HerlandVoice-2015-v33-no01_ocr.pdf
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- HerlandVoice-2015-v33-no01_ocr.pdf
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Tax Tips tor the Newlvweds
We 've seen some major steps toward marriage equality in the United States and here
in our state of Oklahoma Many married
(now legally) same-sex couples will begin
2015 with a full year of married benefits.
But what of the earlier years7 Health lnsurance7 Adoptions7 Home purchases and
401k's7 We've pulled some information
together to help you start your journey by
answering a few questions. As always, if
you have questions pertaining to any filing
you do for the IRS or the State of Oklahoma, please contact a tax consultant or the
office directly
The IRS federally recognizes same-sex
marriages for tax purposes regardless of
the individual's state of residence's marriage equality status. When it comes to
doing federal taxes same-sex married couples are federally recognized as married
and have the option to file jointly or separately. It does not matter what state you
currently live in to be federally recognized .
Additionally, the IRS recognizes all federal
tax provisions for same-sex married couples which include claiming personal and
dependency exemptions, taking the stand-
ard deduction, employee benefits, contributing to an IRA and claiming the earned
income tax credit or child tax credit
Same-sex married couples can file claims
for a variety of refunds for previous tax
years from the federal government. Do
you believe that you would have had a
higher return in the previous years if you
and your spouse had been allowed to
marry and file jointly7 Well, the IRS is allowing you to file original or amended returns for the last "three years from the date
the return was filed or two years from the
date the tax was paid, whichever is later."
Form 1040X is the form to use when filing
for an income tax refund while Form 843
(Continued page 2)
looking Back and looking Ahead
This is a great year for all of us and for
Herland as 2015 sees marriage equality
from the beginning to the end. We have a
lot to be thankful for as we slowly see our
civi l rights changing and the wo rld becoming more accepting.
The introduction of the Herland Health
Initiative by Andrea is a great
success and is
helping us make
better choices.
Supper Club attendance is growing and there is
nothing we love
more than to see
so many wome n
coming together
to enjoy their lives
and have some
fun
The Bookstore
and Internet Cafe
has been updated
with del ightful
add-ons of gourmet coffees and
teas. We welcome you to come and vis it
on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the
month
This yea r also marks the 30th anniversary of
Herland 's incorporation as a non-profit
and our commitment to you, as we move
through these momentou s times, is as
strong as ever. We encourage you to join
our Facebook page and check our web site, www.herlandsisters.org, where events
are scheduled and informatio n is posted.
We look forward to bringing you ways in
which you r (and our) lives can be richer
with community involvement
Save the Date tor Funl
The Herland Spring and Fall Retreat
dates have been set and we are excited
about our 2015 time to get together and
enjoy a great weekend. Starting with
Friday Night
dinner through to Sunday Brunch, our
annual Herland Retreats are the best way
to come and get to know your sisters
from around the State (and all over).
The Herland Spring Womyn's Retreat at
Roman Nose State Park Uust outside
Watonga) will be May 1st to 3rd 2015. Our
Herland Fall Womyns's Retreat is at Lake
Eufaula (east of OKC) on November 6th
to 8th 2015.
Our Herland Retreat are a community
effort and we appreciate all of the hard
work so many women have put into
making it happen twice a year' So mark
your calendars and schedule some Sister
time' Questions or concens7 E-mail us
herland@herlandsisters.org
6:30 pm, Tuesday, Mar 3, 10, 17,
24, and 31. Bring your mat and a
donation of any amount.
1 pm-4 pm, Saturday, Mar 14
Shake off the winter and warm up
to some games at Herland.
4 pm, Saturday, Mar 14
Power up with Protein Shakesi
5:30 pm, Saturday, Mar 14
Let's do Indian at Tu.ii 1500 NW
23rd St
4 pm, Saturday, Mar 28
Check our website/Facebook for
topic.
UDENT UNION THEATRE,
19
dent Union
tfllwater, OK 14018
ROl"JM~n
Supper Club: More Room, Lots More Fun
Supper Club has been growing1 Growing from 12-18 participants per month last
yea r to 20-30 each month over the past several months. Due to this growth, we
are making an effort to book restaurants that ca n provide a separate meeting
roo m to ensure enough space and provide a quiet atmosphere for visiting. Here
is the Supper Club schedule for the next few months:
Feb 14, 5:30 pm, Crabtown, 303 E Sheridan
Mar 14, 5:30 pm, Taj, 1500 NW 23rd
April 11, 5:30 pm, Sauced, 2912 Paseo
May 9, 5:30 pm, Golden Palace, 1500 S Meridian
New Board and Officers
Herland wou ld like to we lcome our two newest
board members, Pam ela and Donna, who join the
cu rrent boa rd members Christa, Andrea, Lara,
Sannie, Jea n, and Ginger.
The Board elected a new Chair and Vice Chair for
the term of 2 yea rs. (They join th e Secretary and
Treasure r who are servin g t ill the end of 2015) The
cu rrent offi ce rs are:
You asked what we needed
and now we can share with
youi Our Amazon Wish List
has been created and will
be included on our emails
to you. We thank you so
much for asking and as we
move through the
months, will t ry and keep
the variety of pricing on
there for everyone to be able t o give what they ca n - from soap to toilet paper to a TV to stream Netflix/Amazo n on for movie nightsl It will be therel
Chair- Lara
Vice Chair - Sannie
Secretary - Jean
Treasure r - Ginger
The Herland Board is compri sed entirely of vo lun teers who donate their time and energy to bring to
you retreats, events, and workshops.
Last spring, thirteen OU students generously donated their
time, and with help from some of you, we made many
improvements to the Herland property. The students
helped us install a fence, repair the back steps, paint the
ramp, and lots morel
We're participating in The Big Eve nt again this year and we
need your helpl If you have time to spare, please join us
on Saturday, April 11th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. We'll be
painting the trim, hanging a door, and making general
improve ments, in side and out.
If you have a ladder or paint brushes we can use, please
bring them along and let's show Herland some much deserved love i
Dear Herland Friends
A new year is beginning which started me thinking about what I want
for the year to come, which brings me to thoughts of what I would like
to see happen with Herland. I thought Herland was a good idea thirtythree years ago when I first heard
about it. In the summer of 1982
Patrice Latimer, a partner in my
law firm, was asked by Barbara
Cleveland, later to be known as
Wahru, to draft a lease agreement
on storefront building on NW.
19th Street in Oklahoma City for a
group of women who planned to
open a women's book store. That
lease was the first step t hat would
become Herland and would later
move from 19th Street to its present location on NW. 39th Street.
Although my practice (and my
home) were 165 miles away in
western Oklahoma, I participated
in Herland as often as my schedule allowed. In 1989 my son was
d iagnosed with HIV/AIDS Since Oklahoma City was the only place we
could find medical care for him in those dark days of the epidemic, I
rented a smal l apartment a few blocks north of Herland for the two of
us during the bitter time between the day of his diagnosis and the day
of his death in December. That year I found Herland to be a place I
could come and re lax without having to explain or lie about my son 's
illness. It became a refuge for me during the short periods I could leave
my dear son alone, to take time for myself. The 39th Street community
was where we found respite from our sadness. We ate at the Family
Restau rant (one block west of Penn Avenue); we attended support
group meetings at the Men's Health Clinic and at other o rganizations
on the "strip." I still remember how welcome I felt at Herland where I
checked out books, or had some quiet time reading there, or talking
with other women. It was hard to find places of acceptance in those
days when we were getting hate mail and mean-spirited anonymous
phone calls every day.
shoulder the load. Not just a few, but ALL of us. It's important now more
than ever that EACH and EVERY ONE of us claim our place at the wheel.
Each and every one of us needs to get behind our Board and take an
active part in making Herland work
and do what it is designed to do. That
means regular contributions of work
and or money. It means we will have
to "put up or shut up" Do we believe
that we, as women, can control our
own destiny, or do we not? I am more
than 80 years old and I want this work
to outlive mel I want to know that
Herland will keep going, will carry on
the work that started 33 years ago I I
am now retired from my law practice
out west and live in Oklahoma City
almost ful l t ime, I wil l become as active
in Herla nd and its agenda, along with
my life partner and wife (I) Devey Napier, as our "advanced age" allows.
Please join me in this effort and
pledge your monetary, physica l and
moral support of Herland Sister Resources I I CHALLENGE EACH AND
EVERY WOMAN WHO READS THIS TO DO THAT!
Sincerely,
Dorothy Alexander
r
I was grateful, and sti ll am, that Herland was t here for me and for all the
other women who have wa lked through those doors during all these
years. That's why I have kept in touch with Herland from the beginning
(though some years more t han others) and why you will see one of the
entries on the 1994 "Mortgage Paid" plaque at Herland that says "In
Memory of Kim Alexander" But, that's only one of many, many important things that Herland members achieved during the past 30+
years. They assisted women who were threatened with loss of children
through the prejudice in state courts, they educated all of us on the
issues, provided a safe place for fun and social gatherings, and much
more.
Admittedly, things have vastly improved for the majority of us in recent
years, most notably the marriage equality gains, etc., and perhaps that
has made us become somewhat lax in our support of the efforts it takes
to maintain momentum. But, we should bear in mind that those who
would take away those gains women have not let up, have not relaxed
their efforts to beat back our march toward acceptance and equality.
For instance, the assaults on reproductive rights, equal wages for women, adequate medica l care for women and children, to name on ly a few.
The "legitimate rape" crowd is still out there working day and night to
take us back to the 1950s or even furthe r. I also th ink that in the near
future there will be a renewed effort to pass an Equal Rights Amendment to the US. Constitution which we still desperately need, and I
hope Herland will be ready to participate ful ly and effectively in that
effort. But, it will take all of us. Just a few hard workers will not be
enough
For all the reasons I have mentioned, we stil l need Herland, both the
physical structure and the spirit with which it came to be. We need a
place to come together for social interactions, to encourage each other,
and to do the work necessary for our mutual benefit and well being
That takes work and resources and cooperation. And ALL of us need to
Ftaturiog CRI WILLIAMSON, l
THE TRAVELING FATES.
UBAKA HILL, KIYA HEART·
WOOD. BIG BAD GINA,
SUMMER OSBORNE, JYN
YATES, TRISH BUSH, &
VELVET ARMY <making th ir
Women's Mu·ic Fe tival debut!)
Herland
Non-Profit Org.
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Sister Resources
Oklahoma City, OK
Permit No. 861
2312 NW 39th St Oklahoma City, OK 73112
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