HerlandVoice-1989-04-v6-no04_ocr.pdf

Title: HerlandVoice-1989-04-v6-no04_ocr.pdf
extracted text: VOLUME 6, NUMBER 4
APRIL, 1989

Around the Corner
OKC POLICE
HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSIONERS
MEET WITH GAYS
In a community meeting at the Metropolitan Community Church that lasted
over two hours, representatives from
Oklahoma City's Police Department
and several members of the Human
Rights Commission (HRC) spoke with
a room full of lesbians and gay men
about recent incidents of anti-gay violence and what can be-done about them.
Representatives of the HRC spoke at
length about the potential usefulness of
Article IV of Oklahoma's Municipal
Code, which follows this story. Complaints of anti-gay harrassment or physical violence may be filed using this new
City law. Victims of such violence were
strongly encouraged by the Commission
to exercise their rights under this code.
The representatives also stated that the
justice system cannot work for us if we
do not file complaints against our perpetrators. Anti-gay violence will not end if
we as a community are not willing to
fight it through the legal system. Another
source or recourse for the community is
the Civil Court system, through which
punitive and compensatory damages
may be sought against someone who
violates our right to live in peace.
HRC Chair Tulio Ramirez advised
lesbians and gay men to attend city
council meetings and the meetings of the
Human Rights Commission, which
meets the third Sunday of every other
month-the next meeting is scheduled
for May. There will be another community meeting at MCC at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 18. All who are interested in Oklahoma City's gay rights are
invited to attend.
•

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
2312 N.W. 39TH, OKC 73112 • (405) 521-9696

HERLAND SPRING RETREAT IS COMING!
Herland's fourth annual Spring Retreat will be held at Boiling Springs State
Park near Woodward in northwestern Oklahoma on May 19, 20, and 21,
1989.
Start planning now for a wonderful weekend of fun, friendship, and
roughing it easy (this is camping?). Fish in the nearby lake, hike in the plentiful
woods, investigate the museum in Woodward, or spelunk in Alabaster
Caverns just 16 miles from the camp. Or, just lay about viewing the various
videos that are planned, play D.Y.K.E. Pursuit, softball, volleyball, foo~ball;
juggle, read a book, fly a kite. It's YOUR weekend, away from the stress~! of
real life, away from men and a homophobic society. This is a chance to be
·
yourself and relax.
Judy Fjell-humorist, romantic, political singer/guitarist from Oakland,
California will entertain and delight retreaters with her performance on
Saturday night.
1
Save money by pre-registering. For those of you who feel you cannot afford
it, please don't say "no, I can't go." Scholarships and work exchanges are
available. But, they are in limited supply, so call Laura, camp director, at
672'4141 now.
Workshops are being solicited now. If you have any suggestions on what
you would like to see covered by a workshop, or if you would like to present a
workshop on a favorite topic, or if you would like to volunteer tb help set up
at the retreat site, give Laura a call at 672-4141. Registration form on pg. 2.

ARTICLE IV
Intimidation Or Harassment
Sec. 25-53.

Purpose.

The Council finds that acts of vandalism, degradation and brutality intended to
intimidate and harass other persons because of their membership in a particular racial,
religious or minority group, is unacceptable in a democratic society such as ours.
It is the intent of Council that such acts shall not be tolerated within the City of
Oklahoma City but shall be punished to the full extent that the law allows.
Sec. 25-54.

Intimidation; harassment; damage, destruction or vandalism of
real or personal property of another.

No person shall, maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another
person because of that person's race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, age, sex, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, national origin or disability; damage, destroy, vandalize or deface
any real or personal property of another person or of any religious organization or
institution.

SPRING CALENDAR
OF LOCAL EVENTS
April 1 • Nancy Scott with 3 of Hearts at
Hi-Lo Club, 1221 N.W. 50th, 8 p.m.
April 7 • Mary Reynolds soio at the Cantina del Paseo, 3007 Paseo Blvd., 9
p.m.
April 7 ·Friday Night Video. "Feds" plus
"Two in Twenty -Part II". 7:30 p.m.
April 9 • Cleanup day at Herland. 10 a.m.
April 9 • Art show & benefit for The
Names Project, Hi-Lo Club, 1221 N.W.
SOth, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. $3.00 admission.
April 18 • Gay/Lesbian Community
Meeting, MCC, 1900 N.W. 12th, 7
p.m.

Open the garage! Get out the broom! Pry open those dusty
boxes ... Yes, it's that time of year again, when our spirits soar and
we are infused with new energy that we've stored up during the cold
winter months. This is the time when many of us throw up our
hands and cry "What am I going to do with all this JUNK?
Ah, spring cleaning. We at Herland hope that that you will consider donating items for our Annual Yard Sale,_ which will be held
May 6-7 at 1630 N.W. 19th.
If you have any questions or if you have items that need to be
picked up please call HSR. Donations may be taken to Herland at
2312 N.W. 39th or call 521 -9696 weekends, or 525-5907 {leave
message) to have items picked up.
We sincerely appreciate all of you who have donated items to our
previous yard sales, and hope that you will again support us.
If you don't have any items that you want to donate, but would
like to volunteer to prepare for the yard sale and/ or staff it during
those two days, please contact HSR. It's a lot of hard work to make
the sale a success, but it's also fun, and will give you an opportunity
to meet new friends and support Herland at the same time.

April 21 • Friday Night Video. "I Heard
the Mermaid Singing" plus "Two in
Twenty - Part Ill". 7:30 p.m.

Lambda Rising

BOOK REPORT...
A Contemporary Review
of Gay & Lesbian

Literature
Subscribe Nowt

12 Issues for $18.00
24 Issues for $28.00
Send check/money order to:
BOOK REPORT DEPT# 257

1625 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20009
To charge by phone, call:
(202)462-6969.

~.

I

r--HERLANDSPRINGRETREATFORWOMEN~REGISTRATIONFORM __ _
Pre-registr~tion is $1~ - $2~, based. on your ability to pay. Upon receipt of your check, a map to the campsite and list of
suggested items to bring will be mailed to you. Deadline for pre-registration is May 14, 1989.
NAME( S)i -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

ADDRESS _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHONE._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Number of Pets - - - - (Pets must be kept on leash and no pets in main building.)

D I would like a scholarship

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

-

-

-

D I would like a work exchange
D I will provide

scholarship(s)

Things I disliked about other retreats were -

- -- - - - - - -

D I would like to lead a discussion group on
Other Suggestions or Comments - -- - --

-------

D I would like to attend a discussion on·

L

2

Mail to:

Herland Sister Resources, c/o Laura, Camp Director, 4924 S. Kathy, Oklahoma City, OK 73135

---------------------------------------------

Around the Country
KOWALSKI AND
THOMPSON REUNITED
by Karen Lewis

Duluth, MN - Referring to Thompson
as her lover, and asking if she could be
with her all the time, Sharon Kowalski
was finally reunited with her lover,
Karen Thompson in an emotion-filled
visit on February 2, 1989.
The two women had not seen each
other since August, 1985, shortly before
Kowalski's father and court-appointed
guardian moved her to a nursing home
in Hibbing, Minnesota. Barred by
Donald Kowalski from ever seeing her
lover again, Thompson has been fighting since 1984 for Kowalski's rights to
rehabilitation and freedom of association (see Feb. 1989 HSR Newsletter).
In Dec., 1988, Minnesota district judge
Robert Campbell ordered Kowalski
moved to Miller-Dwan Medical Center
in Duluth for 60 days of intensive rehabilitation at the end of which an evaluation was ordered to determine whether
such rehabilitation was effective in
helping Kowalski. Based upon the medical evaluation, the court will decide to
continue rehabilitation or send Kowalski back to a non-rehabilitative nursing
facility.
The December 12 ruling also stated
that her doctors and Kowalski herself
would determine who lier visitors
would be. Until the ruling Donald
Kowalski had censored her mail and
prohibited visits by his daughter's
friends.
Reached by telephone on March 21,
1989, Tade Dejanikus, co-chair of the
National Committee to Free Sharon
Kowalski said "Karen has been visiting
Sharon at least twice weekly since Feb
2," and has been going to rehabilitation
therapies with her. At Kowalski's
request, therapies are done to -Chris
Williamson's music.
Although only in December her doctors doubted its possibility, Kowalski is
mastering the use of a motorized wheel
chair, and is improving her communication skills. She is also receiving longneeded dental care. Dejanikus said that,
based upon Kowalski's improvement
her supporters are hoping the court will

order rehabilitation to continue. She
agreed that they were waiting "on pins
& needles" for the judge to return from
vacation and make hjs final decision on
· Kowalski's future. This decision should
' be made by the first week in April,
1989. Watch for a complete update on
I the Sharon Kowalski story in the May
' issue of HSR Newsletter.
•

NOW ORGANIZING MASSIVE
DEMONSTRATION TO
PROTECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS
NOW President Molly Yard is predicting that the anger and fear generated by
the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to
hear a major case challenging legalized
abortion will result in the April 9 March
for Women's Equality/Women's Lives
in Washington, D.C. being the largest
March for women's rights in U.S.
history.
On January 9, the Court announced it
would hear Webster v. Reproductive
Health Services, an appeal to uphold the
constututionality of Missouri's abortion
law which also seeks to challenge the
constitutionality of Roe v. Wade. On
November 10, 1988, two days after
President Bush's election, the U.S.
Department of Justice sent a message to
the High Court asking it to hear the
Webster appeal and to use the Missouri
case as a vehicle for reviewing the Roe
decision to overturn it.
In addition to the general March call,
the NOW president has issued a special
call to the nation's lesbian and gay
communities to join the march on April

9.
"This call to the lesbian and gay
communities goes beyond NOW's longstanding support and advocacy for
lesbian and gay rights," she explained.
"We have long recognized the connection between reproductive rights and
lesbian and gay rights as basic issues of
privacy. The enemy is the same-a
fanatical, organized Right Wing that
seeks to control others through government intrusion in very private, very
personal decisions and lifestyles.
"This fight is about the right to
privacy-in which the Roe v. Wade
decision is grounded- as well as the

right to safe, legal abortion. If the Court
should overturn Roe, it would be a
major setback for the right to privacy as
well as women's right to choose abortion, and the cause of lesbian and gay
rights would suffer as well."
Among the more than 100 national
. groups and organizations that have
endorsed or announced participation in
the March for Women's Equality/
Women's Lives are many of the national
lesbian and gay organization, including:
The National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force, National Gay Rights Advocates,
Human Rights Campaign Fund, Lambda
Legal Defense and Education Fund,
Lesbian Rights Project, Dignity, The
National Committee to Free Sharon
Kowalski, and the Lesbian and Gay
Democrats of America.
"Lesbians and gay men understand
that our right to live our lives as first
' class citizens of this country is as much
on the line as a woman's right to choose
when and whether to give birth/'isaid
Rosemary Dempsey, chair of National
NOW's Lesbian Rights Committee and
member of the Natio~al NOW Board of
Directors. "The feminist and lesbian
and gay communities must stand together to fight for Roe v. Wade. Everyone's rights are on the line."
Jeffrey Levi, Executive Director of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,
echoed Dempsey's sentiments. "We will
be there on April 9," he said, "for our
sisters and for ourselves. If we don't
hold the line now, we /lose 16 years
worth of ground and everyone who
cares about fundamental human rights
should recognize that and make a commitment to this fight."
Groups and individuals interested in
organizing a delegation or simply participating in the April 9 March should
contact their local or state NOW
chapters or contact the National NOW
Action Center. The address is 1000 16th
Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington,
D.C. 20036-5705, and the telephone
number is 202/331-0066.
•

GAY LUTHERANS ADOPT
MORE RADICAL STANCE
No longer willing to be ignored by the
Church, Lutherans Concerned/
North America, a Lutheran Ministry for
Continued on next page

3

I

I

Continued from previous page

Lesbian and Gay Understanding, has
issued A Call for Repentance. Meeting
in Toronto, Ontario, the group's biennial Assembly unanamously approved
the document which labels the churches'
treatment of the gay and. lesbian community"sinful" and calls on the churches
to publicly repent. Articulating eighteen
specific charges, the document demands
that the leaders of the churches meet
with representatives of Lutherans Concerned for dialog and action.
Since the group's founding in 1974,
Lutherans Concerned has attempted to
work with the churches in addressing
the needs of the lesbian and gay community. Fourteen years later, that offer
having been for the most part ignored,
Lutherans Concerned/NA has adopted
a more aggressive stance. In addition to
confronting the churches with their failure to minister to the gay and lesbian
community, the ·group plans to be visibly present at upcoming ,c onventions of
various Lutheran church bodies alerting
delegates to the group's demands.
In a related action, the Assembly
approved a speaking tour of three men
"''ho were denied ordination at the completion of their seminary education
because they refused to remain silent
about their sexuality.
•

GAY MAN ELECTED
PRESIDENT OF SAN
FRANSICSO BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS
San Francisco-On January 9, 1989,
Harry G. Britt became the first openly
gay man to serve as President of the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Britt is one of the most prominent
elected gay officials in the country. In
January, 1979, he succeeded the late
Harvey Milk who was slain along with
Mayor George Moscone by former
Supervisor Dan White. Harry Britt was
a close political associate and personal
friend of Supervisor Milk.
President Britt was sworn into office
by the Honorable Mary C. Morgan, a
lesbian municipal court judge for the
City and County of San Francisco.
Elected to a full term in December,
1979, Harry Britt was the only chal-

4

lenged incumbent to retain a seat on the
Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Britt
has been re-elected in November of
1980, 1984, and by an overwhelming
margin, in 1988, in city-wide races. In
the 1988 election, Britt placed 1st in a
field of 25 candidates.
Harry Britt has emerged as one of the
strongest progressive voices in San

Francisco politics. While effectively
advocating the rights of gay people, he
has also been a strong proponent of the
rights and welfare of working people,
seniors, women, minorities and the disabled. Britt has also authored landmark
legislation responding to the AIDS
epidemic.
•

Potpourri
THE INSTITUTE FOR
THE MUSICAL ARTS
Started by June Millington, the Institute for the Musical Arts is a multicultural, non-profit, national teaching
and performing arts organization based
in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its
primary goal is to support women,
especially women of color, pursuing
careers in music and/ or music business.
Through a series of classes, apprenticeships, studio recording and live performance experiences, students will gain
knowledge in such areas as:
Songwriting/composition
Music ethnology
performance techniques
stage lighting
artist management
marketing
voice/instrument development
recording/ engineering
sound technology
video
entertainment/music law
promotion
The lnstitute's purposes are:
1) To empower women in their pursuit of careers in the field of music
2) To enhance the technical and
management skills of musicians
and producers by providing a program and facilities for classroom
and hands-on experience.
3) To provide role models through
encouraging a mentorship program
and education in the history of
women in music
4) To document the contributions
and draw upon the wisdom of
women who have hitherto gone
generally unrecognized through an
on-going guest lecture and per-

formance series
. 5) To provide a national networking
base and clearinghouse for women
who want to enter into music,
music business, or music technology as a career
6) To develop a performance network
for IMA students
7) To bridge the gap between women
in the mainstream and "\ipmen's
music" industries
8) To encourage girls to pursue musical careers through an outreach
program in the primary and secondary schools
9) To expand audiences for and
appreciation of women in all facets
of the musical arts
10) To promote social justice and
equality within the music industry
and other social and cultural spheres.
I

For further information write I.M.A.,
2021 East 24th St., Oakland, CA
94606.
•

8TH ANNUAL WOMEN'S
RETREAT- April 21-23
The Arkansas Women's Retreat will be
held in a state park lodge that has bunk
beds for 110 people, a lounge, and
showers. They also have the use of a
dining hall that has a fireplace, walk-in
coolers, an ice-maker, and cooking facilities. There is a lake with boats and canoes
for rent, and tennis courts are available.
The weekend will be a time to have fun,
meet people, relax and hold discussions
on important issues. Women can call
together discussion groups on any topic
they wish. Come prepared to give workContinued on next page

Continued from pre1.1ious page

group meal Saturday night.
shops and lead discussions.
Please bring musical instruments, your
voice and song, poetry, things to share or
sell (such as records & crafts). The
Women's Project will sell books. Children are welcome; bring toys and books
and games to entertain them.
The retreat will not be highly organized
so that you can make of it what you wish
it to be. Bring ideas and creative energy.

What else to bring:
• Bedding for bunk beds. It may be
cold- bring blankets and warm
clothes.
•Food for the weekend. You must
supply all your own food . There are
refrigerators for storage, but you will
need cooking utensils, cups and
glasses. Bring something special that
can be shared with others at a large

• Sports equipment or games that you
and others might enjoy.
• Flashlights, towels, toiletries.
• Children, friends, family.

What to leave at home:
• Animals, unless you can keep them in
your car or on a leash.
• Alcohol and drugs.
The cost of the retreat is $20 for the
weekend. Make checks payable to the
Women's Project and mail by April
15th to the Women's Project, 2224
Main, Little Rock, AR 72206. Upon
receiving your registration, we'll send
you a receipt for use for admission and
a map to the park. For further information, call 372-5113.

GAY ILLINOIS
ALUMNI ORGANIZE
The University of Illinois Gay and
Lesbian Alumni Association (GALA)
is seeking to increase national membership. Aiumni/ ae from both the Champaign-Urbana and Chicago campuses
are welcome. The GALA will offer
social and professional networking, as
well as information and support to
current lesbian and gay students and
staff on campus.
There is no membership fee, but
contributions are encouraged. Alumni/ ae
wishing to join the mailing list should
write: University of Illinois GALA,
P.O . Box 53336, Washington D.C.
20009, or contact organizer Larry
Cohen at (202) 328-6227.
If you never attended the U of I but
know someone gay who did, please pass
the word along!
•

HERLAND NEEDS YOU!
What does Herland Sister Resources
mean to you? Many of you have passed
through the doors of both our old
location and now our new home on
39th Street.HSR has affected all of us in
one way or another: through new friendships, sisterhood, love, caring and support. We've grown through the years
and will continue to do so with support
from all of you.
We always are in need of volunteers
to either staff the center or work on the
building. We have several committees
that need volunteers, including the
Resource Center committee, Fundraising, Programming, Library, Newsletter
and Volunteer Committee. The continued success of HSR depends on
people getting involved and making a
difference in our community. We must
all work together to ensure our place in
society.
Think about this and your involvement with HSR, because without your
help we could be another statistic like
the Bookstore in San Antonio and
Several others across the United States.
In these depressed economic times in
Oklahoma it is difficult to make ends
meet and HSR fully understands that.
Many of you see us in a new location,
but we too have needs.
We know many of you give faithfully
of your time, talent and money, and we
are very appreciative of your continued
support. We cannot survive without
you.
•

HELP!!!
Herland needs you now more than ever. Herland's monthly bills:
Mortgage
Utilities
Gas
Sewage
Electric
Insurance
Newsletter printing & postage
(This cost is defrayed somewhat
by paid advertising)

TOTAL EXPENSES

$260

$
$
$
$

40
38
25
75

I

$200
$638

Herland extends sincere thanks to those precious few who have sustained
her through regular donations.
Herland's new location has caused her expenses to almost triple. With fewer
donations coming in due to difficult economic times for everyone Herland is
left perched precariously close to extinction. This potentially disasterous
financial situation can be alleviated if Herland's 700+ newsletter subscribers
donated just $1 a month. Please ask yourself if Herland is worth the price of 2
Cokes or a pack of cigarettes a month to you. If so, please let us hear from you
via the form below.
PLEASE HELP!
Thank you!

YES! I WILL HELP. I AM SENDING MY DONATION

O F$'----~

NAME ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADDRESS ~-------------------CITY

STATE

ZIP

5

CHANGE VIA INFILTRATION

by B.G. Canis
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is the opinion
of the above author. The views of the author are
hers, and are not necessarily shared or supported
by the editor or Herland's Board of Directors.
We encourage anyone with an opinion to express
it. This is where communication begins.
As women we've grown accustomed to
objectism, sexism, and invalidation. As
women-identified women, lesbians, we get a
double dose of the above not only from
men, but from male-identified women as
well. How society manages to brutalize us
and ignore us completely is utterly beyond
explanation, but it has managed. Were it not
for our knowledge of the existence of
society's unelightenment, fear, and insecurity
resulting in this bigotry and hatred we would
probably perish, at least in spirit.
What is unpardonable is apathy; not
amongst the ignorant, we don't expect much
from them, but amongst our own ranks. If
we're being oppressed and aren't even
concerned enough to work CONSTRUCTIVELY for change, who else is going to and
why should they?!?
Over the years I've noticed some ways
people try to "deal with" being "societal
dregs," "sick, depraved, loathesome, perverts," "niggers," "dykes," "faggots,"
"jews," "sluts," ... have I left anyone out? I
wouldn't want anyone to feel they've not
been properly categorized.
Some gay people, for example, discover
the gay bars, but they don't leave it at that,
they live for Friday and Saturday night, for
any night their favorite bar is open. They
drink every shot and do every drug . . . this
helps one remember how much fun one is
having, don't you know, and they they kiss
the ass of society in gratitude for granting
them the "priviledge" to be segregated and
kept powerless. Many all too willingly pay
this price for what they think is acceptance
and affirmation . .. destruction by design!
Denial. My personal favorite is why we
don't exist. I do hope you are aware that we
don't really exist! We are a mist with a faint
lavendar hue ... merely an illusion. Priceless,
is the fact that we deny ourselves!
Some choose to be a living, breathing
"eyesore." I don't have much insight into
this one. Being comfortable I understand;
being one's self I understand; reflecting back
society's narrow, biased image of the "dyke"
or "faggot" I really don't understand. These
are the major counter-productive strategies
I've noted. As testimony to the effectiveness
of these "strategies" we can see that all of
our problems have been solved.
Some of the neutral strategies that come to
mind are the use of words like "wimmin,"
"herstory," or "garbage PERSON." Cute,
creative, but so what? Who cares? The other

6

one that comes to mind is "outcast communes." Don't get me wrong, this one is
really quite appealing esthetically ... telling
society to kiss off and divorcing it. The
problem is, nothing changes. By seceding, as
it were, you can't affect change. If anyone
loses, you do . . . defeat by design! So ... what
to do in light of the realization that selfdestruction, degradation, and euphemisms
don't work! Hmmmm . ..
As a last resort we could always employ a
little common sense. We can JOIN those
organizations we already have reason to be
members of- religious, professional, recreational, political, social, fraternal- it really
doesn't matter what the organization is as
long as it's pertinent to you as an individual.
The more conservative and biased the better,
that's where new opinions need to be heard

What is unpardonable is
apathy. Not amongst the
ignorant ... but amongst our
own ranks.
the most. If you want to make an impact,
however, and here's where I'll lose many of
you, you'll have to be ACTIVE. You'll need
to be one of the LEADERS. No, you can't
always be president or vice-president, but
many organizations have committees, coordinators, boards of trustees, etc. If you can't
do that at least let your position be known.
One need not get on a soap box to have a
voice. One need not be a soldier to fight a
war. The right to be heard, to be counted, to
be acknowledged is achieved through education not alienation. We can be ourselves
tactfully or we can be ourselves obnox·
iously, the only difference being that with
the former we have a chance of succeeding
whereas with the latter we'll surely fail. Our
goal should be to provoke thought, not
anger.. . there's already an abundance of
anger.
The dictionary defines invasion as " entrance or advent of anything TROUBLESOME or HARMFUL such as DIS-EASE.
Infringement by intrusion." Intrusion implies being unwelcome... we must make
ourselves welcome. The sixties were invasive times. As we all walk through our beautiful gardens in awe of the world peace,
brotherly love, and equal opportunity for all
that is ours we can ruminate over that successful era of protests, parades, riots, and
sit-ins. I've done all of these things and
there's a place for them. With the exception
of riots, they are fun and inspiring. They're
a great outlet and consciousness raiser and I
can think of no better way to bond with
people than to work for a common cause, be
it on the field or in the picket line. We need
these outlets because we often get discour-

aged and are easily divided by internal
conflicts.
is a personal decision and no one has any
right to interfere with your personal life.
There are also degrees of being out. Again,
that's not the point here. You can join
Radicalesbians and you can join AFL-CIO ...
you'll be a more effective agent for change in
a position of power at AFL-CIO, although,
undoubtedly, Radicalesbians would be much
more fun.
It's not easy infiltrating. Usually you're
alone in your beliefs; you must be assertive,
able to support your stance, able to put
people in their place firmly but tactfully. You
must be patient and persistent and somehow
you must be able to put all this together in
such a way that you command respect from
yourself and others. It's necessary to be
persuasive, confident, and not too terribly
sensitive. Invariably you'll be controversial
and some people won't like you . .. so what?
Chances are you don't particularly like them
either. That's alright, the only prerequisite
here is to maintain a good working relationship.
If you don't work for change you hfve no
right to bitch. I don't know about y~f but
I'm far too fond of bitching to relinquish my
right to it. So, if you . have the personal
strengrh to encourage yourself when everyone else discourages you, and if you are
determined to succeed when everyone
around you is pushing for you to fail, 1then
perhaps there's a rolt. for you to play. You
can do it. If this isn't the role for you, that's
alright too. We aren't all fitted to the same
tasks.
If we support and encourage each other
we'll all go a little further. When you are
your only support system the going is a little
tougher and not as enjoyable'. But if you just
don't care, I feel sorry for you.
•

HERLAND HAS
GOT A PHONE!
Herland Resource Center now
has a telephone! The number is
(405) 521-9696 or 521-WMYN.
Thanks to an anonymous pledge
covering the monthly telephone
expense and to a local attorney who
dropped by the center one Saturday offering a $60 donation for
t he purpose of installing a telephone, communication is now a
reality.
For information on what's happening about town or what's available at Herland Center call 521WMYN. Hours are 6 • 8:30 p .m.
Thurs.; 10 a.m. • 6 p .m . Saturday;
and 1 - 6 p.m. Sunday.

Meet the Board
THE EDITOR OF OUR
NEWSLETTER,
KAREN L.
By Sondra Metzger
According to Karen, she blew into
this world in 1949 in the borough of
Staten Island, NY, thanks to the howling wind and generally blustery New
York weather that day. Her father's
transfer with the Public Health Service
brought Karen and her family to Tahlequah in 1959, where he served as
commanding officer of the Public Health
Service Indian Hospital. Karen said that
he was less than pleased with the service
for putting him here, that he thought it
was a desolate, backward area. Now he
loves it here and won't leave.
Karen chose to continue her education at OSU, majoring in fine arts with
a minor in backstage theatre.
"In the Spring of 1971, I had to fly to
New York for my brother's wedding,''
she said. "On the way back I sat next to
a woman who had a copy of The Village
Voice, which was an underground newspaper in Greenwich Village in New
York. On the front page was a picture of
two women kissing. I knew that I had to
go back to New York to come out
because New York had gay people and
Oklahoma didn't."
After receiving her bachelor's degree,
Karen toured Europe for three weeks
with her parents. When they flew back,
her parents came back to Oklahoma.
Karen didn't.
"I spent seven years in New York,''
she said. "I used to do some crazy
things in those days. I would ride the
subway at night by myself to go to a gay
bar 30 blocks away. Then, around 3 or
4 a.m., I would ride the subway back,
again by myself. It's a miracle I wasn't
killed."
Karen describes herself as being
"disgustingly and dangerously naive"
during that time. She slowly started
meeting people and did all the things
one does when one first comes out. She
moved back to Oklahoma when she got
fed up with the crime.
"I interviewed for a computer job at
OSU,'' she said, "but they took their
sweet time with it. By the time they
finally got around to processing my
application, I had applied for a job at

OU and was hired almost immediately.
I've been in or near Norman for 10
years now."
Karen finds herself still in school,
studying at OU to get her master's
degree in community counseling. With
that in hand, Karen has set some high
goals for herself.
"It's going to take a few years,'' she
said, "but I want to be in private
practice someday specializing in lesbian
marriage counseling. Because society
puts little credence in gay relationships,
this is an area in which resources are
devastatingly lacking."
Her interest in counseling began
when a friend tried to commit suicide in
the early 1970's. In 1976, the friend
succeeded, turning Karen's feelings of
inadequacy to feelings of despair.
"I thought that if I had only had the
skills that I could have maybe made a
difference," she said. "In the late
1970's I took a few classes and got shot
down by an instructor when he said
that anything a psychologist does could
be done by anyone because all it takes is
empathy. Hearing him say that his
degree was worthless really shot me
down. So, I stopped going to school
and got more involved in my job with
computers."
A few years ago, Karen became
unhappy with the lack of personal
involvement that computer programming had to offer.· She found out about
the counseling program and is now very
broke but very happy.
Along with trying to keep up her
grades, Karen does a great deal of volunteer work for Herland and is slowly
becoming involved in another volunteer
organization, Habitat for Humanity.
"It's an international organization
that purchases solid but ramshackle
houses,'' she said. "The houses are then
renovated and.sold for $22,000-$26,000
to needy families and are paid through
no-interest loans that Habitat gives the
people. It's almost exclusively volunteers
who go to the houses and renovate them."
After she graduates in May, Karen is
hoping to get back into the hobbies she
loves: photography, dog training, water
color and oil painting, jogging, traveling,
volunteering for Herland and fixing things.
The last two almost go hand-in-hand.
"Ba~k in the early 1980's, my first
impression of Herland was not a good
one,'' she said. "The women were great,
but I was disappointed in the size of the
stock. My impression of a bookstore
was more than what I saw. Since then,
I've seen Herland grow in leaps and
bounds. We're much more sophisticated

now, and the board meetings are more
organized and have more direction.
We're getting more done, reaching out
to the community more, increasing the
size of our library, servicing the community better. We have a nice place
that's warm in the winter. Our retreats
are dependable and twice a year. These
are things we didn't have a few years ago."
Karen also sees Herland going in a
new direction, becoming more politically involved. She would like to see a
political committee formed out of the
board instead of trying to encourage
everyone to get involved.
"I originally got involved with Herland because my lover was involved,''
she said. "I also saw something happening that interested me. It woke me up. I
became a board member because of my
interest in Herland and my ideas. I
wanted to be able to have a say and I felt
that just sitting in on the meetings didn't
give me the right to say much."
Karen would like to see Herland more
politically involved in the future1 :~s well
as an increase in the stock in tile store
and events so that .H erland offers just
about anything and everything a lesbian
community could want. She would also
like to see more decent literature for
men, lesbian.support groups and avideo
tape library with a place within the
resource ·center to view the tapes.
"If we could find a benefactor somewhere that would make a hefty donation
of several thousand dollars we could
really stock the.resource center and have
more money to offer m'ore things," she
said. "Until then, we're going to have to
rely on fundraisers."
Karen has been the editor of the newsletter since September 1977. According
to her, it was given over to her when she
offererd to help her predecessor in
August and wound up with the newsletter in September.
"It's my baby and I'm not ready to
give it up,'' she said. "It used to take me
30 hours a month before Sondra and
Rhonda came along. Now it takes me
about 18. I used to collect and write
articles, type them into the proper format,
go to Kinko's and reduce them to the right
size, go back home and paste it up, then
take it to Kemco for printing. Now
Sondra and Rhonda do much of this."
Karen would like to see the advertising
in the newsletter pay for the printing of it,
as well as a new masthead, more subscriptions, more up-to-date national news and a
Continued on next page

7

l
I'

Continued from previous page

name of its own.
"I would also like to see Herland
become a nationally known organization,"
she said. "It's slowly becoming that now
with about 20% of our newsletters going
to subscribers in states other than Oklahoma. Herland offers a worµan a place to
meet other women, a place to grow personally, a place to become involved, to feel
like she is doing something for her community, for herself. Herland also offers the
individual a place to have a lot of fun."
This slight-statured woman has some
pretty big dreams for this organization.
But to Karen, Herland is a home away
from home. It's a place where she feels she
has grown personally, where she has met
wonderful, loving, caring people like herself and where she has developed friendships with people who are professionals
and are interested in something other than
going to the bars to drink or find a
sleeping partner.
"I want to lead a support group at
Herland after I finish school," she said. "I
want to be there when things really start
happening for Herland as it grows, because
it has started happening. I think it's a
good, positive resource for the community."
Karen's love for Herland has shown
through quite a bit in this interview, but
not as much as her presence at functions
or at the resource center. She constantly
putters around (she calls it "putz") at the
building and at the retreats. The woman
barely sits still.
Karen takes great pride in the healthy
environment found at Herland.
"Herland gives a person a chance to
meet others in a healthy environment,"
she said, "and all kinds of opportunity to
grow. You can learn how to stock a
bookstore, how to put out a newsletter,
how to repair a building. It can give you
the prestige of being on the board of a
nonprofit agency. It gives an individual
lesbian a place to build a healthy self
image. A positive self image."
•

Letters to the Editor
Dear Herland,
I'm «n"iting on behalf of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRCF) with great
news! Now, through the Campaign Fund's
new "Speak Out" program, you can
enhance our chances of wining vital AIDS
and lesbian/ gay rights battles in Congress.
I know my colleagues often perceive the
lack of mail on an issue as a lack of
support back home. Too often, it leads them
to avoid taking a stance on the issues or to
go with the best organized, more vocal, and
presumably most popular position.
Unfortunately, constituent mail to Congress from our side of the issues has been
sadly lacking.
That's why the new HRCF "Speak
Out" program is vital. "Speak Out" is a
strategy enabling fair-minded citizens, gay
and non-gay alike, to have their voices
heard loudly, clearly and repeatedly on
Capitol Hill.
By pre-authorizing brief messages to
Congress on AIDS and lesbian/ gay rights,
participants in "Speak Out" are heardand make a difference.
The results last year were phenomenal1'm told almost 10 times more mail than
ever before was generated to Congress. In
fact, my good friend Senator Ted Kennedy
spoke specifically of the impact of the
mailgram strategy on passage of the Federal
AIDS Policy Act, the first comprehensive
AIDS legislation in history.
Now the HRCF "Speak Out" mail
program builds on that solid base of success.
I urge you to join this vital program. By
doing so, you'll authorize the campaign
fund to send brief messages on your behalf
to Congress at a cost of just $2.95 each.
Because of your demonstrated concern
about turning back the Far Right's vicious
attacks on lesbians and gay men, I know
you'll want to participate in this important

If you've never experienced

program.
Without pressure and mail from their
voters, it'll be hard to convince my colleagues that the polling majorities on our
side reflect opinion in their districts.
Our community's lobbyists are very
effective. I and other members of Congress
committed to f aimess will continue to work
hard on these issues. But we really need
your help- in the form of repeated and
timely constituent mail to your representative and senators. "Speak Out" is quick,
easy and inexpensive.
Please take a moment, right now, to join
the "Speak Out" program today. We're in
a race against time. There's a lot at stake.
Pending legislation, and the seemingly
inevitable anti-gay amendments all could
be acted on before we know it. If you wish
to participate in the "Speak Out" program,
«n"ite to: HRCF Field Division, P.O. Box
1723, Washington, D.C. 20013, or call
(202) 628-4160.
Sincerely,
~ 1
•v
U .S. Representative Gerry Studds
The HSR Newsletter is offered as an open forum
for community discourse. Materials printed herein
reflect the beliefs and opinions of the authws of
the articles or letters, and not necessarily those of
the Newsletter or the Herland Board.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?
If you are planning to i;nove, and you don't
want to miss any issues of the HSR Newsletter, please let us know you new address
BEFORE you move. For your protection the
Post Office wil not forward the Newsletter and
Herrand will not change your address without
your authorization. Therefore, to ensure
receipt of the Newsletter, fill out and mail us
this change-of-address form BEFORE you
move. The form may also be used to add your
name to the mailing list.

-------------CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM

Name(s) - - - - - - - - - - - -

Old Address - - - - - - - - - - -

a massage, you don't know
"Stress Management"
Therapeutic Massage

Sa11'1 Bfovitts
525-5907

what you're missing.
Massage is gaining worldwide recognition as one of
the best ways to relieve the
stresses of everyday life.

State

ZIP _ _ _ _ __

New Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

"Life's ab ____" ...

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and then you get a
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State

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8

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Mail to:

ZIP _ _ _ _ __
Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 73112

ANNOUNCEMENT
There will be a workshop on
Intimacy and Sexuality for lesbians

only!
Presented by Jo S., M.Ed. and Linda
M., MHR/CADC on May 19, 20,
21. Cost is $65 if paid in advance.
Call 843-5319 or 842-6069 for
further information.

Berland extends its sincere appreciation to OU's Gay & Lesbian Alliance for its donation to the Berland
Video Library of J.E.B.'s "For Love
and For Life: The Gay & Lesbian
March on Washington" video tape.

THANKS FOR THE PHONE!
The HSR Board extends its appreciation to Sally Hall of Designs With Lettering for installing the wiring for Herland's new telephone. Thanks to Sally's
donated time, energy and materials the
Herland Center has a phone-and the
number is: ( 405) 521-9696. thank you,
Sally!
•

A NNOUNCES
FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEO
April 7, 7:30 p.m. - "Feds"
plus
"Two in Twenty - Part II"

FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEO
April 21, 7:30 p.m. - "I Heard the Mermaid Singing''
plus
"Two in Twenty - Part Ill"

HERLAND'S ANNUAL SPRING RETREAT
May 19 - 21st at
Boiling Springs State Park
(Registration Form on Page 2.)

HELP MAKE HERLAND BEITER
Mark your calendars -for Herland's
work day, Sunday April 9 at 10 a.m.
Come with tools and any clean-up
supplies you have in hand! Help make
Herland a better place for the women's
community. For further information
call 794-7464.
•

Watch for details of Herland's upcoming Scavenger Hunt.

Note: Laura has relinquished the position of Advertising
Director to Sondra. Henceforth, Sondra at 271-2101 can
handle all of your advertising needs.
I

THE NEW HERLAND CENTER IS NOW OPEN!

Ri1KEMCO
~

PRINTING INC.
340-4301

SATURDAYS 10 a.m . - 6 p.m. & SUNDAYS 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
at 2312 N.W. 39th St.

HERLAND BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD THE 3RD
SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 2312 N.W. 39TH
4:30 p.m.

1601 S. Broadway, Unit D
Edmond, Okla. 73013

HERLAND IS ...
PUBLISHED BY: Herland Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 NW 39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
CIRCULATION: 700
GENERAL INFO: (405) 794-7464
VOLUNTEER INFO: 528-06o4
ADVERTISING:
DEADLINE on all advertising ana submissions
is the 15th of each month.
SUBSCRIPTIONS to this Newsletter are free
upon request.

A non-profit corporation composed of a collective of wimmin - open to any womyn who
wants to be a part of it - which works to maintain a feminist library and bookstore, sponsors
workshops, retreats, concerts and other events for YOU. Herland's reason for being is to
provide a framework for a variety of projects for the support and enjoyment of the area
wimmin's community. It is a place to learn and grow, meet other wimmin, develop lasting
friendships, receive support and nurture the positive self-image that societal attitudes
sometimes make illusive to us. Herland exists to serve YOU.
Your donations are used to pay the mortgage and utilities on the resource center, and
printing and postage for the monthly HSR Newsletter and Friend of Herland cards.
All of Herland's services are free, including the Newsletter. This is why your donation is so
important. It is Herland's lifeblood.

' 9

SOUTHERN WOMEN'S MUSIC AND COMEDY
FESTIVAL! Anyone going to SWMCF? I would like to
arrange ride from Atlanta airport to the land. Call
405 -525-8522.

Classifieds
Buy or Rent - this very nice 3BR, 1Y2 bath brick home on
9/10 acre in Noble. 405-872-8673.
HOUSECLEANING, Pet Sitting and Grooming, Housesitting,
Odd Jobs. Affordable rates. References on request. 842-4225.

FREE LESBIAN MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE: Descriptions of over 300 books/videos. Send two 25¢
stamps. Womankind books, Dept. HS, 5 Kivy Street,
Huntington Sta., NY 11746.

STEP BACK IN TIME! PLUMS B&.B for women only,
antiques, private baths, full breakfast, parking. For brochure: 160 Bradford St, Provincetown, MA 02657. (508)
487-2283.

LESBIAN WRITERS! LESBIAN MANUSCRIPTS
WANTED for immediate publication: romance, mysteries, & Sci-Fi novels. Send first 5 chapters with
SASE/Postage to: Rising Tide Press, Dept HS, 5 Kivy
St., Huntington Sta., NY 11746.

Please SUPPOrt the
Businesses who SuPPort Herland!
366-0923

CHURCH OF CHRIST
FOR GAY PEOPLE
MEETS THURSDAYS, 7:30 P.M.
102 EAST HEFNER ROAD
IN OKLAHOMA CITY
MAILING ADDRESS
P.O. BOX 60873, OKC OK 73146
DANNY (405) 787-U53 OR JANIE (405) 755-7259

HELEN HOLGATE
Certified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
1
Counselor

cCD

E

CD

"'

'i:
CD
>

~
1:1
·a;

a.

I

Designs With Lettering

REBECCA R. COHN, Ph.D.

Custom Signs and Lettering

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

359-1900
HSR would like to thank the women of DWL for their generous
donations of signs for our new building.

P. 0. Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070
321-2148

Adolescent . .. Group ...
Family Therapy

"Return" yourself to normal. Alleviate the stress
of tax time by treating yourself to a massage!

848-6429

'Ooucfi of Qold
HEALTHFUL • STRESS RELIEVING MASSAGE

SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICINSID PRMllSIONAL COUNSILOA

6y·

Melanie ~- McKiddy
MASSAGE THERAPIST

PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
11001 N PINNIYLYANIA •OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73112

360-6945

Part of Herland Sister Resources : v.6: no.4(1989)