HerlandVoice-2004-01-v22-no01_ocr.pdf
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january 2004
TH£ STAT£ OF OUR COMMUNITY
presented by GayOKC.com
6 pm, Monday, January 26, 2004
Epworth United Methodist Church
1901 N. Douglas Ave, OKC
GayOKC.com proudly presents the second edition of
"The State of Our Community."
Last year, representatives of a broad range of organizations and businesses were on hand to examine
the events of the year before in Oklahoma City's
GLBT Community and the issues our community
faced at the beginning of 2003.
We live in historic times: this year has been a dramatic and exciting one for our community and next
year could be even more so.
Join us as we examine this year's events and issues
and what they will mean for our community in 2004.
Valentines Day of Action
D
ontAmend.com activists have outlined a broad
plan to capitalize on the recent Supreme Court
victory, stop the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment, and push for full, equal marriage
rights for all consenting adults in the United States.
Working with
local and national
: " Valentines Day organizations such
RatHes forMarriage as Marriage Equality California and
Marriage Equality USA, DontAmend.com activists
have planned a two pronged offensive:
-- Campaigning in all of the states to get people from
all walks of life - public officials, religious figures, and
other community leaders - to sign public commitments opposing the anti-gay marriage constitutional
amendment.
-- Launching a pro-active, pro-equal marriage campaign of local educational events, protests of anti-gay
officials and other activities culminating in a nationwide day of rallies and other events for same sex
marriage on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14,
2004. For more information, visit
www .dontamend.com.
~
volume 22, number 1
State LGBT Groups Organizing to Fight
Proposed Marriage Amendment
S
ince the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently
ruled that it was unconstitutional to discriminate
against same-gender couples in the state of Massachusetts when granting marriage licenses, we are now seeing an
attack by the right wing that is unprecedented. There is an
incredible amount of pressure on Congress to pass the antifamily "Federal Marriage Amendment" (FMA). And in Oklahoma, state legislators, Rep. cargill (R, Harrah) and Rep.
Balkman (R, Norman) are set to introduce a state resolution to
calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment defending traditional marriage and for Oklahoma to be the first
state to ratify such an amendment. There is also talk of a
similar constitutional amendment to our state constitution.
The Oklahoma Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, Soulforce in
Oklahoma, and other lgbt and supportive organizations are in
the process of building a statewide coalition to defeat the socalled federal marriage amendment, and any related state
resolution or amendment. Organizers are planning a summit
in at the Best Western Hotel, I-44 a~ the Stroud exit, Stroud,
Oklahoma on January 9-10 2004. The meeting will be from 610 pm on Friday and 9 am - 5 pm on Saturday. Herland will
have two representatives attending and all members are invited to attend. If ever there was a time for us to come together and be united, it is now! Contact Karen Weldin
(Soulforce in Oklahoma) and Rodney Johnson (OGLPC) at
495.76201363 or at politick@red-river.us. for more information.
%vdand~
AThree Poet Nidht
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15,
7
PM
Herland is proud to present an evening of poetry with three accomplished poets, Deidre Murray, Judith Rycroft, and Paula
Sophia Judith has delighted Herland audiences with her poetry in
the past; Deidre donated a fascinating book of poetry to Herland's
Art Auction in November that caught our fancy; and Paula is a favorite of the poetry night regulars at Galileo.
Come at seven for coffee and cookies and conversation; readings
will begin around 7:30 and we'll have you home before ten. You
were wowed by the Three Ten ors, and you'll love the Three Poets!
www.herlandsisters.org
herland sister resources, 2312 nw 39th, oklahoma city, ok 73112
(405) 521-9696
email: herlandsisrers@cox.net
bookstore hours: saturdays 1-5 pm
Praising Tara: Empowering Ourselves
The annual Southwest Women's Universal Unitarian Women's (SWUUW) Conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel (3233 Northwest Expressway) in Oklahoma City, on January 30 - February 1, 2004.
The theme of this year's conference is Praising Tara, Empowering Ourselves.
Tara is the Tibetan Goddess of compassion who is said to be the mother of
all Buddhas. Tara is said to be the
holder of inner knowledge, and the
power behind Tantric Yoga. She
.·. is the embodiment of compassion and wisdom, the great
mother goddess, overpowering
obstacles, dissolving ignorance,
swift to assist any who call
out to her.
· hata Iradah and Prema
Conference speakers, Anaof sacred song and dance to
Dasara, will use the vehicles
open the vision of interconnectedness and the power of
compassion.
There will be more than 20
workshops offered over the
· emotional healing, meditative
weekend, covering such topics as
dance, and midwifery, and including an all-day workshop by Anahata and Prema.
At 8:30 Saturday night, the con• ference will be entertained royally by Miss Brown to You. MBTY
has played at two SWUUW conferences in the past, and both
times were little glimpses of
heaven, as hundreds of wild, won• derful, loving women threw
themselves with joy and abandonment around the floor to the ever
wonderful and inspired music of our
own MBTY. Get your dancing
shoes on!
For more information about the conference and registration forms, please see
www.swuuw.com.
A Kinder, Gentler Holiday
for Battered Women
The women and children at the Passageway Shelter for Battered Women
will have a better holiday due to the
kindness and generosity of those of
you who donated items through Herland Sister Reof women's
Several bags
and clothing,
shoes, boots,
and bags of
children's
and toys
clothing
donated
were
Deatthe
cember
21st winter
solstice and holiday potluck at Herland.
These items were promptly delivered to the Passageway Shelter Monday afternoon, in time for the holidays.
Herland Sister Resources extends a
warm thanks to all who donated to
this worthy cause.
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Berland Anniversary Pins and Booklets for Sale
If you missed the Herland 20th Anniversary Celebration but would like a commemorative pin and/or
booklet, they are available!
The Herland anniversary pin is a 3/4" photo-etched 2-color lapel pin with the design shown above.
The booklet is a 40+ page herstory of Herland with a month by month listing of people and events for
the last twenty years. Also, in the back is a list of past board members by year. Pins and booklets are
available for only $5 each at the bookstore or by using the order form below.
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Please send me _ _ _ Herland 20th Anniversary pin(s) and _ _ _ booklet(s).
Enclosed is _ _ _ _ (please include $1 extra per order for mailing).
Mail to:
• Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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1983-2003
Celebrating 20 Years
City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
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State ____ Zip _ _ _ _ __
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Herland Book Club
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The Herland Book club will meet at 7 pm on Monday,
January 5 to discuss Sisters of the Earth, an Anthology of
Women's Prose and Poetry edited by Lorraine Anderson. Among the writers in this provocative book are Joy
Harjo, Susan Griffin, Marjorie Rawlings, China Galland,
Willa cather, Alice Walker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rachel Carson, Marge Piercy, Barbara Deming, Paula Gunn
Allen, and Ursula Le Guin.
February's book will be Fingersmith by Sarah waters,
the award-winning author of Tipping the Velvet. Fingersmith is
the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more
melodramatic in tone than its
predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash
with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets, orphans, grim prisons, lunatic asylums, "laughing villains," and, of
course, "stolen fortunes and girls
made out to be mad."
: HERLAND EVENTS CALENDAR
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: January
• Monday. January 5: Herland Book Club, 7 pm
: Thursday. January 8 : IRIS at Swete Cylance in Bricktown, 8
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pm. Call 232-5660 for details.
Saturday. January 10: Herland Hike at Martin Nature Park,
5000 W. Memorial, 10 am
Saturday. January 10: Herland Supper Club, Belle Isle Brewery, NW Expressway and Penn, 6:00 pm followed by Game
Night at Herrand, 7:30 pm
Sunday. January 11: Womyn of Color Meeting, call 842-3464
for details
Monday. January12: OGLPC Monthly Meeting at the Center,
2135 NW 39th, 7 pm
Thursday. January 15: Three Poet Night at Herland, 7 pm
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Saturday. January 17: Miss Brown to You, Gypsy Night Cafe at
First Unitarian Church, NW 13th and Dewey, 7 pm. Donations accepted; food and drink available.
Sunday. January 18: Herland Potluck, 3 pm, followed by Her-.
land Board Meeting, 4 pm
Monday. January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Parade
Saturday. January 24.: Miss Brown to You at Galileo, 3000 N.
Paseo, 9 pm to midnight, $5
Monday. January 26: State of Our Community, Epworth
United Methodist Church, 1901 N Douglas Avenue, 6 pm
January 30-Feb 1: Southwest Women's Universal Unitarian
Women's (SWUUW) Conference, OKC Marriott
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Herland Supper Club & Game Night
Herland Supper Club will meet at 6 pm on Saturday,
January 10th, at Belle Isle Brewery in 50 Penn Place (NW
Expressway and Penn). After supper we will go back to
Herland for an evening of fun and games. Bring 'em if
ya got 'em! For more info, call Ginger at 942-1535.
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Herland Hiking
: February & Beyond
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The Herrand Hiking Group will have its regular monthly
outing to Martin Nature Park, 5000 W. Memorial, at 10
am on Saturday, January 10th. There is also an optional
coffee gathering beforehand at Panera's, comer of Memorial & Meridian, at 9:30 am.
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Womyn of Color
Womyn of Color group meets the 2nd Sunday of each
month. Please email womynofcolor@gay.com or call
(405) 842-3464 or (405) 947-7691 for more information.
Native American Women
OKC Two-Spirit Society is having meetings for lesbian
and bi-sexual women of Native American descent.
Please call the OKC Two-Spirit Hotline number at ( 405)
317-7283 for information about the next meeting.
Website of the Month
Monday. February 2: Herland Book Club, 7 pm
Saturday. February 14.: Herland Supper Club goes to Stillwater for OSU Women's Basketball Game
Match 14.-20: Second Annual LGBT Health Awareness Week
May19-22: Third National Lesbian Health Conference, Chicago, IL
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Don't Forget to Support the Voice!
Your contribution is important! Just $12 a year will help
us pay for the $300+ it costs every month to print and
mail the newsletter.
D
Enclosed is a contribution for $ _ _ __
D
Please add me to the mailing list for The Voice.
D
Please change my address (new address below).
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
WWW.SLDN.ORG
City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State _ _ Zip _ __
LA School punishes 7-year-old for saying gay
S
haron Huff, a steakhouse waitress in Lafayette, La., was at home getting ready for her evening shift last month
when she got a call from the assistant principal at Marcus's elementary school. Her second-grader, Marcus Mclaurin, had been scolded for saying a bad word to another second-grader, the assistant said, and was told never to
use the word again. She could read the details on a school form coming home with Marcus.
Huff spent the next two hours fretting. Could it be a word he had picked up from television, even though she
religiously screens his TV viewing? Could it be something he had heard her say?
As soon as Marcus's size-2 high-tops hit the threshold, she pulled the telling piece of paper out of his backpack. Marcus,
teacher Terry Bethea had written, "explained to another child that you are gay." The word "gay" was underlined twice.
Huff, 27, and living in a relationship with another woman, sunk into a kitchen chair, speechless. She knew her Cajun
neighbors would rather talk about crawfish or football than alternative lifestyles. But were school officials so wary of
controversy that they were now forbidding children to talk about their families?
It's one thing to tell kids, as many teachers now do, that they cannot insult others with racial slurs or words like "gay."
But in Huff's view, Bethea and Nicholas Thomas, the assistant principal at Ernest Gallet Elementary, were not attempting
to stop bullying or even preserve political correctness. They meant to stamp out thought and discussion about a way of
life. "All Marcus was doing was talking about his family with a friend at recess," Huff said in a telephone interview. "It's
like one kid asking another kid why he doesn't celebrate Christmas and the second kid saying, 'My parents are Jewish.'
Would that kid get in trouble?"
Gallet Elementary is a relatively new school in this midsize, southern Louisiana parish, and its 700-plus students
surpass the state average on standardized tests. After Huff's story broke in the local newspaper, the Daily Advertiser,
yesterday, school administrators remained cloistered into the evening trying to prepare an official response. Gallet
principal Virginia Bonvillain told The Washington Post, "I cannot comment on anything regarding a student." She referred
questions to the school district's attorney, who did not return phone calls.
Many listeners to Lafayette's top-40 station KSMB-FM sympathized with Marcus, said Bobby Novosad, program
manager and morning show host. "Punished for telling the truth," is how one caller put it. "For the big city we're trying
to be, we go back a couple of hundred years every now and then," Novosad said.
At first Huff complied with school policy. She signed and returned the student behavior contract that came home that
day. She took Marcus to in-school suspension the following week as requested, an hour-long class beginning at 6:45 a.m.
where he was forced to write several times, "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again." She didn't contact school
officials. "I was afraid I might blow up and say things that were ugly. I wanted to be a good example to Marcus," she
said.
On the advice of friends, she eventually contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, which sent a letter to the school
demanding that officials apologize to Huff and Marcus and expunge the boy's disciplinary record. "This case is really
beyond the pale," said Ken Choe, a staff attorney in the ACLU's Washington office who has handled many student- and
gay-rights cases. "You can't censor children talking, as long as it's not creating a major disruption to the school
environment. [Marcus] wasn't talking about sexual acts. His remark was about as innocuous as you can get." The
school violated Marcus's constitutional right to equal protection under the law, as well as his right to free expression,
Choe said, noting that the boy with whom Marcus chatted, who lives with heterosexual parents, was not disciplined.
. PROUDLY ANNOUNCING
THE OPENING OF MY LAW OFFICE
A. TERRY COCON
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MIDWEST crry, OKLAHOMA 73110 ·
(405) 922.:.7366
Divorce • Child Custody • Paternity
Child Support • Modify Decree • Contempt
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CALL ME FOR ALL YOUR LEGAL NEEDS
LEGAL SERVICES YOU CAN TRUST AND. AFFORD
The Voice is published by Herland
Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 NW 39th,
Oklahoma City, OK 73112. 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 although a donation is
requested to meet publication and
distribution costs.
Long Live the Queen!
Q
ueen Elizabeth II of England opened Parliament last
month by announcing that Members of Parliament will
debate the issue of civil partnerships for same-sex
couples in the coming session. In her annual speech, in
which she outlines the key bills from the government, the
queen said the bill would help increase social justice across
England and Wales.
"My government will maintain its commitment to increase
equality and social just by bringing forward legislation on the
registration of civil partnerships between same-sex couples,"
she told the House of Lords.
from www.womenenews.org
Officers Denounce Military's "Don't Ask
Don't Tell" Policy
T
wo brigadier generals and a rear admiral, all retired, disclosed
that they are gay and denounced the U.S. military's "don't ask,
don't tell" policy in interviews with The New York Times.
In a story published by the Times, Anny Brig. Generals. Keith Kerr
and Virgil Richard and Coast Guard Rear Adm. Alan Steinman said
the policy effectively excludes gays from military service and forced
them to deceive friends and family. The men were the highestranking military officials to disclose their sexual orientation, the Times
said.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a gay rights
group that monitors military justice, made the officers available to
the newspaper as part of the group's plans to mark a decade since
the policy was put in place by President Clinton on November 30,
1993. "Because gays and lesbians are required to serve in silence
and in celibacy, the policy is almost impossible to follow," Steinman
told the Times. "It has been effectively a ban." He said he did not
tell his family he was gay until after he retired in 1997. Richard, who
retired in 1991, said no one knew he was gay during his 32 years of
military service. "I suppressed my desires, and didn't allow myself to
be who I am because there was too much at stake," Richard said in
his interview with the newspaper.
SLDN said nearly 10,000 men and women have been discharged
from the military for being gay under "don't ask, don't tell."
C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director of SLDN, praised Generals Kerr
and Richard and Admiral Steinman for their courage. ''This is a significant occasion for the military community," Osburn said. "As Col.
Margarethe Cammermeyer, USA (Ret ), Ellen DeGeneres and Martina
Navratilova tore down barriers in their respective fields, these men
provide similar inspiration for lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans
serving our country. They provide irrefutable evidence that our community makes important, lasting contributions to our anned forces.
Our nation should salute them for their service, their honesty and
their courage."
The three officers also joined thirteen other retired senior military
leaders in issuing a statement condemning the military's gay ban.
''There is one inescapable conclusion - 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' does not
work and should be repealed," they said. The statement goes on to
say that, "Today, no credible evidence exists to support a continued
ban. Indeed, all studies, including those commissioned by the Pentagon, have come to that conclusion."
Those endorsing the statement include former Assistant Secretary
of Defense Lawrence Korb; Major General Vance Coleman, USA
(Ret.); Captain Mike Rankin, USNR (Ret.); Col. Eugene A. "Andy"
Leonard, USA (Ret.); MCPOCG Vincent W. Patton ill, USCG (Ret.);
Rear Admiral John Hutson, USN (Ret.) and Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, USA (Ret.), among others.
Women's History Sites
N
ext time you plan your road trip or any vacation,
don't leave home without checking out the National
Collaborative for Women's History Sites www.ncwhs.oah.org. Instead of visiting battlefields and
admiring statues of warriors, you can plot your trip to take
in The Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca
Falls, N.Y., a cluster of early suffragists' homes and the
Wesleyan Chapel where they met in 1848 to proclaim
women's rights in the "Declaration of Sentiments." You can
wander in Philadelphia's 1843 Fair Hill Burial Ground, the
resting place of many prominent Quaker abolitionists and
suffragists, including Lucretia Mott. This cemetery was so
overgrown with weeds and littered with car parts and trash
that few of its inner city neighbors knew it was a cemetery
before NCWHS adopted it.
On your trip, stop by the Alice Paul Institute at Paulsdale,
the Mt. Laurel, N.J., home of the suffragist author of the
Equal Rights Amendment; the Pearl S. Buck House, Perkasie, Pennsylvania; the Mary McLeod Bethune Council
House, Washington, DC; the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago; and while you're at Arlington Cemetery,
you'll know to take in the Women In Military Service For
America Memorial.
NCWHS supports and promotes the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness to
women's participation in American life. The Collaborative
makes women's contributions to history visible so that all
women's experiences and potential are fully valued. Its
goals include to identify and preserve all places associated
with women's history in America; support and sustain
member sites and organizations by sharing resources and
information; promote and interpr:et history so that present
and future generations understand women's integral role in
history, and support their full inclusion in American life.
On Sale Now at Herland
In case Santa Claus forgot to bring you Mary Reynolds' or Louise Goldberg's newest CD's, "Ohthree" often called Puppy and Here, stop by Herland any
Saturday; we are proud to have them on sale here.
We also have Dustbowl Lullaby, Peggy Johnson's
Pearls, Wende Allyn's Catalina Days, FreeFall's
Dreaming Deeply, and CD's by Nancy Scott, Emily
Kaitz, and many others.
At the Wellness Project
We offer:
•
Health and Wellness Education
•
Psychotherapy/Counseling Services
•
Addiction Counseling Services
•
Massage Therapy
•
Acupuncture
All services provided by licensed therapists
Wellness Project- 5500 N. Western #214 OKC
Phone: 405-840-3331
Receive $10 off your first one hour massage with this coupon
_________________________ _ ___________ _ _________
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Herland Sister Resources
NonProfit Org.
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PAID
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Permit No. 861
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Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Return Service Requested
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PHONE: 943-1467
Ca~~ia
CITY ANIMAL HOSPITAL
2910 N.W. 23
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 73107
N. WORLAND DVM
D. TRAVIS DVM
(405) 410-2900
Clinical Psychology
(405) 321-2148
Box 5119
Norman, OK
D.M. HAWKINS, DVM
REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
Nonnan, OK 73070
Mealor LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Individuals - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats
Julia Irwin, M.D., P.C.
Psychiatrist
Doctor's Park
500 E. Robinson, Suite 600
Norman, OK 73071
(405) 321-3719
Sandy Ingraham, JD., M.S.W.
Attorney-at-Law
Ingraham & Associates, PLLC
DOROTHY E. HEIM
Attorney at Law
(405) 691-4949
dheim033@yahoo.com
Call me with your legal questions:
estate planning
personal injury
Young
And Older Adults
Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Probate, Adoption, Contracts
Route 2, Box 369-B
McLoud, OK 74851
Tel. (405) 964-2072
Ingraham@mcloudteleco.com