HerlandVoice-1995-09-v13-no09_ocr.pdf
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- HerlandVoice-1995-09-v13-no09_ocr.pdf
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'Ifie,
HERLANDV ICE
September, 1995
A PAT ON THE BACK
by Margaret Cox
I
I am no longer on the Herland Board, but I am
nevertheless filled with pride for Herland, and want to
congratulate them (her? us?) for their (her/our) part in a most
phenomenal success - the Supreme Court decision in July which
sets the precedent that lesbianism/homosexuality is not grounds
for denying a parent custody.
It all began, for Herland, in March of 1992, when, to
excerpt from the Board minutes, ''The Board next heard from two
women who are involved in a custody fight with one's exhusband.
The mother currently has custody, and the exhusband has filed for
primary custody, citing her lesbianism and the proposed move
from Oklahoma. An appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court is
expected no matter who the winner is at the lower court level, and
that appeal will probably be in the $15,000 range. The ·women's
immediate need is for $1000 - $2000. After considerable
discussion as to the best ways for Herland to help them raise this
initial amount, Jean moved that $500 be made available to them
immediately; this amount to be guaranteed them; that any amount
over that raised for them also be forwarded to them."
GULP. It was clear during the "considerable discussion"
that no one had a clue how to raise that kind of money; we had
never done it before; but, when fiscally conservative Jean moved
that we actually commit to giving $500 immediately, we girded
our loins and the motion passed unanimously. Thus was born the
Herland Legal Defense Fund.
Fund-raising efforts by Herland included: Articles in the
Voice, every few months; countless open mikes at i-Ierland and at
the various bars in town, with special thanks to Shatzy and then
Kathy at the Porthole; countless mailings; countless strategy
meetings; bringing in the poet Chrystos from Bainbridge Island,
Washington for a series of readings and workshops; a fabulously
successful concert with Cris Williamson and Tret Fure; garage
sales, clever mailings to a nationwide group from a list donated by
the National Women's Mailing List; production and sale of a
cookbook, "Family Cookin"' (a few copies are still available);
everything, that is, but a dog and pony show.
Over three years, the Herland Legal Defense Fund,
(thanks to all of the wonderful women and men who donated to
the Fund), was instnimental in raising over $13,000 for this
struggle. A portion of this went to other custody cases; but tllis
first case met all the criteria established by the HLDF, primarily
being that it was clearly winnable and thereby capable of setting a
precedent to benefit lesbian and gay parents state and nationwide.
I want to note here that this precedent also helps all
women, gay or straight, in that all women (continued next page)
Volume 13 Number 9
'Upcoming 'Events:
TRASH TO TREASURE -Tum your
trash to treasure by donating it for the Herland
Fall Garage Sale. Then come to the Gara~e
Sale to find treasures for yourself. The sale will
be at Herland on Saturday, September 16 from
8 AM to 3 PM. Donate items by dropping them
by Herland during our regular hours.
FABULOUS BOOK SALE - Herland
will have a huge book sale on September 23
from 10 AM to 5 PM. With 10% off all new
books and a special selection of used books,
there's sure to be something for everyone.
Have you read all of Katherine Forrest's books
and still have them lying around the house?
Tired of your Robbie Summers books? Donate
them to Herland for the used books sale!
Donate any books for the sale and receive an
additional 5% off any new book purchase.
HOMECOMING RETREAT - You
don't want to miss this years retreat! Herland
will be celebrating their 10th Annual Fall
Retreat October · 27, 28, and 29 at
Fountainhead, Lake Eufaula. Lots of events
unknown to past retreats will be offered for
your enjoym(!nt along with the more traditional
activities. See the enclosed flyer for all the
details and registration information.
4TH WORLD CONFERENCE ON
WOMEN - September 4 - 15, Beijing,
China. See related article on page 5 of this
issue of The Voice.
Thanks to all of you who have already
remitted your subscription dues. The
response has been tremendous!
Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39, OKC, OK 73112
BERLAND RETREAT DOG
SHOW
... goes Subliminal:
"The Human Rights of Women and of the Girl Child are
an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human
rights".
The quotation above is proposed for the Mission
Statement of the Platform of the Fourth World Conference on
Women, and it might just surprise you to learn that it is quite
controversial. Yes, it really is, it is in dispute. Eminently
reasonable as it might sound to thee and me, there are some Pope
John Paul who are against it, who think that it is too radical Khomeini,
Saddam Hussein; who don't want women, Goddess, Mother, to enjoy the
same Human Rights, Respect, Freedom, that men do. These same
people James Dobson, Jerry Falwell who object to this language also
have a hard time with the thought of a woman having
reproductive freedom women In control, or with girls our daughters, our
selves having access to the same schooling opportunity, freedom as their
brothers.
You may not be surprised to know that some people
blasted bigots don't want any positive references to sexual
orientation sweet Inoffensive queers in the mission statement either.
So, dear delightful reader, some of us here where I am
wanted to share with you our Top Five moderation In ali thingslist of
why people might be against universal human rights for women
blessed mothers:
5)
They are absolutely dependent on women's free labor
husbands & bosses
4)
Their economic system is totally dependent on the
exploitation of women Everyman, Everynation, Phyllis Schally, & other
Honorary White Males
3)
Their power base would crumble without unpaid and
underpaid women You again, John Paul
2)
Subordinate women and girls needed to absorb men's
rage and anger rapists, batterers, harassers
1)
Paul.'Cc
Womb and Creation envy and that Includes, you know It: John
APATONTHEBACK
(continued from previous page)
are vulnerable to the playing of the Lesbian card in custody cases.
Just the threat of it has gained great advantage and concessions by
the unscrupulous.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that it was the courage
and gallantry of the mother and her partner which gave Berland
the strength and impetus to keep on with their efforts, and
certainly not the other way around. Words cannot express the
deep admiration and affection we all have come to feel for these
two strong, strong-hearted, courageous women. We're proud to
know them, and proud to have helped. 'Cc
2
Her/and Voice
September, 1995
Start planning now to enter your woman's best friend in
the Dog Show at this years 10th Annual Berland Fall Retreat at
Fountainhead State Park, Lake Eufaula.
Competitions will include largest and smallest, butchest
and femmist, best trick, most friendly tail wag and most loving
eyes. Dogs can be entered in as many competitions as you and
your dog wish at $2 per entry. See you there!
... AND IF YOUR DOG IS SEEKING
OUT EVEN MORE ADVENTURE AND FUN WE
HAVE THE. ..
IJOfi COSTUME CONTEST!
Susan B. Afgan!
Frankenspaniel !
Beagle Balletrina!
What will your dog wear to the Costume Contest at the
Berland Fall Retreat? Bring your originality, $3 entry fee, and the
costume, then let your dog shine like the star she really is!'Cc
THE WORLD'S WOMEN 1995
Women are nearly 70% of the world's 1.2 billion poor.
2/3's of the world's 1 billion illiterate adults are women.
In 1993, 81 million girls had no access to primary school.
Half a million women die each year from pregnancy
complications and 70,000 women die due to unsafe abortions.
Women and their dependents are 75% of the world's refugees.
At the corporate level, US companies have eight women for every
100 men. In the 1,000 largest corporations outside the US, only
one of 100 executives is a woman.
Women account for half of the food production in developing
countries. In some African countries, they have to walk 10
kilometers or more to fetch water and fuel.
-- UN Department of Public Information
Published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 N.W. 39th,
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Circulation: 1200
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.
The Voice is
printed on recycled paper.
··~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·J
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DID YOU FORGET ~~
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SOMETHING?
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by Jill Gamer
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This month I just have a hodgepodge of different
things I want to share.
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:~J Due to the rise in postage and other costs, it has ~'
... b ecome necessary f or us to up date our
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·:.~ receiving the newsletter, please mail the
.",.:j following form to the Herland Voice in the
·:.~ enclosed envelope.
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.",.:; 1. y es.' I wish to continue rece1vmg the
:~J Herland Voice. My check of $12 for an annual
·~~ subscription is enclosed.
"~
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F
I went down to Dallas in August to hear Cheryl Wheeler
play. She played at a place called Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse.
It's housed in a large Presbyterian church and is a really nice place
to hear music. It has a bunch of chairs and tables, a stage in front,
and they have various coffee, teas, sodas and desserts for sale.
The thing I love the most about places like that is that people are
there to hear the music, and you actually can. The week before
Cheryl Wheeler played, Mary Reynolds and Emily Kaitz had
performed there. Next month one of my favorite new singers, Dar
Williams is scheduled. Another place in Dallas that attracts some
very good performers is Poor David's Pub. They're often hosting
some of my favorite performers, or people I would love to go see
if I lived there. I was fortunate to get the chance to see Alison
Krauss and Union Station there last year (before her popularity
grew exponentially). Deep Ellum is a happening place for live
music too, with clubs like the Bomb Factory bringing in great
bands on a regular basis. Dallas is a great city to go bear live
music in, and unlike Austin, can be done in one night or a
weekend.
I bought a CD recently by Tish Hinojosa called
Homeland. I heard about Tish a while back on National Public.
Radio and loved her. She's moved toward doing more of her
songs in Spanish although her earlier work has a lot of
country/folk influences and more songs in English. And wow,
what a voice. One nice surprise on the album that I bought is a
song of hers called Til You Love Me Again, which has been
covered wonderfully by Crystal, of the local group Full Circle.
Lesbian comedienne Suzanne Westenhoefer is once
again coming to The Comedy Comer in Bricktown, October 2. If
you missed her last year, don't let it happen again. Suzanne's one
of the funniest women I've seen in a long time, and if you want to
continue to have the chance to see the best in openly gay
entertainers, show The Comedy Comer that it's worth their while
to bring them. Who knows, maybe Lea Delaria will be there next!
One other thing that I'd like to share is something new
from Ladyslipper Catalogue - a new 24-hour-a-day Listen Line.
You can preview any of their new releases, plus those on their top
40 list. You call a number, punch in a 4 digit number indicating
the one you want to hear, and you can hear up to three songs per
album. Unfortunately it's not a toll free number but it's a great
idea and makes buying new music from Ladyslipper a little less
risky. Write Ladyslipper, PO Box 3124, Durham, NC 27715 for a
catalogue.
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I wish to continue rece1vmg the •,/
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Payments are due October 1995 and your ":;
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subscription will run from October 1, 1995 to ~~
'•J
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t~ October 31, 1996. Make checks payable to ~~
"~ Herland Sister Resources and indicate that it is :.~
'•J
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t~ for your subscription.
~~
.":j
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Berland would like to take this opportunity to thank Jill for her
regular contribution to The Voice. We appreciate your insight
immensely.
...
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
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3 Her/and Voice
September, 1995
LESBIAN-ONLY COUNSELING • group or individual counseling.
M.E.D./M.H.R./1.CA.D./L.P.C. at 321 -0134.
For more information contact Jo L. Soske
SOUTHEAST HIGH GRADUATES! I'm looking for any lesbian/gay alumni, particularly from the Class of 1987. With a 10 year
reunion coming up I think it would be great to connect with some of my "sisters and brothers". Write or call: Tracey Hughes, 2727 N.
Amidon, #704, Wichita, KS 67204, (316) 832-1069.
CHATTERBOX - National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Annual Convention: Four days of insider views of political
power, comprehensive learning, training, and idea-generating. The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington,
DC, October 19-22. For information contact NLGJA Convention, 8528 Bradford Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
GRANTS FOR WRITERS WITH IDV/AIDS: Grants of $1000 are available to writers residing in the western US. Applicants must
be HIV positive and have been actively involved in creating literary work within the last three years. For further information contact
PEN Center USA West, 672 S . Lafayette Park Place, #41, Los Angeles, CA 90057, phone 213-365-8500. Deadline is September 29,
1995.
MAY SARTON, RIP- Poet, novelist, and journal writer May Sarton has died at age 83. Sarton died of breast cancer Sunday, July 16,
1995. She was born in Belgium in 1912, and emigrated to the US during World War I. Sarton revealed her own homosexuality in her
novel about a lesbian love affair, "Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing." "Joy, anger, all those things that society wants us to
avoid, a poet must keep alive," Sarton said in a 1993 interview. The news item said "she left no survivors" ... they are wrong. May Sarton
is survived by her feminist writings, her novels, and her poems. Sarton, by the way, was a long-time subscriber to the Herland Voice.
to THE VOICE
MEMBER
Sarah J. Rucker
r1n£ .\Qts .• ant1QU£S .
•-plahts • C;1~ts .~ _ -
Certified Massage Therapist
By Appointment
Only
(405) 943-4210
Therapeutic Massage
Sports Massage
Trigger Point Therapy
Reflexology
kathil££n Rankin
{405) 44 7~5J 11
·- -natasha R1c£
Rebecca R. Cohn, Ph.D.
Cllnlcal Psychology
lndlvldual,
Norman, OK
321-2148
4
Her/and Voice
September, 1995
Couples & Famny
Therapy
h£Rttacf£ Pla7.a- . 1961 w. lmbsef ~
nomnan;Ok 73069 ~
SHANNON
by MOC
We can only speculate on just which straw broke
Shannon Faulkner's back and caused her to leave the Citadel after
a valiant two and a half year battle to gain admittance. Besides
the killing isolation (the first group of women at West Point, for
instance, numbered 119, about 9% of the student body), another
cause surely was the realization that even after joining the Corps
of Cadets she would not be allowed to be part of it. As for the
health and weight non-issues, the week that Shannon and six other
cadets were admitted to the infirmary with heat prostration saw
widespread heat-related distress throughout South Carolina; a
large number of police officers, for instance, succumbed to the
heat as they stood at attention at a police funeral in Charleston.
One question which Shannon and the Citadel have
brought to the forefront of people's minds and the radio talk shows
is the one concerning different standards for women and men:
Shannon was going to be required to do fewer pushups and situps
and to run shorter distances in longer times than the men ...
Well, the Army recruiting motto these days is "Be all
that you can be". It is not "Be all that Arnold Schwartzoegger can
be", or "run faster than you used to could", or "do more pushups
than civilians". It is, simply, Be the best you can. One's success
in battle, even in the unlikely event of infantry style personal
combat, is not going to be dependent on doing seven more
pushups in sixty seconds than the enemy. It will be dependent on
having a highly trained mind and the stamina of body and mind.
that comes with stretching and testing and trying oneself.
There is nothing magical or divinely inspired about
standards for admittance to colleges and employment; they are
arbitrary, and are set neither by God nor in concrete, but by
fallible human beings; altering these standards is a continuous
ongoing practice of good management and good public policy.
Fine military minds, for instance, have been denied access to
service at West Point or Annapolis on account of arbitrary and
unreasonably stringent vision requirements; height and weight
standards for years kept Hispanics and Asians and women of all
races out of police departments, and kept men, for another
example, out of the ranks of flight attendants. Of course those
standards reinforced prejudices of the day which held it was good
to deny access to those jobs to non-whites, or to women, or to
men; when those prejudices were overcome and the standards
altered, performance was in no way negatively affected.
In all the talk about Shannon and her experiences at the
Citadel, we need to bear in mind two very important points:
1)
She accomplished a very great deal by forcing a
court decision that requires the Citadel to admit women. Now just
because most women cannot imagine wanting to go to a military
academy, we shouldn't knock it; there are bound to be hundreds or
thousands of young Southern girls dying to savor the esprit de
corps and to prove their mettle at the Citadel; and we should be
thrilled that their chances of doing so are much greater since
Shannon's struggles, and
2)
If there ever was a question of whether women
could hack the regimen at a military academy, it was settled long
ago: The United States Military Academy at West Point, which is
to the Citadel as the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris is to the
Crossroads Cathedral, has been graduating women, including a
woman Captain of Cadets, for twenty years.~
Fourth World Conference on Women
Thousands of women and men from around the world
will gather in Beijing, China September 4 - 15 for the Fourth
World Conference on Women. The official U.N. Conference and
the parallel NGO conference will evaluate world-wide progress
toward ending discrimination against women and debate action to
be taken. Participants in the official UN Conference will seek to
develop consensus on a platform for action that establishes a basic
group of priorities to be carried out over the next five years.
The draft platform for action identifies 12 "critical areas
of concern" as barriers to the advancement to women. The areas
of concern include the impact on women of poverty; education;
health; violence; armed conflict; economic structures; power
sharing and decision making; mechanisms to promote the
advancement of women; human rights; the media; the
environment; and the situation of girls.
There is still much disagreement about the language of
the Draft Platform. A portion of the mission statement that says
"the human rights of women and of the girl child are an
inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human
rights" is still in dispute. Bracketed text -- indicating text that is
still pending agreement -- is throughout the draft. References to
sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights that were
agreed to at the 1994 UN International Conference on Population
and Development are disputed in the current draft. Also
controversial are references that qualify human rights as
"universal"; references to foreign occupation and alien
domination; the term "equity" as opposed to "equality";
references to "sexual orientation"; and references to "religious
ethical values, cultural background and philosophical
convictions."
Use of the word "gender" in the Draft Platform has been
challenged by the Vatican because it could include homosexuals
and transexuals. A definition of gender for use in the Draft
Platform has yet to be agreed upon.
James Dobson, President of the right-wing organization
Focus on the Family, has denounced the conference as "the most
radical, atheistic, and anti-family crusade in the history of the
world." Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls has publicly
criticized the Beijing draft document for its "ideological
unbalance" -- complaining that it gives short shrift to family and
motherhood.
Preparation for the Fourth World Conference have
included national preparations and regional international
preparations. The Oklahoma Women's Network hosted one of a
series of regional U.S. conferences held to provide input into the
development of U.S. positions . Five international regional
preparatory conferences were held to identify issues to be
addressed in the draft platform.
The draft platform was finalized by the U.N.
Commission on the Status of Women in a meeting held in March,
1995. Language of the platform still in dispute will be further
debated and refined by the official participants in the Fourth
World Conference on Women.
The official U.S . delegation is chaired by Madeline
Albright, U.S. Ambassador to the UN and Donna Shalala,
Secretary of Health and Human Services. First Lady Hillary
Rodham Clinton is a Honorary Co-Chair of the U.S. delegation.~
5 Her/and Voice
September, 1995
Fall Retreat
October 27-29
Fountainhead State Park
Performances By
Workshops
Mary Reynolds
Peggy Johnson
Preserving Our Traditions
Guitar Techniques with Mary Reynolds
"The Beat Goes On" - Let's Drum!
... and more ...
Scheduled Activities
Open Mic .A. Dog Show .A. Campfires.A.Pot Luck Dinner
The Fountainhead Group Camp is one of the nicest .locations ever for a Harland Retreat. The
cabins are modern and the campground is isolated from the rest of the park with a small lake on the
grounds and a limited number of RV hookups.
Bring your memories of the past, enthusiasm for the present, and vision for the future!
HSR FALL RETREAT REGISTRATION
October 27- 29, Fountainhead State Park
Single Person's Annual Income
Retreat Pre-registration per person
Household Annual Income
under $6,500
$15
under $13,300
$6,500 - $13,250
$25
$13,300 - $18,000
$13,250 - $19,500
$35
$18,000 - $26,000
$19,500 - $30,000
$45
$26,000 - $50,000
over $30,000
$60
over $50,000
Please chose the registration fee most appropriate for you based on the guidelines. On-site registrations will be $60 with no exception. Deadline for pre-registration is October 25. Registration is non-refundable after October 26.
Registration Fee Enclosed (payable to Harland): _$15 _$25 _$35 _$45 _$60
Name
Phone
------------------------Address_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City_ _ _ _ _ _ _ State__Zip_ __
-----~
_ I need a scholarship to attend.
_I'm enclosing an additional $_to provide retreat scholarships.
_I'm bringing _children (girls of all ages and boys under 10 are welcome at the retreat).
_I'm bringing _pets (leashed and well-behaved).
_ I can provide a ride for someone else.
I would like to ride with someone.
Return to Herland Sister Resources, 2312 N.W. 3S, Oklahoma City, OK 73112