE JU RY BOX
mind s, ye t we managed to maintain composure. witn ess. to ass i st the tri er or fac t co ncern·
Th e i nvest ioation of the homicide was in inq the fact that Donn a Be c h t ~l was a batsummati on a "ca lamity" of errors. In the
tered woman, and expl ain how she carne to be
Th e Bechtel t r ial has drawn t o a cl ose ; trial the buck was handed to the two Amcare a battered woman, why she staye d with Ke nshe s now be en sent enced and we hav e al l
attendents who passed it back and forth.
net h Bechte l, and her state of min d at the
bequ n se rv in 9 our li fe sentences . qy th e
When it was determined they had no report
time th e acts occ urred which gi ve rise to
"\•1e" I mean Ms. flec htel and eac h of us
(reports t hat could bear witness to Ms.
·the se charges denie d Donn a Be chte l a fair
that sat in the jury box .
Bechtel's demeanor at the time) the buck
trial.
Al l week I ' ve heard various accounts
was handed to the Edmond Police Department . 2. The refus al of the tri al : ourt to inand opi ni ons of the trial. The cruc i al
The Edm.ond Pol ice Department juggled the struct the jury on the burden of proof con accounting of the trial is t he one I exper- buck and passed it from "on the scene" of- cerni nq se l f -defense denied t he accused a
ien ced. It is the one from the "v i ewpoin t" ficers to the Lieutenant who handed it to
fair tr i al .
of th at jury box. l·Je we re drafted and re- the detective in charge, eac h denyinq re3. T~ e trial court erred 1vhen it pi-ohibitmoved from the mainstream of our normal
s~onsibility
.
End re sult : No taped.inter- ed deren se coun se l from quest i oni n ~ jurors
li ves. \.le accepted the r espons i bility and .1 view (re.c order not working at time interabout th e burden of proof in se lf-defen se
gave the case our und i vided attention. Af - view was : rnAde ) and no report by detective
and denied nonna Bech tel a fair trial.
ter all, a woma11' s fate rested in our
in charge a .. ' Ut that interview . The te ch
4: Denial of th e r igh t to cross-examine
hands. Thi s was a ser i ous matter .
invest igator' s report was laced with incon- witnesses against her de nied Donna Bechtel
I be liev e everyone i s ent itl ed to a viq- s istencies. I'm reminded of the police
a fair trial.
01:ous defense and Garv in Issacs certainly. mott~ "to protect and to serve" . I might
5. Refusal of the trial court to permit
li ~ed u ~ to hi s reputat i on in that respect . ask who are they protecting and who are
Donna Bec htel to present evidence in ac1.i11le his behavior was not above reproach, they serv inq ?".
cordance 1•ith the Sixth Amendment to the
the rotten apple must be placed on the pro\•le were denied the right to hear certain United States Constitution denied her a
secution' s table.
1 testimony and see certain evidence. I wou fair trial . (Pol ·ice procedure s concern i no
I will forever remai n ap pall ed at the
wou ld suggest that it would be only "fair" crime scene, conversations with wi tnesse s .
anti cs and behavior I observed in that
to present all the evidence and let the
concerning Kenneth Bechtel).
co urtroom from that jury box. I wo uld ex- twelve of uSdecide what is pertinent and
6. The court repeatedly, during the six
pect unfalterino professional behavior from what i s not . After all, we were drafted to days Donna Bechtel was on the witness stand
t he Di strict At torn ey 's offi ce s ince many
give our opinions . An unbia sed opinion
t~stifying, sustained objections to quesof us ~old that office in a ligh t synonyba sed on bi ase d evidence would be incon sis - tions concerning threats and conversations
rnous wit h the la1~. .l\t the very l east, I
tent with a fair trial. A jury is not al- 7. The trail court on numerous oc2a~ i o ns ·
wo uld ex pect the two prosecutors to main- , lo~e d to speculate . We can only consider
co~men~ed on th ~ evidence in rul ing'Vupon
tain .composure and st ifle giggles while
evidence that has been admitted by the
ob.Jections and in admonitions to defense
testimony was being given. Their overall
court.
counsel an d thi s denied . the accused a fair
behavior would be more befi tt inq cf a
\~e stood armed with conflictinq testitrial.
school~1irls' slumber party than · a court of monies, and without the benefit of a credi- 8. Prosecutorial misconduct denied Oonna
law . Throughout the trial the pro sec utor s ble police report detailing what was said.
Bechtel a fair trial .
1
seemed to be afflicted with some "virus"
~e were given our in st ructions and handed
9. Statements to press before and during
causin!J uncontrollable eye ba ll rotation and the "bu ck ". He retired to the deliberation the trial concerning the case.
·
facial contortions that wo uld suggest each r?om. Th e "buc k" stopped with us, twelve
10
.
The
trial
court's
refusal
to
provide
of them had a mouthful of green parsimmon s. citizens. Based on the evidence that we
Donn~ Bechtel with a court reporter conAt times, it would cause them to poke each 1•ere given and the "letter of the l aw" we cerning all communications about this case
other and snicker.
1 arrived at our verd ict, and now we musi
which is required under 20 O.S . 106 .4 deI would expec~ in a "fair trial 11 the ac - serve it. From this juror's "viewpo int" ,
cused would be qiven the opportunity to re- we were among the few in vo l ve d in this case nied the accused due process and equal protection of the law .
l a ~e th~ir vers ion to us (the Jury) without that did their job .
·
, 11. The Tri al court erred in refu sinq to al·
beinq ridicul ed or int imida ted by gestures
low Donna Bechtel to testify as to threats
Glenda Gibbons
made by the prosecutors . I'm not sure how
made to her by Kenneth BecNtel on her life
Foreman, Bechtel Jury
much of this was vi sible to the audience
and the lives of her children.
but I do know from my chair it was, at '
12. The court erred in refusina to in st ruct
time s, so distracting I wo uld have to sit
the .iury that the burden of proof was on
with my left hand covering part of my face
the state to prove that Donna Bechtel did
to block them out and concentrate on the
not shoot her hu sband in self-defense.
testimony . being gi ve n. I wondered at times
The above information has been provided
how Ms. Bechtel could maintain her train of BECHTEL MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL by the Concerned Citizens for Justice; 1139
thought while giving her testimony. TestiM .\~. 57th Street; Oklahoma City, OK 73118.
mony on which her fate was hinged.
. I would suggest that professional behavior ~ e to ~isten, · an d then address any inThe followinn excer pts were taken from
consistencies or questions in the "crossthe Motion For ~ New Trial for Donna Bechtel

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Executive Dir·ector Position a V i:1il<tbk
Tulsa

Ha~cd

non profit <1gency

Responsible for fund raising, coordination o( All·.·Js· ~(.l L; Ch t.I on
_and HIV testinf~. _prograrn pla.nr1ing drHl irnph::rnent.at,inn,
and _general adrn1n1strative function~. . Ex.per i e:':nu~ w'iL i ; non
1
profI t a.gency and Bachelor's de\~r
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and cover letter no latt~r than June 1:), 1988 Ln
Search Cornrn.it lee
P.O. Box 57.729
Tulsa, OK 74152-2729

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Around the Country

Kowalski is certain Sharon will receive her
mail , cards from the Holiday and Birthday
campaigns will be saved at committee headq ua rte rs.
To help defray Karen Thompson's high legal costs, con tributors may send donations
to Karen Thompson Legal Fund, to: Fund;
32495 County Road #l; St. Cloud, MN 56303.
For more information about the case or to
arrange to have Karen Thompson speak, write
Cheryl Vitow; 149 Stelton Rd.; Piscataway,
NJ 08854 or call 201-752-5302 .

NGLTF lobbyist Peri Jude Radecic. "l~e will
be seeking bipartisan and geographically
balan ce d support."
NGLTF strongly supports this bill and
its counterpart in the Hou se and has prepared a briefing packet that includes copies of the legislation, talking points on
why it is needed, organizational support
statements, sample letters to Senators and
sample letters of support to local newspapers.
Copies of the S 2000 Briefing Packet may
be ordered for a $1.00 postage fee from
NGLTF; 1517 U Street NW,; Washington, DC
20009.

JOPLIN, MO. - There are only 60 women
rabbis in the world. One would expect to
find these few women only in large cities
which have a large Jewish population, how- HOUSE MEMBER OPPOSES GAYS
ever such is not always. the case. OklahoIN HATE CRIMES BILL
ma's neighbor in what is commonly referred
to as the "Bible Belt", and therefore conGAYS ENDORSE JUNE 11th
sidered to be more than a tad backward,
DISARMAMENT MARCH
may be rightfully proud in their ability to
l·JASHINGTON , DC - Representative George
defer that noteriety.
Gekas (R-PA) leads the fight to remove
For we find one of those precious few
sexual orientation from the Hate Crimes
women rabbi~ in Lisa Stern who leads th~
Statistics Act (H.R . 3193). This Act
NEW YORK CITY - Persons concerned about
United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, Miss- would mandate the collection ~f statisthe earth and those who inhabit it are planouri. Congratulations, Joplin, for the
·tics on crimes that are motivated by pre- lning a day of nat~onal demonstrations cal~courage and forsight to move foreward.
judice based on race, religion, sexual or- ing for nuclear disarmament, and end to mil----ientation and ethnicity.
i itary intervention and a governmental comThe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lmitment to economic development and social
(NGLTF) is working to thwart attempts to
justice . The June 11th demonstrations will
remove sexual orientation from the legisla-fbe held simultaneously in San Francisco and
tion .
INew York City, and coincide with the . ,T.hird
Gekas has filed a minority report which j UN Special Sessi_on on Disarmament. n~~
KOWALSKI TO BE TESTED
asserts that "It is not a federal obliga- !Second UN Session on Disarmament in June of
tion to protect citizens in their sexual
! 1982, drew one million people to New York
orientation" . Despite a recent Department : City .
'
of Justice study which found gay people to
The NGLTF has endorsed the activities
be the most frequent victims of _hate viobecause "gay men and lesbians are not single
HIBBING, MN - St. Louis County Judge
Robert Campbell ruled recently that Sharon 1ence today, the ~ekas r~port disputes. the is sue peop 1e. we care deep 1y about issues
Kowalski should be formally tested for com- prevalance of_ anti-gay violence . D~sp1te 1like a sane nuclear policy and an end to
petency, and ordered that her new courtdocument~d evidence of hundi:-e?s of i~stance militarism," said Executive Director Jeffappointed attorney, Gary Pagliacetti, con- of organized hat~ group act~vit~ against
rey Levi. "We have seen first hand how
sult with Duluth-area physicians to select gay men and lesbians, the nnnority report
our government's focus on defense directly
a test site. Kowalski was severely injured asserts ~hat gay people are. n?t the targets i hurts funding for much-needed social proin an automobile accident in Movember 1983. O! organized hate group activity by groups /grams, such as fundinq to fight AIDS or to
Her lover, Karen Thompson, has been fight- like the Ku Klux Klan.
.
.
.
!develop a national health insurance policy'.'
ing Kowalski's anti-gay parents in court
~o prevent Gekas !rom s~cceeding in reInformation on gay/lesbian contingents
for almost four years for the right to see moving the ~exual or~en~atio~ clause from
to the marches and more logistical details
and participate in Kowalski's medical care. the Hate Crimes Stat1st1cs Act, and there- ' may be obtained from the SSD III N~tional
Judge Campbell's ruling means that Koby spreading his bigotry towa rd gays, the
coalition· 11 John Street UB03 · ~ew York
walski ~1ill be tested for the first time
NGLTF urges interested persons - to write to NY 10038: (202) 608-8155'.
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since a court order appointed her father
their representatives today .
guardian three years ago -- an order that
required him to have her tested annually .
Pagliacetti told the court that he had
visited Kowalski four times , and he believes that she understands what others say
to her and that she can communicate effect- SENATE NEEDS SPONSORS FOR
WOMEN DON'T RATE
ively when she desires . He said he feels
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT
she could use a computer to improve her
AS NEWSWORTHY
communication, and move around in an electric wheelchair. Pagliacetti was appointed
by Judge Campbell to be Kowalski's attorney .
,
Women were a part of. only 6% of front
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Gay and
page stories in 1987, and fewer than 11.%
In response to requests from Thompson's
attorneys, Campbell ordered that no attor- Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has launched a of page one photographs included women ineys except Pagiiacetti be allowed to con- cosponsor drive to garner additional sup- Identified by name concluded a study of
tact Kowalski's evaluators until their re- · port for ·S 2000, the Se nate version of the four major newspapers including the New ·
Hate Crimes Sta ti stics Act (HR 3193). In- ! York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,
port is issued . No date has been set for
the testing . He requested that . all parties traduced by Se nators Alan Cranston (0-CA) ! and the Christian Science Monitor. And
and John Kerry (D-MA) on January 25, 1988, of the 11% in photos many were not there
submit to him recommendations for testing
the Se nate bill would require the Depart- i as newsmakers themselves, but as wives of
parameters. Campbell also requested that
both Thompson and the Kowalskis provide him ment of Justice to collect data on crimes !' newsworthy men, such as Nancy Reagan and
Mary Ellen Bork.
with statements detailing how their attor- motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity. j
Of the women pictured, it was noted
neys' fees are paid. When the testinq is
complete , all parties involved in the. liti- The bill is identical to the one currently . that a number of them received such acawaiting House floor action.
gation wil 1 receive a copy of the report_,
1 claim because of resignations or other
S 2000 currently has 4 cosponsors in ad- associated actions: Corazon Aquino leavand a hearing will be held to formally dedition to Senator Kerry and Cranston:
ing the palace after her Cabinet resigned,
fine Kowalski's competence .
Elizabeth Dole resigning as Secretary of
The judge is continuing to allow Donald Brock Adams (D-HA), Claiborne Pell(D-RI),
Paul Simon (D-IL), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI}. Transportation, Rep. Pat Schroeder announKowalski to decide what mail Sharon reThe House bill has 109 cosponsors.
cing her decision not to seek the Democeives, but has ordered that· Donald keep
"Gaining cosponsors is critical to the
cratic presidential nomination.
any mail Sharon has gotten and will get.
from Up and Coming, April 1988
Until the National Committee to Free Sharon successful passage of any bill," explained

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RETREATS
& CONFERENCES

Potpourri

LESBIAN AND GAY
EDUCAT ION CONFERENCE

WOMEN INVITED TO ATTEND DALLAS
SPIRITUALITY RETREAT

WOMEN COMPOSERS SOUGHT

BOSTON , MA - The Fund for Human Digni ty,
The United Federation of Metropolitan
the national lesbian and gay educational
Community Churches ( UFMCC) is sponsori nq a
organization , has announced plans for
)'/Diilen' S retreat over the 4th of July week"The Les bi an and Gay Education Conference :
The Denver Women's Chorus is seeking new end.
Initiatives Toward a National Education
This will be the first annual South
choral works for women by women composers .
The te xt shall make an affirmative stateCentral District UFMCC iiornen's Spirituality Agenda for Our Culturally Diverse Community" . The conference wi 11 be held on Sunment about or for women.
Retreat. The retreat, which will be held
If you compose music about or for women near IJallas, is open to all \~omen. For in- day , July 24, 1988 , at the Boston Park
you ma~ want to try your hand at this. The j formation on programming and other particu- Plaza Hotel and Towers in Boston , Massachusetts.
prize ls $1,000 and the pren11ere perform- 1 lars, contact the Metropolitan Conmiunity
The Conference seeks to develop a netance . Deadlrne lS _August 31, 1988, and the ! Church here in Oklahoma City at 521-8352 or
1.work of individuals , projects and organinormnal entry fee ls $10.
I Loral at 495-4390 . .
j zations working to educate verious comFor rnore information contact the Denver I
munities on lesbian and gay issues.
lfomen's Chorus,; Choral Music Competition, i
1,
Issues to be addressed include: stratP.O. Box 26381 Denver, CO 80202 or call
I
egies for educating educators, youth, med( 303) 331-2543 .
I' WORLD FEMINISTS TO DEBATE COMMON CONCERNS
ia, legislators , librarians, religious inA Women's Studies Summer Institute to be ! stitutions, unions, corporations, health
i held July 4-29, 1988 at the Centre for Re- i care and social service agencies, police,
search and Education on Gender, University i and the legal community; educating about
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
of London , will bring together feminists
I racism, classism, sexism, ageism and dis1 from all over the world to meet and debate
abi ~ i ty issues in. the gay corrnnun_i ty;. eduREQUESTED
!
issues of common concern.
catrng about lesbian and gay i ss,uij's 111 the
OTHER LESBIANS WANT TO KNOW ...
I
Among the topics td be discussed and
., Black , Latino , Asian, and Native. ' IJ\mer~ican
communities; incorporating positive gay
For an anthology we are collecting accounts d~bated are women and migration, women's
diaries, women and crime, and reproductive
images into school curricula and AIDS eduof love between women over sixty, by women
and genetic engineering.
, cation ; legal obstacles to gay and lesbian
over sixty for their · unique perspectives on
Further information may be obtained from 1 education, and the politics of teaching
our loving lives. We are interested in readGREG, Institute of Education; Bedford Way; ! sexuality .
ing your material. Please, send poems, short
prose pieces, letters, diary entries, songs ,
London, WClH DAL, England .
!
For more information, contact: The
photographs and drawings (photocopies, please) I
Lesbian and Gay Education Conference, Fund
Include S.A.S.E. Our deadline has been exfor Human Dignity; 666 Broadway , Suite
tended to Ha1\ owe en , 1988 - Crones Day! Send
410; New York, NY 10012, or call 212-529LESBOS TO HOST WOMEN'S STUDIES INSTITUTE
material to OLD LOVERS; c/o WomanSpirit; 2000
1600.
King Mountain Trail; Sunny Valley, OR 97497 .
The Fund for Hurn an Dignity is the only
i Greece will be the location for an Innational organization solely dedicated to
1 ternational Women's Studies Institute from
, fighting anti-gay bigotry through educa1 June 27 to July 20 , 1988, based on the Is1 tion . It operates the only national
i land of Lesbos .
i clearinghouse of educational materials on
I
The program of study will include wo1
1 lesbian and gay i ssues, ;,1nd the only naj men's spirituality, poetry workshops, and
speakers on social and political issues for tional toll-free hotline serving the lesSMOK ING COSTS MORE THAN $$$$ women
in modern Greece as well as trips to 1 bian and gay community .
Athens and Izmir, Turkey .
i
Contact International Women's Studies
Did you k~ow? Surpassing breast cancer, Institute,; 1230 Grant Avenue , Box 601;
lung cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer
San Francisco, CA 94133 , for further indeaths among women in all industrialized
formation .
countries , including the Unlted States .
Smoking-related diseases ki 11 ed over
=========·
315 , 000 Americans in 1984 - more than the
number of American lives lost in all the
_YES
! I want to be a Friend of He rl and •
. HER LAND IS •••
wars this country has fought in the 20th
My minimum donat i on of $12 allows n~ use of
century.
the Herland Library and a 10% di scount on
A non-profit corporation composed of a
store purchases over the next 12 months .
Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer
collective .of wlnmrin - open to al'ly won1yn who
are now among the top ten causes of death
wants to be a part of it - whicllWorks to
_$12
_$_ _
for American won~n over the age of 35.
maintain a feminist library and bookstore,
YES! I want to help Herl and with a
While more and more women die of lung
sponsors workshops, retreats, concerts and
CJOilation to t he New Bui lding Fund.
cancer, tobacco companies reep profits.
other events for YOU . Herl and ' s reason for
In 1983, R. J . Reynolds, the largest tobacbeing is to provide a frame~1ork for a variety
_$20
_$15
_$25
co company employing 117,000 people, posted of projects for the support and enjoyment of
the area wimmin's co11Ununity. It is a place
sales of over $13 billion.
_$ _ _
_$50
_$100
to learn and grow, to meet other \•limmin , deJust think about it.
velop lasting friendships, receive support
I would like to volunteer to work at
and nurture the positive self-image that sothe Bookstore .
cietal attitudes sometimes make illusive to
us . Herland exists to serve YOU.
I 1~ould l ike to volunteer my skills to
Your donations are used to pay the rent
help renovate Herla nd's new home .
and
utilities
on
the
Bookstore
building,
and
HERLAND SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS
printing and postage for the monthly HSR
Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards .
OKC - Jn preparation for the future, the
With the exception of the Library , all of
number of Board positions has been increased
Herland ' s services are free, including the
from 15 to 17. Due to this increase Herland
Newsletter . This is why your donation is
Zip:
City : - - - - - - - S t :
has Board vacancies to fill with women ·who
so important: It is Herland's lifeblood .
are interested in the organization and proTelephone Number : (
gression of 0Klahoma's women's community.
Anyone wanting to get involved with women's
Mail to : Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
collective future is encouraged to attend the
2312 NW 39th
next Herland Board meeting.
Oklahoma City , OK 73112

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OOPS

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Layout and paste-up of the Newsletter is rather cutting (layout is composed of a
myriad of little pieces of paper) and sticky (which are glued onto a paper grid
sheet) business. If layout artist and printer are not extra careful with the final
layout sheets it is possible for one (or more) of the little pieces of paper to
become displaced from its proper location and migrate to an improper location, thus
screwing up not one but two articles . Unfortunately, a sample of such a mechanical
blooper may be found in this issue of HSR Newsletter.
The last half of the last paragraph of Sondra Metzger's article ending on page 8 came
dislodged and ended up upside down on the title for the first article on page 5, thus
reducing the journalistic impact and intent of both articles.
To correct this rather embarrassing flaw, readers get the unique opportunity to learn
how the newsletter is composed prior to press time. How wonderfully educational!!
All you have to do is cut out the block of words below marked #1 and paste it at the
end of the third column (after the word "general") at the top of page 8. Next, cut
out the words labeled #2, and glue it to page 5, right under the banner "Around the
Country".
·
Abracadabra, you now have a complete, unadulterated version of the June issue of
HSR Newsletter, as it was originally intended to appear.

#1

To go back now would be a slap in the face
of the coITTTiunity, my community . I didn't
tell that to the high-ranking enlisted woman . Maybe I should have, but is it any of
her busir,ess?

#2

JOPLIN SEES THE FUTURE

the mainstream of military life and have
The only "equal" traininq we received
forgotten most of what they were trained
was in the classroom where we all had to
to do, or what they were taught has changed learn military customs and courte si es,
first aid, military law and close order
over the ye ars .
"All yo u would have to do," she said ,
drill . Our Dis were not so evenl y matched.
The female Dis were obviously the more in"is come to an annual screening once a
year. You 1-1ouldn't have to go to drill or telligent of the two since they made ordinsummer camp at all." Right , Lady . All I'd ary women into Marines in 8 1veeks . For
some reason it took 12 weeks to train the
to do is show up with seabag in hand
1have
SERVICE EXPRESSES ITSELF
for the first flight to Nicaragua, the Per- men.
sian Gulf or some base in the U.S. when the
Women are nmv allowed to be mechanics a
government decides it's time to involve its and work on trucks, tanks, helicopters and
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Charges have been
military in someone else's fight .
radios. Women recruits nmv go out on their
filed against several former drill instructDon't get me wrong . I have nothing aown maneuvers, crawling in sand and mud wi
1
ors and at least one officer as a result of gainst defending my country. If I did, I
with packs on their backs . They must now
on-going. investiqations of lesbianism in
wouldn ' t have joined the Marine Corps in
qualify with an M-16 rifle in order to gradthe Marine Corps.
the first pl ace. I felt a sense of duty
uate from boot camp. \fo111en undergoing ofVarious counts including committing inde- and pride in 1973 when I enlisted, and to
ficer training are taught the same classes
cent acts have been lodged against five wo- this day I still feel proud of those 11
as the men. All this even though wo1ren are
man Marines . Two other women, due to go be- years, 8 mon ths, and 3 days. In 1973, I
still not allowed to go into combat and are
fore administrative hearing boards, are
also felt n.e need for a secure job.
not allowed to hold cambat-related jobs.
When I enlisted, service women were do- This makes me wonder what they thought the
seeking discharges.
Parris Island is the only base providing ing the usual "women" things. We were the women Marines were doinq 1vho served in Viet·
basic training for the over 10,000 viomen rn secretaries and office clerks holding down name where there were no formal front or
the Marine Corps .
the fort while the men ·went out in the
rear 1i nes. They served with no combat
At least ten women are currently under
field to fire vieapons with, blank ammunition training whatsoever.
investigation and, according to a Marine
at an invisible enemy. In boot camp, while
There is another area where the men and
who said she is a target, the probe by the the men were crawling through underbrush,
women are treated alike. It is still aNaval Investigative Service is likely to
digging foxholes, learning hand-to-hand
gainst military la1v for homosexuals to
combat (from an instructor; unlike the wo~ serve their country . A short time ago a
expand .
The woman, who asked not to be identimen who learned it while on dates) and
soldier took his case to federal court
fied, leaked word of the investigation in
learning how to fire an M-16, we women were where the judge reversed the decision to
letters to several nevis organizations betaught the proper way to apply our make-up, discharge him. The judge said the decision
cause "Every base I've been on has had one wear our hair and eat in the presence of a would apply to all branches of the ,armed
of these so-called witch hunts . One of the commanding general. Appearance in uniform forces.
.
'< . .
reasons I went to the· press is to show
was everything.
Anyone reading that who was in tn~ miJithere's an injustice being done. If they're
While the men's maneuvers consisted of
tary knows how long that is going to last.
going to conduct these investigations they crawling through mud, under barbed wire,
The Army has probably appealed the ruling
need to do it on the male side of the house over wa l ls and through miles of sand wi th
already. Homosexuals will never be an acas well . " The woman den i es she is homofull packs on their backs and certain death cepted part of the military .
sexual, and has not been formally charged.
at the hands of the drill instructor (DI)
According to the Department of Defense, if they killed one of "his" sand fleas in
during the past three federal fiscal years, 100 deqree South Carolina heat, we 1vomen
90 women and 219 men have been dismissed
maneuvered throucih the high-ranking brass
Continued on page 8
for homosexuality. More than 40'% of those with our hair in. place, our make-up intridi scharged 1-1ere women, who represent only
cately applied and our manners at the ready
about 5% of the Corps' personnel.
while participatinq in the required afterDepartment of Defen-se figures also show noon tea .
·
that, during the same three year period,
662 cases of homosexual i ty among Marines
were investigated by the Naval Investigative Services and about a third of the in i
vestigations involved women .
BATCHELDER FOR CONGRESS
There is no clear reason for the disparThis Democrat will VOTE Democrat!
ity, and the matter has never been studied,
My Dream ror Dislrict 6 is...
said Corps spokeswoman Joanne Schilling in
More family-owned fanns and ranches. More jobs
with job security and the: hope of job-retraining. More
Washington . She denied that any special
family-owned homes and a fururc in which people
attention was being paid to lesbians.
expect to have jobs and own homes. More programs

Expressions

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From "A Newsletter" 5/88
Nashville \~omen ' s Al l iance

Elect
"Batch"

keeping drugs out of the country and prognms keeping

Batchelder
(To replace the incumbent "Democrat" Glenn English)

Tuesday, August 23

~~-~-.-..,.---.-,.-,

Democratic Primary

MILITARY SERVICE:
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL

Strong Farm Policy!
... And Leadership for ...

The other day I had a conversation with
a woman who was a high-ranking enlisted person in the Marine Corps . She was trying to
convince me that I shouldn't throw away 11
years worth of career and should go into the
inactive reserve. Inactive reservists are
the people who are called back to active
duty when the United States goes to war.
These are the people who have been out of

Opportunily 1nd Juslice ror ALL means rights,

Jobs • Education • Environment
Opportunity and Justice for ALL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
By Sondra L. Metzger

oppcwtun.ities and treatment before the law should not be

abridged on account of gender, race, religion, age,

Seeds of Prosperity in District 6
Economic Strength for the U.S.
A Sensible Plan to Reduce the
Trillion Dollar National Debt

· ~-

524-5492 for information or speakers. Donations to BATCHELDER
FOR CONGRESS may be sent to 1931 NE 69th St., OKC, OK 73111.

CaU

jobs in the country. More confidancc that our land,
water, and air will DOI be fouled with pollution, and tha1
polluters will pay for lhc dean-up. Moce opponunity
and justice in the worlc. place and e.conomic life for
women, people of color, AU. people. More faith that
the US presence and involvcmcms around the world
reflects the high values we believe in and helps lO brina:
relief to root causes of staniatioo and suffcrin& among
the world's poor, so thai our way of life will be the
model they will choose as their own. More failh that
our funue will be free or the fear of nuclear war which
would destroy everything wonh defending. More faith
that our government can and will uuly reflect the
imen:sts of average people, not just those of the wealthy
corporate donors to political campaigns. The US
govenunent is ours. It will reflect the standards we set
for it. Lee's set them high!

nation of origin, or gender orientation. We cannot
judge or disaiminatc against other human beings and
keep our own souls intact Let us join together in
District 6 for justice, jobs, and equal opportunity for
alL.ec.onomic justice for farmers, workers, women,
and people of color. ln unity there is slJ'Cngth.
Together we can have political clout thu will benefit all
Oklahomans.
If my campaign sounds like your campaign, jump
in and help me make a diffen:ncc in Oklahoma politics.
Wri1e or call for infonnation and a ~
Camgajgn Kjt. Send a donation as your can afford
10

BATOIEUJER FOR C'ONGRESS, 1931 NE

6911!, OKC, OK 7311 L

7 Paid for by Batchelder for Congress

Continued from page 7
When I was a yo ung corpora l not knowing
t here was a close t to be in l et alone be in
i t, I was ordered to be ·a part of the witch
hunts on the base at which I was stationed .
My feeling s about it at .the time were mainly fo cused on what a person 's sexua l preference had to do with the performance of
their military ob lig ations . Some of the
women were outstanding Mar ines with unblemished records and were very proud of their

Corps. It didn't seem like i t was anyone's
bu sines s who the women l oved or slept with
in their off-duty hours, especially the
Marine Corps ' . I reluctantly followed the
orders even though it seemed li ke an attack
on the very freedom the military is there
to protect.
Looking bac k, I feel like one of
Hitler's troopers . Although I did my best
to avoid participating in the witch hunts ,
l gave in to the system and did not speak
up for any of the Marines involved, nor did

I lend them any support . I wasn't sure
what to do ; I was very nai ve and very
afraid of the government .
I finally left the Marine Cor ps in January of this year. Now out of the closet,
I was tired of lying, tired of the sexist
treatment of women and tired of the homophobic attitude of the military in general.

•• 1pon11rs •••

IS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGING?

If yo u are pl anning to move, and you don't want
to miss any is sues of the HSR Newsletter, please let
us know your new address BEFORE you move . The Post
Office wil l NO T forward the Newsletter, and Herland
will NOT change your address without your authorization. Therefore , to insure receipt of the Newsletter fill out and ma il us this Change of Address form
BE FORE yo u move. The form may al so be used to add a
new name to the mailing list.

Loral

c. Reeves, c.P.A.

1000 W. Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 219
Oklahoma City, OK 7.3116

(405) 842-n20

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Old Address : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

848-6429

City :
State : - - - - - - Z i p : - - - - - - - - - -

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER. M.A.
LICENSED PROPEISIONAL COUNSELOR

Mew Address:
City :

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
ICIOI N PEN•YLVANIA. OKLAHOMA c1n. OIC 73' 12

State:------ Zip:---------Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 7311 2

- ·- - - - - - -

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c.

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KEMCO
PRINTING INC.

"C

Kelley Mattocks
340-4301

classi11d 1dvertising
160 1

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Professional Handwriting Analyst

GOLDEN THREADS , a contact publication for lesbians over
50 and wome n who love older women . Canada and U.S .
Confidential, warm, reliable . For free informat ion
se nd self -addressed envelop ; (U . S. residents please
stamp it) . Sample copy mailed discreetly, $5. 00
(U. S. ). GOLDEN THREADS: P.O . Box 2416; Quincy , MA
02269.

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