HerlandVoice-2001-01-v19-no01_ocr.pdf
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- HerlandVoice-2001-01-v19-no01_ocr.pdf
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January, 200 I
A l<ILUNG SEASON
by MOC
Oklahoma has nine executions scheduled from January
4, 2001 through February I, 2001. Although many people
think this is a ghastly, tragic way to begin a new year, let alone
a new millennium, there seems little chance of persuading the
governor to grant stays and perhaps declare a moratorium.
One might have expected the Governor to consider it when
the Pope asked him for clemency a year ago, before the
execution of Sean Sellers. However the Governor opined
that His Holiness erred in thinking that the death penalty was
against God's will. Here in Oklahoma, leaders of the
Catholic, Episcopal and United Methodist faiths, in addition
to numerous secular groups, have all asked the Governor for
a moratorium.
There are ongoing events designed to protest these
executions, as well as a bill pre-filed in the Legislature.
Representative Opio Toure has introduced HB l 013,
which would effect a moratorium on executions from March
I , 200 I to March I , 2002.
On February 4, 2001 , the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.
will be in town to petition the governor for a moratorium.
People will gather at 4:30 p.m. at Mabel Bassett Correctional
Center, 3300 N. Martin Luther King Boulevard. They will
march to the Fairview Baptist church at 1700 NE 7'\ and at
6 pm will rally inside the Church - speakers will include Rev .
Jackson, Bud Welch, Robin Myers, Rep. Toure, and Jim
Fowler, father of the prisoner slated to die January 23 .
At 8:30 p.m. there will be a Vigil in Protest of The
Execution of Robert " Eagle" Clayton at the Governor' s
Mansion just east of the Capitol on 23'd Street.
Executions are scheduled on January 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23,
24, 30and February I, 2001 . Oneachofthosedaystherewill
be vigils in front of the Governor's mansion at 5 :00 p.m and
again at 8:30 p.m.
Websites: you can read Rep. Toure's bill 1013 at http:/
lwww.dpio.org/moratorium/HBIOI3 .html ; you can read
volumes about the death penalty across the land in http://
www.thenation.com . The Nation' s website has a Death
RO\v Roll Call section chronicling each month's executions. D
Volwne 19 Number 01
Herland Sister Resources
1ST
WOMAN
SCHEDULED
FOR
EXECUTION
Unless Governor Keating intervenes, Wanda Jean Allen
will be first woman executed in Oklahoma since statehood.
She is scheduled to be executed on Jan 11. The Oklahoma
Pardon and Parole has denied Allen' s clemency request.
The 10th U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to
overturn her sentence and the U.S. Supreme Court has
refused to hear her appeal. Governor Keating can still grant
clemency and commute Allen's sentence to life in prison
The last woman to be executed in Oklahoma was Dora
Wright in l 903 (four years prior to statehood). She was also
an African American. (continued inside)
ComingtoHerland!
-j
But I'm A Cheerleader
Playing January 19, 2001 at 7 PM
$3.00 donation requested
But I'm a Cheerleader is a hilarious movie
about gay and lesbian rehabilitation. Staring Natasha
Lyonne as Megan, this hysterical satire is about
teenagers who are forced to go to a gay rehabilitation .
camp, "True Directions", to turn sissies into he-men
and girls like Megan into perfect housewives. Megan' s
parents and friends are convinced she is a lesbian
based on certain clues - Megan is a vegetarian, she
hates kissing her boyfriend, and she has a poster of
Melissa Etheridge in her locker.
At True Directions, Megan tries very hard to
work the program but while there she meets Graham,
thus beginning a lesbian relationship that would not
have happened had she not been sent there in the first
place and helping her to come to terms with her true
nature.
This movie is full oflaughs and clearly illustrates
the stupidity of homophobia.
www.herlandsisters.org
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK73112
~a)( "I Lqve
You" with flowers
anq make~
aontributior to the
Herland Legal Defens~
Fund.
just order your Valentine
flowers, plants or fish in a
vase f ram Leaf it To Us and
trey will dqnate 45°/q of floral sales to the
(1/erland Le~al Oefense Fund.
~eaf it to
s also carries aromatherapy,
i teresting items.
Please Rlaqe your order by Februarr 7.
Area-wide ~eliuery au~ilable.
Leaf It tp (.Js
300 N. Telephone Rd.
Moore, OK 912-8723
Please mention this ad when placing your order.
EXECUTION ScHEDULED(continuedfrompg. 1)
After two years of being involved in a violent relationship
Allen, an African-American lesbian, adniitted to shooting her
partner, Gloria Leathers, on Dec. 1, 1989 just outside Oklahoma City.
In appeals, Allen has maintained that she had inadequate
legal representation in her trial. Her attorney failed to
investigate fully her background showing that she has an IQ
of 80 and has neurological problems that cause her to lose
control in stressful situations - factors that were not introduced into court. In addition, according to a review of court
records, prosecutors attempted to use Allen's sexual orientation and relationship with her partner to prejudice the jury
against her.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has joined
other progressive gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
(GLBT) groups in calling on Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating
to grant clemency to Allen.
Joining NGL TF in callFind more ;nformation on
ing upon Gov. Keating to grant
Wanda Jean Allen's case at
clemency to Allen are the
WWJ¥.lfERIANINSIERS.ORG
Oklahoma Lambda Intercollegiate Coalition, OU Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Friends, ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission, Lambda Legal Defense and
Education Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Astraea
Lesbian Action Foundation, Gay Men of African Descent,
the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, and the National
Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
D
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GIANT ·
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Bring this coupon in during
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January for 50% off the lowest I
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The past year or so saw a number of books published
about the lives of lesbians. Several of these are available
.
through the Metropolitan Library System.
Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with
Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents, edited by Noelle
Howey and Ellen Samuels (St. Martin's, c2000). A unique
collection of short memoirs by adult children of lesbian, gay,
and transgender parents which prove that, despite attempts
by government and society to regulate love and family, these
bonds cannot be dictated and that ties between parents and
children rise above the polity.
Mv Lesbian Husband: Landscapes of a Marriage, by
Barrie
Borich (Greywolf Press, cl999). With wonderful
prose, Borich delights her readers with essays on the development of her long-term relationship with her lover, Linnea,
and their eventual wedding. Set in a decaying Minneapolis .
neighborhood, My Lesbian Husband illustrates the uniqueness and ordinariness of being a lesbian couple. Winner of the
Non-fiction Award in the 2000 American Library Association's
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Book Awards.
The Red Rose Girls, by Alice Carter (Harry N Abrams,
c2000). An exquisite book which examines the lives of three
early-twentieth-century artists, Jessie Willcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and Violet Oakley, who were dubbed
"the Red Rose girls" because of thcit shared living.;.studio
space in the Red Rose Inn.
Jean
Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict: The Kinship of
Women, by Hilary Lapsley (University of Massachusetts
Press, c 1999). This enjoyable narrative incorporates written
correspondence between Mead and Benedict, along with
poetry and dream interpretation, to present a highly readable
exploration of the lives of these two women. Winner of the
Judy Grahn Award for Best Book of Lesbian Non-fiction,
1999
Individual, couples or family counseling.
Accessible rates. Call for a Wednesday
eveningappointment. JoL Soske,Phd,LPC;
CADC 879-2226
.
I
CHECK THESE-0uT!
-DebWi/Hs
·------------------·
This ls What Lesbian Looks Like: Dyke Activists Take
on the 21st Century, edited by Kris Kleindienst (Firebrand
Books, cl 999). Reflections on race, class, conflict, and
differences within the gay liberation movement, and the rise
of the religious right.
Out & About Campus: Personal Accounts by Lesbian, Gay. Bisexual. & Transgendered College Students,
edited by Kim Howard and Annie Stevens (Alyson Books,
c2000). This collection offers poignant and powerful glimpses
into the lives of LGBT people on campus.
Visit the Metropolitan Library System · online at
www.mls.lib.ok.us
D
Deb is the Assistant Manager at the Midwest City Ubrary and can
be reached there (732-4828 x 3) or via email at
dwillis@mls .lib . ok. us
Her/and Vaice January, 2001 Pnge 3
SAINT SYBIL
Dear St. Sybil.
Can you suggest a good New Year's resolution for me
to begin the newrnillemrium? I understand that a great many
new Year's Day resolutions actually are kept long enough to
become habits, and I'm thinking of giving it a try ...
Thanks,
Seeker
Dear Seeker,
Yes. I have some advice for you: Live yourlife through
song. All the wisdom ofthe world can be found in popular music,
you know, ifyou '11 look for it. For instance, can you imagine the
heart so harcl it's owner has never gotten tears in her ears from
lying on her back in the bed crying over - someone?
Here are the songs I would recommend that you sing
this coming year. Sing them, believe them, belt them out!
Start with "I've Got to be Me" - That's all you are
really here for, now isn't it? That's the most-and the very
best - you can aspire to ... .There's already been a Mother
Teresa, · a Mitch Snyder, an Angela Davis, a Sandra Day
O'Connor, . You are the only You there will ever be, in
all eternity ... . YOU have got to be your new hero, the
person you will cherish and respect and nurture and help
grow free and develop - as Peggy Johnson's song "Time
To Do It" says, you don't know all ofyou yet. And you
need to. And let her song "Being Alone" remind you that
only by spending time with yourself - and yes, this would
mean turning off the television and the computer games will you get to know yourself ....
Sing frequent reprises of "Just As I Am" - you want
to grow yourself freely - you mustn't espalier yourself flat
and beautiful and unholy, or trim yourself into a bonsai, or
prune yourself into a fabulously beautiful but NOT YOU
Yew tree. Think kudzu, not topiary. Grow!
And do it "From This Moment On" - don't look back
more than absolutely necessary, you might become smugly
complacent or, more likely, drown in a pool of ready regret
Besides, as my new friend Satchel Paige, Patron Saint of
Flash & Dazzle and Refused to be Overlooked says, somethin'
might be gaining on you.
So, Seeker: Sing. Always, every day, sing. Sing a
judicious blend of the Blues. "Beale Street Blues;"
"Low-Down (Let Those Dogs Run Loose) Blues;"
"Blues in the Night;" "Down to Seeds and Stems
Blues;" "Blue Monday," any old blues - Blues will keep
you on an even keel. Blues are the great attitude adjuster an enigmatic tonic of cheer when we are blue ourselves, and
an instant reality check when we are flying high - been blue
before, gonna be blue again, keep your balance!
Page 2 Herland Voice January, 2001
There will be times when the best you can do is set your
mouth and your path and
the corny old cliches: "Carry
On," as you strive "Against AU Odds" to "Climb Every
Mountain."
Corny, but valiant. And nex.1 year, nex.1
millennium, and always as you go through life, rememberthat
odd squinty-eyed little Liverpool boy who tapped into so
much wisdom, and "Imagine .. . .. "
Imagine peace and
harmony and joy and justice, and your place in it. Take the
Millennium!
In radical sisterhood,
With love,
oo
Sybil
p.s. and if you wrote me hoping to learn how to lose a few
pounds - neverinind.
D
OK
LAMBDA YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP
Oklahoma Lambda Intercollegiate Coalition (OLIC)
announces its newest program and another first for the state
of Oklahoma: the Oklahoma Lambda Youth Scholarship.
The purpose of this scholarship is to promote pride in youth
activism and foster GLBT leadership on our college campuses .
Oklahoma high-school graduates who intend to remaiD.
in the state throughout their college careers are eligible for
the $1 ,000 award. Applicants will be selected according to
three equally weighted categories; community leadership,
scholastic merit, and financial need.
Applications are available Dec. 1st from OLIC constituent organizations, at the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Pride
Centers and online at www.geocities.com/okolic/. Applications are due on Feb. 15th, 2001 . Winners will be announced
in late March.
The Oklahoma Lambda Intercollegiate Coalition is an
umbrella network ofLesbian, Gay, Bise>.."Ual, and T ransgender
O
student groups from Oklahoma schools.
WWW.HERLANDSISTERS.ORG
Herland Board of Directors:
Laura Choate
Jacqueline Gatewood
Olli
Ginger McGovern, Treasurer
Pat Reaves, Co-Chair
Jerri Schaben
Denise Smith
Judy Walden
The Voice is published by: Herland Sister Resources. Inc. 2312
N. W. 39th. Oklahoma City, OK 73112.
The Voice is offered as an
open forum for C-OmmUriity 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 pseudqnym or anonymously. Subscriptiorrs to The Voice are free upon request although
a donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.
NonProfit Org.
U .S. Postage
Herl and Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
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Permit No. 861
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Thanks, Chas,for the great new Herlandt-shirt design!
Support our
Supporters
!VERTIGO I
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on the web at
WW\\~ geocities. com/ vertigowear /
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REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
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Norman. OK 71069
321-2148
P.O. Box 5119
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12.J 'Ollhlc Slftcl
Naluha Rkc {405) 447-.5111
Norman, Okla. 73070
Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats