HerlandVoice-1993-04-v10-no04_ocr.pdf
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- HerlandVoice-1993-04-v10-no04_ocr.pdf
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April, 1993
''WHERE ARE
You
FROM?''
by Vivien Ng
[Author's Note: April is Asian American Awareness Month
(whatev.~r that means).
This is my feeble attempt at
marking the occasion.]
My parents settled in Hong Kong when I was still a toddler, thus
I was spared the fate of living in Chinatown, NYC. My cousins were
not as lucky, but many years had to pass before I realized how
fortunate I was to have had the chance to grow up in a place where
I did not have to constantly explain my cultural identity.
Not that I thought much about being Chinese. Although I grew
up in a bilingual environment, I had always been more fluent in
English than Chinese. Thus, while I loved putting my thoughts down
in writing--in my journals or short essays--it was always done in
English, never Chinese, unless it was a class assignment and then it
became pure torture. My grandmother on my mother's side was a
devout Buddhist, and would take me along with her to temples and
other places of worship, qut by and large I did not care much about
Chinese culture.
My early disregard for Chinese culture, and my identification
with being an expatriate American--after all, our family had lived in
the U.S. since the late 19th Century, and Ernest Hemingway was a
favorite author of mine until I knew better--left me totally unprepared for life back in the U.S.A., where practically everybody
assumed that I was a "foreigner," which, in a sense, I was.
''Where are you from?'' At first, I replied gleefully that I was
from Hong Kong, because that was the literal truth. Later, I became
a bit more elaborate in my response, always taking care to explain
that even though I had lived most of my life outside the U.S., I was
just as American as the curious inquisitor. This was back in the fall
of 1969, when the Vietnam War was still escalating, and even in
college towns there were enough rednecks who would like nothing
more than to bash a few ··gooks'' in their own backyard. It was this
rude awakening that spurred my interest in Chinese history, and
eventually launched me on the path to self discovery.
The question, "Where are you from?"
is seldom just an innocent query.
Another time, after I had just given a speech in Tulsa, a woman
came up to me and complimented me on my flawless English. When
I explained that it was no big deal, because English was after all my
first language, she protested, "How come you have such thick
accent?" Naturally, my English was "flawless" only as long as I
was perceived to be a foreigner. But as an American, I was
"flawed."
The attitude that informs these
seemingly harmless questions accounts
for the ugly reality that hate crimes
against Asians have been escalating at
alarming rates.
Why harp on these inconveniences and unpleasantries? The
reality is that ''Where are you from?'' or ''Where do you come
from?" are never merely inconveniences or unpleasantries. The
attitude that informs these seemingly harmless questions accounts
for the ugly reality that hate crimes against Asians have been
escalating at alarming rates. I read somewhere that it is the fastest
growing hate crime in New York City, surpassing in terms of rate of
increase even gay bashing.
Mitsuye Yamada was right on the mark when she wrote the
essay, "Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster," about what it is like
to be Asian American. We have been so invisible, our- history of
oppression has been so ignored or misunderstood, that a woman was
able to say to Yamada after a class on Asian American literature that
she had no idea Asians were so angry.
We need to become visible, even if in the short term such
visibility may cause us discomfort or incur resentment or suspicion
from others. I suppose we need also to be willing to treat every
''Where are you from?'' as an opportunity to educate the non-Asian
American population, however unpleasant this exercise may be.
And, by the way, I am from Seattle.
0
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.•
Twenty-three years later, I still have to explain who I am and
where I am from. The question, ·'Where are you from?'' is seldom
just an innocent query. The ·questioner always comes armed with
certain assumptions about who you are--that you are foreign, that
you don't belong. One day, about ten years ago, I was admiring a
painting of geraniums at the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
An elderly woman stood next to me, stared at the picture, then at me,
and asked, pointing at the flowers, •'How do you say that in your
language?" "Geraniums,". I said, and moved on to the next
painting.
.. .•
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···'··'···'··'···'··'···'··'···'··'···'·.'···'··'···'··'···'·
Volume 10 Number 4
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::========::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ====::::::::::::::·:·:··-·.· · · ·
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Herland Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112
ST. SYBIL
Dear St. Sybil,
With Valentine's Day coming up and all, would you write an
article about falling in love? Thanks.
Love, (ha ha),
Anna Terna! Romantic
Dear Anna,
I saved your letter for this issue, for a day that somehow seems
even more appropriate for lovers - right, April Fools Day. Oh, all
right, I suppose I should have run it in March, to fall between the two
days. Heaven knows, love comes in all gradations. There's nice
comfortable enduring love, sort of like drifting in a sailboat on a
quiet spring lake; friendly lust, maybe like windsurfing at Hefner, or
parasailing over Acapulco; good healthy might-last-past-the-honeymoon passion, maybe like sailing a schooner around the Greek
Islands; and then there's Romantic Love, Scourge of the Innocent,
Destroyer of the Pure, Tormentor of the Naive, - which is much like
a first-class ticket on the Titanic: dramatic, exciting, elegant and
mostly fatal.
Or if you are more comfortable with your analogies on dry land,
you might say Romantic Love/Lust is kind of like driving 80 miles
an hour in dense fog and frozen rain on 1-40 on the outskirts of
Amarillo - and the blinder you get, the more you like it. (So the land
wasn't dry, so sue me).
The following are the kind of comments you frequently hear
from people suffering in the throes of Barbie-Barbie/Barbie-Ken/
Ken-Ken Romantic Love:
rJ/ ''Latex? Who needs latex?''
rJ/ ''I don'treally want to go out and meet: (the President, the Pope,
Sting, Barbara Jordan, Whitney Houston); I'd rather stay at home
and watch sitcoms and maybe - maybe she'll call."
rJ/ "It's my fault, I shouldn't have been (too available/too
distant; too pushy/too busy; so wanton/so prudish; ad infinitum, ad
nauseam)"
rJ/ "Youaresocruel. Youhavehurtmesomuchlwanttodie. Come
back, I can't live without you."
rJ/ "Nab, I don't think I have any STD' s either."
rJ/ "I think it's probably safe this time of the month."
rJ/ "If I can just lose ten pounds s/he' ll some back."
rJ/ "Of course I'll come over (It's only two weeks since I
heard from you and three o'clock in the morning). I'll be right
there.''
rJ/ "Oh god, yes, just clear the desk off; the boss won't come in
without knocking.''
rJ/ "Latex? Who needs latex?"
So if ever you hear anything like the above cross your little
rosebud lips, Anna, watch out, back off, take stock, take a deep
breath, get a grip, pull your socks up, come to yourself, take time out
- and take care of yourself. It might make you want to throw up to
hear it, but it's true: If you don't take care of yourself, no one else
will either.
Fondly,
Sybil
D
Looking for Love7 SFCFF(single fixed calico female feline), SFTFF
(single fixed tabby female feline), and SFTMF(single fixed tabby male
feline) seek one or more long-term cohabiting relationships. We've
grown accustomed to fine music, enjoy but don't require dogs. We
are non-smoking and non-drinking health nuts with all our shots. Call
our agents, Mary or Roddy, at 528-0020 to arrange a screening visit.
2
Herland Voice
April, 1993
MAY DAY FuN
THE GOOD NEWS is that we' re having a dance. The bad news
is that you only have a month to decide what to wear!
The May Day Ball begins at 8:00 pm, but you'd better block out
that whole first day of May on your calendar: It's a May Day/Gay
Day/Play Day. Start at 1:00 pm in the west parking lot of Lee
Burris's Habana Inn with the Gay May Day Festival sponsored by
Pride Network Incorporated. The food, amusements, individual
artists, king- and queen-contest and community crowd will meld to
make a wonderful celebration of Spirit. (Incidentally, you artists
who have not yet booked your sales/display space should call Susan
or Barbara at 340-3575 because it's not too late to register for a $10
booth.)
After the Festival closes at 7:00, jump into your manly or
womanly (gender optional) party clothes and head for the dance at
the First Unitarian Church, 600 NW 13th.
There, at the May Day Ball, you can party and dance from 8:00
pm to Midnight, but this function is not only a trip to the light
fantastic. The ticket price of $5.00 goes to the Herland Legal
Defense Fund, and several Community organizations are joining in
to make sure you have fun at this fund raiser.
Herland will hold a Celebrity Auction during the ball and you
may be lucky enough to acquire a genuine autograph or personal item
from one of your he/sheroes. Oklahoma Gay and Lesbian Political
Caucus will take photographs and hold a Ball-Royalty contest while
Pride Network Inc. runs the hard and soft bars to keep your whistles
wet. Speaking of bars, we'd better warn you that you might end up
behind them in Oklahoma Gay Rodeo Association's jail.
Are you worried about whether you'll have the strength for all
this fun? Don't. MCC Christ the King will be there peddling tasty
calories to keep your energy high for the toe-tapping, foot-stomping,
and graceful gyrations on the dance floor. DJ Cindy Bookout will
make sure that there' s some music for all styles of movement.
Most of the proceeds from these activities go to the Legal
Defense Fund, thanks to the efforts of the organizations participating ... and to YOU, because we need you to make this a successful
evening. Mark your calendar, check your wardrobe, and get your
tickets at Herland, Lobo (the new bookstore for our community, at
2131NW39th), or wherever you see the ' 'May Day Ball tickets for
sale" poster.
D
MAY DAY Boutonnieres
and Corsages
Leaf It To Us!
631-3575
15% discount for orders recieved by
April 19
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
Floral Designs
Silk and Fresh
GOOD MORNING, OKLAHOMA!
by Vivien Ng
[Author's note: This is a reprint of an editorial I wrote for a recent
issue of the Oklahoma Women's Network News.]
I still remember that incident as vividly as though it happened
just yesterday. It was a crisp fall day in New York City. I had just
purchased a beautiful cashmere coat at Bloomingdale' s and was
feeling quite good about being able to finally afford one. So I was
in high spirits as I walked up Second Avenue to my apartment on 77th
St. In New York, I had learned not to make eye contacts with anyone,
but I couldn't help staring at this elderly woman who was dressed in
a drab blue coat, walking slowly toward me. She stopped suddenly
in front of the bagel shop with her feet planted far apart, stared back
at me, and defecated standing up, in full public view. I was brought
right down to earth.
Two and a half years have passed and I still think about that
woman. I still think about the indignity she suffered so publicly. I
still feel the anger that surged through my body that afternoon, my
anger at our failure to take care of the basic needs of the poor, the
sick, and the elderly in our society. Who was this woman? A mother,
sister, daughter, neighbor? In my mind she has become an emblem
of the social welfare crisis in America. And of the health care crisis
as well.
The other day, I read in the New York Times that a National
Research Council report said that the AIDS epidemic has had little
impact on the lives of most Americans because the disease has
primarily affected "socially disadvantaged segments" like homosexuals, drug users, the poor and the undereducated. In other words,
there exists a disease ghetto of sorts that distorts the public's
perception of AIDS, leading to the possibility that AIDS may slip
from our collective conscience. Is it really possible that this decadeold epidemic has had little impact on most segments of American
society? What does this say about us?
Historian Allan M. Brandt wrote this about the AIDS crisis:
"The way a society responds to problems of disease reveals its
deepest cultural, social, and moral values. These core values-patterns of judgment about what is good or bad--shape and guide
human perception and action. This, we know, has most certainly
been the case with AIDS; the epidemic has been shaped not only by
powerful biological forces, but by behavioral, social, and cultural
factors as well." What does our indifference (if not callousness)
toward AIDS say about us as a society?
My first conscious encounter with a person with AIDS was in
October 1987, when I went to Washington, DC to participate in the
march for lesbian and gay rights and to witness the unfolding of the
Names Project quilt. He was a frail young man, sitting in a
wheelchair, his right hand clutching tightly that of his lover. All of
a sudden, he suffered a seizure and was rushed off to a nearby
hospital. In that instant, I confronted the human face of AIDS. Later
that day, as I walked by row after row of quilt panels, each sewn with
love and sorrow, I wept for that young man who had touched my life
ever so fleetingly.
Five and a half years have passed and I still think about that
young man. I still think about the dignity he tried so hard to maintain,
until his body betrayed him. I remember the sadness that overwhelmed me that morning, certain in the knowledge that this young
man would never have the chance to grow old. I still feel the anger
that surged through my body that day, my anger at the inadequate and
homophobic response of the Reagan Administration to this catastrophic public health crisis.
But there is no need to dwell on the past. As poet Maya Angelou
so eloquently put it on Inauguration Day:
Lift up your eyes upon
This day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream . ...
Here, on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, and into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope -Good morning.
Good morning, Oklahoma! Let us not allow this day to slip
[J
away from us again.
Her/and Voice
April, 1993
3
THE HYSTERECTOMY EPIDEMIC
by Deborah Fox
When I first moved to Oklahoma, one of the things that stood out
to me was the number of women who had had or were scheduled to
have a hysterectomy. Most of the women I was meeting had a
hysterectomy and the greater my circle of acquaintances, the more
hysterectomies I heard about. I began to wonder about Oklahoma's
water or some other unseen toxicity. I was horrified by some of the
attitudes some of the women had about being ''free'' from
menstruality. Clearly this stemmed from being conditioned to hate
their body by misogynistic ideology. I also had reason to suspect that
for some women, hysterectomy was a form of birth control. (Is this
due to fundamentalist christian anti-birthcontrol dogma?) It was
scary. I wanted to clutch my uterus and ovaries and run! It seemed
like a Hitchcock horror story or something out of the Stepford Wives.
So I did some research and this is what I found: Southern states
have a higher percentage of hysterectomies, Northeastern states have
the lowest. This may be due to differing medical schools of thought;
one is conservative, which proposes to try every available treatment
as opposed to jumping into surgical procedures, the other is liberal,
and proposes to surgically remove any sick part of the body or
potentially sick part of the body.
"To legitimate this form [hysterectomy] of castration, wellknown gynecologists resort to describing the uterus by such expressions as 'a possible breeding ground for cancer' and as 'a potentially
lethal organ'. In this rapist society, which grants the hysterical
hysterectomy advocates license to practice medicine, we must ask
just who are the possessors of 'potentially lethal organs', both
biological and technological? Under the tutelage of this system,
doctors frequently bully women into believing that they ' need' a
hysterectomy, failing to tell their patients that the death rate for
hysterectomy itself.. .is, in fact higher than the death rate for uterine/
cerviCal cancer" (Mary Daly, Gyn/Ecology).
''One of the earliest uses of the developing field of gynecology
was the overt social control of women through surgical removal of
various of her sexual organs - the clitoris, its foreskin, or the
ovaries" (Marilyn French, Beyond Power).
"You need a hysterectomy." At current hysterectomy rates,
one in three American women reading this sentence will hear those
four words from her doctor before she turns sixty. Some hysterectomies (those to treat cancer, for example) are unquestionably
necessary. But nearly 90% of these operations are performed to
'cure' benign diseases - such as fibroids or ovarian cysts - which can
often be treated with less radical surgery or no surgery at all.
Hysterectomy is the second most common major surgery in this
country (the most common is birth by Caesarian section). While half
of all women who have hysterectomies don't suffer complications,
half do - and every year 1in1,000 patients (or 600 women) die due
to complications following the operation. After having hysterectomies, 33% to 46% of women in one study had difficulty becoming
sexually aroused or reaching orgasm. Premenopausal women face
nearly triple the risk of heart disease after hysterectomy - even if
their ovaries aren' t removed (some doctors suspect the uterine
hormone prostacyclin guards young women against heart problems).
If hysterectomy rates were as low in the U.S. as in Denmark and the
United Kingdom, American gynecologists would collectively lose at
least $1.05 billion annually. That's an income loss of$32,530 a year
for each ob/gyn in the U.S." (Donna Jackson, How To Make The
World A Better Place For Women).
When doctors poke, prod and cut into our bodies the biological
integrity of our body is violated and this can create illnesses we
otherwise would not get. Ivan Illich discusses "iatrogenesis" 4
Her/and Voice
April, 1993
damage caused by the medical system itself - and defines three types:
Damage done by doctors in the course of treatment; the medically
created adulation of doctors, seen as authoritative and all-knowing,
which results in patients' addiction to medical care as a solution for
all problems; and the destruction of patients' autonomy as a result of
the structure of the medical relationship'' (French).
" Through the years [past] patriarchal medicine evolved into a
tradition obsessed with disease, not healing, with the doctor's
training and accomplishments, not the healee's experience and
wisdom. The change [from Healer to doctor] was particularly
disastrous for women. Called allopathic medicine (meaning treatment opposing, allo, the suffering, pathos), its 'heroic' treatments of
drugs or surgery assaulted the delicate balance of the female body,
rather than catalyzed its natural tendency to heal itself. In keeping
with patriarchal politics, the new medicine viewed the female body
and its processes as sick, dirty, and in need of alteration. Moreover,
it excluded women, the original and perhaps most natural healers of
all [witches], from contributing to the healing arts."(Chellis
Glendinning, The Healing Powers of Women, The Politics ofWomen's
Spirituality, ed. C. Spretnak).
A few of the women I've met who've had a hysterectomy had
them because of endometriosis. ''Almost 20% of hysterectomies are
performed to treat endometriosis . But, say some doctors, even this
major operation is not a certain solution to the condition, because a
small piece of the ovary can remain in the body, generating estrogen.
What's more, post-hysterectomy estrogen replacement therapy can
bring back endometriosis, especially in severe cases" (Denise Foley
& Eileen Nechas, Women's Encyclopedia of Health and Emotional
Healing).
'' .. the current escalation of murderous gynecological surgery
(and of chemotherapy and psychotherapy) is no chronological coincidence. There is every reason to see the mutilation and destruction
of women by doctors specializing in unnecessary radical mastectomies
and hysterectomies, carcinogenic hormone therapy, psychosurgery,
spirit-killing psychiatry and other forms of psychotherapy as directly related to the rise of radical feminism in the twentieth
century" (Daly).
Surgery in my opinion, is mostly ghoulish a la Jack the Ripper.
And who benefits the most from the costly and dangerous radical
surgery-hysterectomyI castration?
For more information contact: HERS (Hysterectomy Education
Resources and Services) Foundation, 422 Bryn Mawr Ave., Bala
l:l
Cynwyd, PA 19004; (215) 667-7757 .
"You
NEED
A
HYSTERECTOMY", HE SAID
by MOC
"How are you feeling?" he murmured.
"A little better, I guess," she answered.
"Did you get to that party last night?"
The doctor's part of the conversation was muffled, as his head
was between my knees. The nurse I could hear more clearly. She
stood by his side as handmaiden, supplying swabs and slides and the
copper coil which was going to be my new IUD. It would not have
been a particularly fun time even if I had had all of the doctor' s
attention.
After doing a Pap smear he began to insert the coil. The shot
relaxing my cervix had not completely taken effect, and at a stab of
sudden pain I sucked air through my clenched teeth, with a hissing
sound of distress. He cast a brief glance at my face before resuming
his work and his sweet talk with the nurse.
ApriL 1993
..• It's a great month for music ••• Check it out .••
~c Herland wants to remind you to Spring Forward into Daylight Savings Time on Sunday April 4th ( otherwise
ffilght be an hour late to the Karen Williams Concert; so do it!)
'
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
\\lednesday Thursday
1
steps of the
Silent Vigil for peace in Central America. On the
Federal Building, NW 4th & Robinson, OKC; each Wednesday at Noon.
Friday
5
4
7
6
8
9ii1ss BROWN
TO YOU
al
Liberty D's
in Norman
fOpm - 2am
~
It
11
13
12
ii
19
14
J"
t11SS BROWN
TO YOU
at VZD's
ae.iain
8:45 pm
MISS BROWN
TO YOU
al VZD's,
8:45 pm
20
21
l
15
;-
MARY
REYNOLDS
at the
OK Historical
Society
7:30 pm
i-
16
CoDA, 7 pm
Games Nie.ihl
al Herland
8:15 pm - ?
~ss BROWN
at the
Arts festival
7 pm
J
J~
It
.
CoDA, 7 pm
26
27
28
29
17
It
2
2j
PEGGY
JOHNSON
al the Arts
F"eslival
It
25L es1an,
.
Gay & Bi
r1arch
on
Washineton
ALSO in OKC
at the
SlateCapitol
J 10
CoDA, 7 pm
J::j
EARTH DAY
Will Roeers •
Park - hear
PeEIEIYJohnson
& Miss Brown
Peace
House
Celebr.ition
6:30 pm
Mayflower
conereea.
Church
CoDA. 7 pm
KAREN
WILLIAMS
in Concert
2 pm
Civic Center
Lilt.le
Theatre
1
ftsR Board
Meet.in£', 4:30
Saturday
3
2
Mark your Calendar now for the Oklahoma City Chapter Meeting of
SIMPLY EQUAL, Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m., at Testing The Limits on
39th Street in the City.
you
Mich•liill
Elwood
& Beth
Caliper
at the
Hotel
Bohemia
8 pm
24
fl
30
Birthdays: Maya Angelou, born April 4, 1928. A. Phillip Randolph, Pio?ee;ing_ Labor and C~vil Rights L~ader~
April 15, 1889 - 1979. Mary Wollstonecraft, early feminist, author of Vin~cation of the _Rights of Women, April
27, 1759 - 1797; and Coretta Scott King, Civil Rights Leader and martyr's widow, born April 27, 1927.
Hours: Saturdays 10 - 6: Sundays f - 6
J
PEGGY
JOHNSON
al the
ARts F"eslival
CoDA, 7 pm
HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES INC
2312 N.\\I. 39t.h Street.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112
(405) 521-9696
t
NonProfil Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Permit No. 861
2312 N.W. 39th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED
More from a desire to insert a larger portion of myself into the
proceedings than merely my passive private parts, than from a real
intention to have my tubes tied, I remarked, ''I think next time I will
have a tubal ligation."
Success. He looked atme again, and actually spoke to me. He
said,· 'Huh! You don't need your tubes tied; you need a hysterectomy."
I hadn't thought I could feel much worse, but I suddenly did.
A hysterectomy!
"Why?" I asked.
"You have a fibroid tumor," said he.
Now this I already knew. Before leaving California a couple
of years before, when I had my last pap and my old IUD inserted,
my long-time gynecologist had told me that I had a fibroid tumor.
It was, he had said, quite small; about the size of a Lesueur tiny pea;
nothing to worry about unless it got a lot bigger. Fibroids, he said,
become malignant less than l % of the time, and usually go away at
menopause.
So my next question for this new doctor was, logically, ''How
big is it?''
•'Big enough.''
"What does that mean? How big?"
In a wonderfully passive/aggressive manner he several more
times declined to give me a description of the size of this dreadful
fibroid tumor that was going to require surgery . Heroic and notentirely polite measures were obviously going to be necessary to
elicit an answer, so I asked: "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"
He gave me the look a father would give an overly-persistent,
totally aggravating child one step from being cut out of the will, and
said, "It's the size of a plum."
Well. A plum sounds like a pretty good-sized fruit to be
carrying around in the pelvic area; and hugely much bigger than a
'petit pois.' This was unsettling news indeed.
As I dressed and paid my bill (where I noted sourly that the
receptionist had erased my name from the "Responsible Party"
slot on my patient-information form and replaced it with my
husband's - something we had had words about when I had signed
in), I pondered what to do.
It was not a difficult decision, actually, considering the source:
Get a second opinion.
Which, to make a long story short (too late, I know), I did a
week later. And learned, from a different doctor, that the offending
fibroid tumor was still the size of a little pea; it was my uterus which
was the size of a plum - just the right size for a healthy had-one-kid
uterus. The first doctor, the slimy low-life, had lied, but in amanner
that he could refute if he were called on it - he had just answered a
different question, he could say. The fact is he had intended to
deceive, which means he lied; and I might well have risked
anaesthesia and surgery, and weeks if not months recovering and
not being up to par, and lots of money, while he lolled around the
Bahamas at my expense; had I had not been such an opinionated
voracious reader, such a suspicious, nasty kick-butt feminist bitch.
O
Thank goodness and the goddess I am.
2109 S. Air Depot
Midwest City, OK 73110
(405)737-0496
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JOY HUSKA, D.V.M
HEARING EXAMINES LACK OF
GENDER EQUITY IN
INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS
Despite the passage 20 years ago of Title IX of the Education Act
of 1972, the federal statute prohibiting sex discrimination in education, there is strong evidence that outright discrimination against
women athletes continues to be a fact of life in our nation's universities, according to recent studies and testimony this week before a
congressional committee.
A study conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic
Association's (NCAA) Gender Equity Task Force revealed significant discrepancies in intercollegiate athletics . For example, women
receive only 24 percent of an institution's athletic operating dollars,
less than 18 percent of its recruiting money and 30 percent of its
scholarship money, approximately $179 million dollars less each year
than men receive. A preliminary report from the NCAA Gender
Equity Task Force is expected in early June.
Deeply concerned by higher education's failure to comply with
Title IX, Rep. Cardiss Collins, Chairwoman of the House Energy and
Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and
Competitiveness, called ahearing on February 17--the subcommittee's
first of the 103rd Congress and its second in less than 14 months on
the subject. ''Men continue to dominate all areas of collegiate sports.
Twenty years is too long to wait for enforcement of a law passed by
Congress. It's clear that neither the NCAA nor colleges are going to
do the right thing anytime soon," explained Rep. Collins.
Chairwoman Collins echoed the concerns she voiced last year at
an April 9 hearing where she made suggestions on how the NCAA
could increase compliance with Title IX. Recently, the NCAA adopted
one of Rep. Collins' suggestions, in making gender equity criteria part
of the NCAA certification program. However, she made quite clear at
the February 17 hearing that many more steps need to be taken before
the NCAA realizes congressional intent.
On the same day of the hearing, Chairwoman Collins introduced
H.R. 921, the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, legislation designed
to increase compliance with Title IX. Modeled after the Student Right
to Know Act, H.R. 921 requires all institutions of higher education
receiving federal funds to disclose expenditures on all athletic programs, participation rates, and sports offered to men and women.
According to Donna Lopiano, Executive Director of the Women's
Sports Foundation, H.R. 921 is an essential step towards gender equity
in athletics. In her testimony she noted that when students and parents
are better educated on Title IX requirements and know to what extent
an institution is committed to its obligations, public pressure will be
generated to increase Title IX compliance.
Baylor University Athletic Director Grant Teaff expressed concern that compliance with Title IX will weaken men's athletic
programs, particularly football. Mr. Teaff's concern echoes that of
many coaches and athletic directors in the NCAA. Although the intent
of Title IX is not to destroy existing programs in order to build new
ones, many members of the subcommittee agreed that redistribution
of funds will be necessary in order to achieve gender equity. However,
as Rep. Collins explained, no one ''wants to eliminate opportunities
for men to play sports, including football; we just want to increase the
chances for women to compete."
Reprinted from Update on Women and Family Issues jn Congress,
Volume 13, No. 2, March 5, 1993. ~is a publication of the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, a bipartisan organization
of Members of Congress.
O
Her/and Voice
April, 1993
5
IN
REVIEW
A recent Voice list of suggested readings included the anthology
edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua, This Bridge Called
My Back: Writings By Radical Women of Color (Kitchen Table
Press, 1983). This book is made up of essays, letters, memoirs,
interviews and poems by radical women of color, including Audre
Lorde and Chrystos. In it Cherrie Moraga says, ''What each of us
needs to do about what we don't know is go looking for it." For this
reviewer, it was a powerful beginning in my readings on women of
color.
Judith Moschkovich reminds us that it "is not the duty of the
oppressed to educate the oppressor.'' Being a member of two
oppressed groups does not exempt me from receiving white privilege; thus I cannot know what it is like for a woman of color. This
book allows me a glimpse of my own racism. Lest I forget, Barbara
Smith reminds me by saying, " There is no such thing as non-racist.
Sometimes it is a simple as who you can laugh with, who you can cry
with and who you can share meals with and whose face you can
touch. There are bunches of white women for whom these things that
I've mentioned are unknown experiences with women of color."
So far, the book sounds like an uncomfortable series of diatribes, doesn't it? Admittedly, it was something I could only read a
little at a time, as it brought up so many feelings: sadness, guilt,
frustration, anger, admiration, compassion, love and more.
The writers are very open in allowing the readers into their lives
and hearts ... it is very moving and personal, with very little being
simply theory or rhetoric. Bridge graphically illustrates that the
personal is political. Each author shares the gifts of growth and love
with the reader. It is the sort of book to which one will return, reading
it again with new meaning.
If you have spring fever and you'd like to sink your teeth into
a novel, try The Gilda Stories by Jewell Gomez. This book won a
well-deserved Lambda award last year, but even so I was not sure I
wanted to read a book about Lesbian vampires. Ms. Gomez's literary
reputation and a few of her short stories I'd read luckily led me to risk
it. This epic covering 200 years in the life of a Lesbian vampire, who
began life as a slave girl in the American South, is concisely and
lyrically written. I found it nearly impossible to put down, but for
those who prefer short stories each chapter could be read as a discrete
unit. This novel is a unique, moving, fascinating story of love and
life.
P.S. Both of these books were purchased at Herland and are
usually in stock there.
a
AT&T LEAGUE CONFERENCE
On May 19-22, 1993 the Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay United
Employees at AT&T (LEAGUE) will hold their second annual
conference in Washington, DC. Approximately 200 AT&Temployees are expected to attend. Among the scheduled speakers are Linda
Villarosa, Senior Editor of Essence Magazine and Brian McNaught,
nationally recognized educator on lesbian and gay workplace issues.
Workshop leaders include Rabbi David Horowitz of Akron, Ohio,
Polly Laurelchild of Lotus Corporation, and Ann Northrop, board
member of the Gay Games ..
For more information on this event, please contact John Klenert
at 301-608-4594. If you would like more information about LEAGUE,
contact Arturo Nava at (508) 960-1378 or Kathleen Dermody at
(908) 658-6013.
a
Beyond Vanilla: Safer S&M for Lesbians will be presented by
Artemis Silverowl, NLA co-chair for Dallas, at 2 P .M., April 18 at
Testing the Limits, 2136 N.W. 39th, OKC. A $10is requested. This
workhop is for women only.
6 Herland Voice
April, 1993
SIMPLY EQUAL
The introduction of legislative proposals to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to prohibit state laws or local ordinances protecting the civil rights of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals prompted the
organization of Simply Equal to defeat HJR1005 and HJR1021.
Simply Equal developed quickly as a movement of gays/lesbians/
bisexuals and our friends with unprecedented cooperative effort
across the state.
Now that those resolutions are dead for the 1993 legislative
session, Simply Equal has continued to develop as a state-wide
organization of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and our friends with the
mission of ending discrimination against lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. Local chapters have been formed in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and
Norman. These chapters work cooperatively to address state-wide
issues important to the gay/lesbian/bisexual community as well as
independently on local issues.
For information about Simply Equal in Oklahoma City call the
Simply Equal Information Line at 672-8852 and enter code 1111.
Information about Simply Equal in Norman is available from Helen
at 321-8148 and in Tulsa by calling Ruben at (918)583-4463. If you
would like to know how to start a Simply Equal chapter in your own
area, any of the chapters will be happy to help you.
a
ENVIRONMENTAL RA CISM
The U.S. government regularly imposes smaller fines against
polluters in minority communities than in white areas, according to
a National Law Journal analysis of federal environmental enforcement.
The study found that penalties across the spectrum of air, water
and hazardous-waste pollution laws were 46 percent higher in white
communities than in minority areas. The study included virtually all
enforcement cases on the federal Environmental Protection Agency's
docket from 1985 through March, 1991.
For hazardous-waste violations alone, the average fine under
the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was $335,566
in areas populated mostly by white, $55,318 for mostly minority
areas . The study also said the government typically takes longer to
address hazards in minority communities and often accepts solutions
that are less stringent than those recommended by the scientific
community.
Civil-rights advocates and environmental groups have argued
that minority communities too often are seen as dumping grounds for
waste sites and polluting industries that are unwelcome in more
politically-connected neighborhoods.
info from On The Issues Spring 1993.
Published by:
Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 N.W. 39th, OKC OK73112
Newsletter Committee:
Margaret Cox, Deborah Fox, Vivien Ng, Pat Reaves
Circulation: 1000
Advertising Rates
Business card $15; 1/4 page $35; 1/2 page $60; full page $100
The Voice is offered as an open forum for community discourse. Articles
reflect the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Herland Sister
Resources. Unsolicited articles and letters to the editor are welcomed and
must be signed by the writer with full name and address. Upon request,
letters or articles may be printed under a pseudonym or anonymously.
Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request.
The Voice is printed on recycled paper.
a
FIGHT THE RIGHT
CONFERENCE
SIGN THE MARCH
BANNER
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGTLF) held its
first ''Fight the Right'' Conference in Denver, Colorado on March
13 and 14 with over200 activists from Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Florida and Oklahoma attending. Oklahoma
was represented by Pat Reaves of Oklahoma City and Rick Phillips
of Tulsa.
The conference was organized in response to the increasing
attacks on the civil rights oflesbians/gays/bisexuals by the religious
right. The agenda included information about the right wing and
their tactics and tools for building movements to withstand their
attacks.
Can't go to Washington for The March? Well, you can send a
message with Herland. We have created a special banner to send
your message on. SOONER OUT, SOONER FREE, is the headline
of the banner we are going to carry down Pennsylvania and Constitution A venues, with names of as many of our Oklahoma friends as
we can gather on it. Look for the banner at Herland every weekend,
and around Oklahoma City - at the Porthole, Coyote Club, and many
other locations. We're asking for donations, what you can afford,
which will help cover the cost of the Herland Caravan. We plan to
do Whatever It Takes to get our beautiful banner on national
television, so come sign it, and then look for it on the coverage of the
greatest March on Washington ever. SOONER OUT, SOONER
The religious right is a permanent
counter-insurgency in the United States
PROUD, SOONER FREE.
The religious right is a permanent counter-insurgency in the
United States, according to Scot Nakagawa of NGL TF. The current
movement has roots in the Goldwater and Wallace presidential
campaigns . Sexism and racism are primary motivators for the right
wing. The most significant strength of the right is their grassroots
rural base -- the Concerned Women of America have many more
members than the National Organization for Women. Michael
Hudson of People for the American Way commented that the right
wing movement has become much more sophisticated and is very
successful at using issues that scares mainstream America. The
lesbian/gay issue is a tool for them which is effective in raising
money and support.
Suzanne G?ldberg of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund emphasized the need to be clear that the right wing is amending the
Constitution to limit civil rights. Civil rights guaranteed to all U.S.
citizens and non-citizens with legal status include the right to equal
protection under the law - no group can receive different treatment
under the law. Constitutional amendments like those in Colorado
attack the right to equal protection under the law. There is no legal
concept of "special rights."
"The religious right is unified by its
racism, sexism, and homophobia and
we on the left are divided by ours. ''
Attacks on civil rights by the right have fallen most often into
underorganized communities where the movement is fragmented,
according to Suzanne Pharr of the Women's Project. She challenged
participants to build inclusive movements for social justice so
attacks don't happen in a context without a movement. She cited
Oklahoma and the development of Simply Equal as an example of
movement building. State-wide lesbian/gay organizations which
links groups around the state and are linked to national organizations can provide the foundation for this movement. Broad-based
coalitions are critical to success. The right has a strategy of
accenting division between lesbian/gays and people of color. The
lack of working in connection with other groups presents this
opportunity for them. ''The religious right is unified by its racism,
sexism, and homophobia and we on the left are divided by ours. ••
Suzanne emphasized the current opportunity for movement building. ''It is a gift. Everybody is talking about homosexuality . Now
that we are being talked about we have the best opportunity to come
[J
out. The 90 ' s are the time for progressives in this country" .
IJ
Resolution Passed Unamimously By the Board
of Directors of The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
February 20, 1993.
WHEREAS, the NAACP has historically supported efforts to eliminate unfair discrimination and to protect the civil rights and human
rights of individuals; and
WHEREAS, thousands of Americans are denied opportunities enjoyed by other Americans because they are homosexual or because
they are presumed to be homosexual; and
WHEREAS, lesbian and gay Americans seek protections from
discrimination in the military and seek equal opportunities in the
areas of employment, housing and access to public services; and
WHEREAS, there will be a national demonstration this year to
support the principle that Americans can work and live together
despite their differences, including difference as to sexual orientation;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports the
efforts to end discrimination against gay men and lesbian Americans
in areas of American life where all Americans deserve equal protection and equal opportunity under the law; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the NAACP supports the elimination of the requirement that homosexuals declare their sexual
preference on forms required for serving in the military; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP endorses and will
participate in the upcoming national demonstration for equal and
civil rights for all citizens regardless of sexual orientation .
IJ
In Memorial
The fear that one day I would come home and not find
you here to greet me has become reality.
.
I know it was time for you to go. Your little broken body
1ust couldn't keep up with your undaunted spirit. I'll miss you.
Few spirits gave and received as much love as surrounded you. You evoked a need in people to be worthy of
your trust.
You left behind many gifts. Through you I re-examined
my need for companions, frineds, contact. You taught me
patience. You taught me through your many falls to always
relax and no fall will devastate -- to trust.
You taught me that being a survivor isn't hard -- that
there is joy all around and if you can't see it, then use your
ears and nose. Live fully! .
Thank you.
Good bye Baby Girl
? --February 2 7, 1993
Her/and Voice April, 1993
7
lltJI..I..l~'l IN llf)Jllll)
1
Lesbian only counseling group- Wednesday evenings. Contact: Jo L. Soske, M.Ed.,
MHR, NCADC, NCC at 364-5708.
The Peace House will celebrate its 12th
Anniversary on Saturday, April 3 with a
Vegetarian Lasagna supper and drawing for
a mountain bike and other items at the Mayflower Congregational Church, 3901 NW
63rd at 6:30 P.M. The recommended donation for Adults is $6 in advance and $7 at the
door and $2 for children. It includes supper
and one drawing ticket. Call 524-5577 for
reservations.
Correction The February issue of The Voice
listed the price of the Facilitator's Handbook on Confronting Ageism, Consciousness
Raising/or Lesbian 60 and Overincorrectly.
The actual price of the handbook is $15.00
which includes postage. The handbook is
available from OLOC, P.O. Box 980422,
Houston, TX 77098 .
The OU School of Public Health Native
American Student Association is hosting a
one day seminar, April 14, on HIV/
AIDS:Tbe Emerging Social Crisis Among
Native Americans. The seminar including
lunch is free however registration is required. To register call Wanda at the Social
& Behavioral Sciences Department of the
School of Public Health at 217-2017.
MOMAZONS, a newly formed, national
organization for lesbi~n mothers and lesbians who want children in their lives, produces a bimonthly newsletter and is creating
a directory of supportive resources for lesbian mothers . For information write
MOMAZONS, P.O. Box 02069, Columbus,
Ohio 43202 or call (614)267-0193.
Canadians are pushing to make their country the first in the world to grant refugee
status to abused women. Opposition MP's
and feminist groups in Canada say the maltreatment of women as a matter of cultural
practice is identical to political persecution.
Immigration Minister Bernard Valcourt has
promised new guidelines to encompass
women whose governments fail to protect
them from domestic violence or persecution.
Mo and Michelle of Chickasha are moving
to Dallas at the beginning of April, and want
to say farewell and thanks for the fun to all
their Herland friends. They hope to see you
every now and then . If you would like to
contact them, call Renee at 366-1138.
Help Wanted: The newsletter committee
has identified the following topics to feature
in upcoming issues of The Voice . Articles,
short essays, personal experiences and reflections and other submissions on these
topics are invited.
May
- Rape Awareness Month
June
- Gay Pride
July
- Patriotism
August - Marches on Washington
September-Women, work and unions
October - Domestic Violence
November-Women in Prison
December-Women and HIVI AIDS
Send all submissions to Herland Voice, 2312
N.W. 39th, OKC, OK 73112.
To promote interracial and intercultural
understanding, The Southern Poverty Law
Center makes available to educators a curriculum package, America's Civil Rights
Movement, and a semi-annual magazine,
Teaching Tolerance which offers teachers
ideas and strategies. The curriculum package can be received with a request from the
school principal. Teaching Tolerance is
available free to teachers who send a request
on school letterhead. Send all requests to
Teaching Tolerance, 400 Washington Ave.,
Montgomery, AL 36104.
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For information call (405)521-9696