Transformation_v8.no3.1993.05-06.pdf
- Title
- Transformation_v8.no3.1993.05-06.pdf
- extracted text
-
Property of the Center
■
rans orma 10n
Vol. 8 Issue 3
May/June1993
PedophiliaAnd The EndangermentOf Children:
How Wrong Can
The
CONTENTS
Annual Dinner
Pagel
Women's Watchcare
Network Bulletin
PageB
Book Notes
Page9
Right
Be?
long with the "No Special Rights"
propaganda, the religious Right
has been successful in falsely
labeling lesbians and gay men as
"pedophiles" to frighten the public with
misinformation. This highly emotional
issue is used as one of the linchpins in
the effort to persuade voters that homosexuality -is about wrongful behavior
and therefore discrimination is a moral
issue rather than a civil rights one.
For the last decade, women's antiviolence programs and child advocacy
organizations have brought the issue
of child sexual assault to public attention. However, the media coverage
has often been misleading and sensational, leaving many people confused
about the true nature of child sexual
abuse. While most understand that it is
widespread, people are generally ignorant about how and where it happens
and who the perpetrators are.
The religious Right, with unerring
instinct for creating highly emotional
reactions marked by alarm and anger,
steps right into the middle of this confusion and ignorance, and manipulates
people's fears about the safety and
well-being of their children.
If we are to combat the Right' s
false information by using the truth, .
SuzannePharr
we have to stop using the incorrect
terms they. introduce into the public
debate. Pedophilia does not describe
child sexual abuse in general; it is a
psychological term used to define the
behavior of a very specific group of
people: adults who have sexual attraction only for children and are
unable to relate sexually to adults.
The religious Right, for the purpose of
distortion, uses the term in a broad
manner to describe any adult who has
sexual relations with children.
Using "pedophilia" as a catchall
for all forms of child sexual abuse,
they link the word directly with gay
men and lesbians by arguing that our
contact with children - through parenting, teaching school, leading youth
groups, etc. - will lead to sexual molestation of the children involved.
They suggest that we are out of
control sexual predators and present
the preposterous lie that because we
cannot have our own children (despite
the evidence that many of us are parents) we have to recruit children into
our ranks. To complete the "big lie"
(so outrageous that many believe it,
thinking that no one could tell a lie that
big), they state that association with
(continued on page 2)
child sexual abuse is especially
volatile because of our feelings about
the innocence and vulnerability of
children.
lesbians and gay men causes children to become homosexual. They
then argue that we must protect
children by making laws to keep
lesbians and gay men separated from
children.
If caring and publicly responsible persons came to believe that
there was a single group of people in
this society that was primarily responsible for the sexual abuse of
children, would they not want laws
created to restrain and limit this
group of people? This idea is behind
the strategy of the religious Right to
lead people into believing that
homosexuality equals pedophilia;
however, the flaw in the strategy
is that the information they provide is false.
Even though we are bombarded
with sexual images by the media,
few people in the U.S. talk about
sexuality in any real sense. It is the
great unknown. The religious Right
relies upon the public's ignorance
about sexuality in general for the
success of its campaign to demonize
lesbians and gay men. Most schools
do not teach about sexuality and
certainly not the wide range of
human sexual expression. The religious Right, of course, fervently
opposes sex education in the schools.
They insist that sex education be
kept in the family, but families are
reluctant to discuss it. Hence, most
of the population gets its education
haphazardly through bits and pieces
of information picked up from acquaintances or the popular media.
In the absence of open discussion
and adequate information, it becomes simple to use misinformation
to manipulate attitudes. The area of
Who the real child
abusers are
It is common knowledge that
the majority of the perpetrators of
sexual abuse of children are heterosexual men. The religious Right
wants us to believe the primary
perpetrators are lesbians and gay
men, particularly the latter. Though
most people think of girls as the
victims of sexual assault, we know
that boys are also often victims, and
when the perpetrator is a man, people
jump to the conclusion that the man
is gay. Nicholas Groth and Jean
Birnbaum, the most respected researchers in the field of sexual assault of children, address the inaccuracy of this conclusion:
In the course of our professional
work we have had an opportunity
to studymen whohave sexuallyassaultedchildren. Our aim is to examine some of the psychological
characteristicsof the childoffender
with particular attention to the relationship between the offender's
choice of victim in regard to sex
and his adult sexual orientation.
Those offenderswho choose children as their victims were for the
mostpart(76%)exclusivelyheterosexual in their life-style. There
was a smallgroup (24%)classified
as bisexual. However, in no case
did this attraction to men exceed
their preferencefor women,and in
every case the sex partners, male
and female, were adults. There
were no men who were primarily
attracted to other adult malesfound
among the group of child offenders. Those offenders who are sexually attracted exclusively to chi/Page 2 •Transformation• May/June 1993
dren show a slight preference to
boys over girls, yet these same
individuals are uninterested in
adult homosexual relationships. In
fact, they frequently express a
strong sexual aversion to adult
males, reporting that what they
find attractive about the immature
boy are his feminine features and
the absence of secondary sexual
characteristics such as body hair
and muscles. Homosexuality and
homosexualpedophilia are not synonymous. In fact, it may be that
these two orientations are mutually exclusive, the reason being
that the heterosexualmale is sexually attracted to feminine characteristics, and the sexually immaturechild'squalitiesaremorefeminine than masculine. In our twelve
years of work with child molesters,
we have found...the child offender
who is also attracted to and engaged in adult sexualrelationships
is heterosexual. The adult heterosexual male constitutes a greater
sexual risk to underage children
than the adult homosexual male.
(Emphasis added) ("Archives of
SexualBehavior'',Vol.7,#3, 1978)
Why the lie works
Given that long-term studies of
child molesters point to heterosexual men as the major perpetrators,
why then is it that people so easily
believe that the abusers are gay men?
There are several reasons:
❖ In general, people do not
understand that rape and child sexual abuse are about power, control
and dominance rather than sexual
gratification. Hence, when heterosexual men are perpetrators of incest or sexual abuse of nonrelated
children, their focus is not so much
the gender of the child but the fact
that they can dominate and control
the child sexually. Whether the
victim is a boy or girl is not necessarily relevant to the perpetrator.
❖ Because the word homosexual has been used loosely to describe same-gender sex, regardless
of whether the parties involved are
heterosexual or gay in sexual orientation, it is easy for people to confuse the sexual act with sexual orientation. In prisons everywhere,
there are heterosexual men who
assume dominant sexual roles and
force other heterosexual men into
submission. In the rapes or sexual
relationships that occur, one can
easily observe the significance of
power and control as a motivation.
It is also easy to see that the
perpetrator's or victim's heterosexuality is not changed by the experience of same-gender sex. When
these prisoners leave prison, they
act out the same heterosexual orientation that they did prior to imprisonment. They go home to their
girlfriends and wives.
It is not the act of sex that makes
someone heterosexual or homosexual: one can be a lifetime celibate
and still have an orientation of
heterosexuality or homosexuality.
How we determine sexual orientation is by the gender - same or
opposite - one has consistent sexuaVeroticattractions to. Homosexuals can have sex with heterosexuals
and it does not make them heterosexual. The same is true for heterosexuals having sex with homosexuals. It is not the act of sex that
determines sexual orientation; it
is instead the persistent source of
erotic attraction, whether acted
upon or not.
❖
People often do not understand or accept that the majority of
the perpetrators of child sexual abuse
are family members or known and
trusted individuals: clergy, coaches,
teachers, neighbors, etc. Abuse by
strangers is more rare, Fathers, stepfathers, boyfriends of the mother are
the most common abusers, and they
are heterosexual. However, it is
easier to accept the notion of stranger
abuse and to warn our children away
from strangers than it is to accept
that the potential abuser could be a
man the child trusts. The most dangerous place for a child is in the
home. The problem of protecting
our children becomes all the more
complicated when family relationships are involved. If we accept
the myth that the homosexual
stranger or the unknown rapist is
the greatest threat, then we divert
ourselves and our children from
looking at the true source of danger. The result is that we leave our
children even more vulnerable to
abuse and undefended by those
responsible for their well being.
❖
There are, of course, some
children who are sexually molested
by lesbians and gay men because the
lesbian and gay community, for good
or bad, reflects all the variety that
exists in the larger community.
However, these cases of abuse are
only a small percentage of the whole.
The lesbian and gay community must
hold these people accountable for
their actions. There are also gay
men who in their youth had sexual
relationships with older gay men.
(And to a lesser extent, young lesbians and older women.) We must
also examine the power and control
issues in these relationships.
Given the homophobia and
heterosexism that isolate gay and
lesbian youth, judges them harshly,
Page 3 •Transformation• May/June 1993
and prohibits their exploration of
their sexual identity with o~
and lesbian youth, it is not surpnsing that some welcome an opportunity to be in relationship with someone of their own sexual orientation
no matter what the age difference is.
Having experienced the sexual violence against women that is a given
in this society, many lesbians are
especially concerned about crossgenerational relationships because
of the imbalance of power and potential for abuse.
Concern for children:
protection or propaganda
That the religious Right's civic
concern for children is limited to
using them only for political gain in
the attack against lesbians and gay
men and against reproductive rights
is demonstrated in their lack of interest in supporting programs that
advocate for children. For instance,
in a country where most of the impoverished are children, the Right
opposes welfare. And at a time
when most women have to work to
support their children, they oppose
pay equity, parental leave, publicly
funded childcare, etc. Rather than
preaching sermons that hold men
accountable for the sexual abuse of
children and women, they promote
keeping families together at any cost
and attack women's shelters and
child protection groups for "breaking up the family." The religious
Right's fundamentalist belief requires that men have power and
dominion over women and children;
hence, for them to acknowle<:1-ge
the
truth about violence against children and women would severely
damage the argument for male
domination.
Given what is known about
heterosexual male violence, one
mightwonder,ratherironically, why
the religious Right is not seeking
laws to restrict the contact of heterosexual males with children, if indeed they are so socially and biblically concerned about child sexual
abuse? After all, it was heterosexual
Lot who offered up his two virgin
daughters to be gang-raped by the
heterosexual townsmen in the famous Sodom and Gomorrah passage (Genesis 19: 1-10) that is used
so often to condemn homosexuality. This offer was made after Lot
refused to deliver up the two male
angels to the same crowd of men.
The perfect tool
of oppression
The religious Right's strategy
for using children as the centerpiece
to build discrimination against lesbians and gay men is twofold:
1) to demonize lesbians and gay
men by identifying us as out of
control sexual predators;
2) to prevent us from having
contact with children, thereby
eliminating the possibility of
countering false information
with real life, truthful experiences.
Establishing an argument that
lesbians and gay men are sexual
predators is a perfect strategy for
oppression because it meets two of
the basic requirements: stereotyping and scapegoating. The accumulative effect of the two is to dehumanize. Once a group is dehumanized, those who wish to do them
harm no longer feel standards of
conscience or common humanity:
members of the targeted group are
no longer seen as worthy of fair
treatment or capable of experiencing ordinary human feelings. Indeed, perpetrators of discrimination
and violence often believe that they
are doing society a favor by doing
harm to their victims. It becomes
the mark of a good citizen to discriminate.
The accusation that a targeted
group harms children has been a
part of the demonizing and dehumanizing process throughout history. It was classically employed to
promote racism, and now the Right
has transferred it to increase homophobia. To arouse fear, hysteria and
violence, gypsies were accused of
stealing children, Jews of killing
and drinking the blood of gentile
babies, Native Americans of stealing white babies. In their attempt to
prevent school desegregation, the
KKK distributed fliers showing
African-American males (drawn to
resemble a gorilla) towering over
little white girls at their school desks.
Each group is inevitably described
as oversexed, predatory and dangerous to children. If one accepts the lie
as truth, then discrimination becomes a matter of morality.
The second arm of the strategyto prevent association with children
and youth-ensures the maintenance
of oppression by preventing generation after generation from exposure
to information and experiences that
would counter bigotry. Another
falsehood enters here. The religious
Right would have us believe that
association with lesbians and gay
men, or even talking about homosexuality, leads one to become
homosexual. They base this notion
on the idea that sexuality is a choice,
not an orientation, and they ignore
the fact that no one, at this point of
study, knows what makes a person
heterosexual, homosexual or bisexPage 4 •Transformation• May/June 1993
ual in orientation. There is no evidence that association or conversation about sexuality effects one's
orientation. Gay and lesbian children growing up in heterosexual
families and living in a primarily
heterosexual society are not shaped
into heterosexuals, and neither do
heterosexual children of lesbian or
gay parents become homosexual.
The more important point in such a
discussion is that it should not matter whether sexuality is a choice or a
condition of birth. No matter what
the sexual orientation, everyone
should be treated with dignity and
given full civil rights.
Turning lies
into policy
The false premise that reading
or hearing about homosexuality
makes children become homosexual leads the Right to create policy
that harms children. For example, a
few years ago the country became
aware that a large number of youth
were attempting and/or successfully
committing suicide. The Department of Health and Human Seivices
under the leadership of Louis Sullivan, a Bush appointee, commissioned a study of teen suicide. It
found, among other things, that over
30% were youth who were struggling with their lesbian or gay sexual orientation - not because they
were sick or mentally ill but because
they were so isolated, condemned
and unsupported. Upon the study's
completion, Sullivan suppressed it
because it "promoted homosexuality" by talking about homosexuality
as a factor in teen suicide. Until it
was later released under protest, this
decision prevented teachers, school
counselors, administrators and parents from having information that
could help save children's lives. The
very clear message from the Bush
administration was "We'd rather
have our children dead than gay."
Preventing lesbians and gay men
from teaching, retaining custody of
our children, adopting, participating in foster care, leading youth
groups, etc., eliminates the possibility of children aridyouth understanding lesbians and gay men as individualized and fully human. Additionally, lesbian and gay youth are
prohibited access to role models and
adequate information about who they
are and the life they are entering.
Instead, they along with heterosexual youth, are not given access to the
history and culture of lesbians and
gay men, though they are given the
full range of biased information and
attitudes concerning homosexuality.
Because of the extremes of the prejudice, there is no one to counsel or
protect lesbian and gay youth and
rarely is there anyone who will intervene in situations when biased
language is used, such as "faggot,"
which is common name-calling in
schools.
Consequently, our schools become breeding grounds of bigotry.
It is no surprise that the majority of
those who physically attack and kill
gay men are boys in their late teens
and early 20s. Part of what motivates them is their own sexual development and attendant insecurity at the time of entering the often
repressive and violent arena of
manhood. Equally significant,
however, is that they have just graduated from what could be called boot
camps for bigotry against lesbians
and gay men - the public and private
schools of the U.S.
What can be done
It is the challenge of the lesbian
and gay community and progressive
groups to figure out how to counter
misinformation with the truth. There
are many arenas to work in as we
begin to gather information to create a truthful and complete analysis:
lesbian and gay sexuality, children's
rights, child sexual abuse, violence
against women and children, progressive policies in welfare, health,
education, and support for families
(using, of course, a broad definition
of family.)
❖ On the issue of pedophilia
and child sexual assault, it seems
important that the lesbian and gay
community begin the dialogue internally before attempting to work
in coalition with other groups on debunking the myths and lies. Since
all of us, whether heterosexual or
homosexual, are recipients of
society's misinformation and lack
of adequate information about sexuality, lesbians and gay men share
equally in the general ignorance
about sex.
We are unclear about what we
think about sexuality, what is good
or bad, right or wrong. The Right' s
narrow view of sexual morality has
diverted us from the questions that
might help us sort through the differences of sexual orientation, sexual behavior and sexual ethics. It is
the latter that requires our clearest
thinking and most persistent attention. Perhaps we could get closer to
developing positive community
standards if we held all sexual practices up to this ethical question: Is
there use of power and violence
and control to violate the integrity, autonomy and wholeness of
Page 5 •Transformation• May/June 1993
another person? If so, then we
know we oppose that behavior.
Using this guideline, it becomes
simpler to talk about difficult issues
such as cross-generational relationships, sadomasochism, etc., within
a framework that does not call for
immediate polarization.
Additionally, there needs to be
discussions about the many ways
lesbian and gay sexuality manifests
itself, how individuals came to
understand their sexual orientation,
and what the most positive relationship to children should be. Throughout history we have had positive and
meaningful roles in children's lives
- as parents, coaches, teachers,
priests, poets, actors, etc. - but we
have been closeted and afraid of exposure. However, it seems exceedingly clear that homophobia and
heterosexism can never be eliminated until lesbians and gay men can
associate openly with children and
youth and provide truthful information to them. Lesbians and gay men
must develop the courage to confront this artificially constructed
taboo head-on by taking responsible
positions that put us openly in association with children and youth.
❖
We must advocate for sex
education in schools. Alliances can
be made with those groups working
for reproductive rights, for HIV
education, for freedom of expression and against the banning of
books. If we continue to keep children and youth in ignorance about
their sexuality, we keep them in risk
of teen-age pregnancy, AIDS, other
sexually transmitted diseases, as well
as self-destructive behavior and
suicide. In this context, to refuse sex
education is once again to send the
message, "We had rather see you
dead than gay."
Unfortunately, there has not been
enough effort put into what should
be a natural alliance between those
working for reproductive rights and
those working for lesbian and gay
rights. These meet on common
ground in the area of sex education,
school-based clinics, and HIV/AIDS
education, of the understanding of
the right to privacy, and of the fundamental belief that all people must
have authority over their own bodies. It is the latter - the belief that we
mmour bodies - that stands in direct opposition to the Right's authoritarian vision. Therefore, the
Right must oppose sex education in
the schools because an underlying
premise of sex education is that if
we understand our own bodies and
their uses in the world, then we will
have authority over them. These
bodies - their sexuality, their health
and wellbeing, including the right to
choose death through a living will will not be given up to someone else
to control.
that the tactics of oppression are
similar and are employed against all
targeted groups. We must understand that the religious Right's attack against lesbians and gay men
originates in racism and sexism, in
the desire to dominate and control.
The language of"No special rights"
and of sexual predators comes directly from racist strategies employed to destroy programs designed
to eliminate discrimination and from
tactics used to increase fear and
bigotry. Homophobia and heterosexism cannot be eliminated without the elimination of sexism and racism. All are intertwined, and no
progressive movement can succeed
without major leadership from
people of color and women.
Finally, wemustdomasseducation. Were it not for the widespread
ignorance about sexuality in general, and lesbian and gay sexuality
in particular, the religious Right
would not be successful in its efforts
to demonize lesbians and gay men.
The greatest hope for changing ignorance to informed understanding
is to put a human face on the oppression. To do so will require lesbians
and gay men to be open with the
people we live and work among,
talking about the reality of our lives.
Study after study shows that discriminatory and bigoted attitudes
change positively in relation to how
well people personally know someone of the group targeted for discrimination. Many people attribute
the victory in Oregon in large part to
the fact that thousands of lesbians
and gay men, in acts of great courage and dignity, came out to their
families, their co-workers, their
neighbors, and talked about their
lives. Discrimination finds no fertile ground when people are seen as
individualized and fully human.
Moving
❖
The lesbian and gay community must take a strong position
that never excuses sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Our bottom line must be that no one be
allowed to sexually abuse children,
no matter what gender or sexual
orientation, race, religion, age or
class. To achieve this goal of protecting children, we must tell the
truth about who the perpetrators are.
Alliances can be made with the
women's anti-violence movement
and children's advocacy groups to
present the truth and to develop
strategies to eliminate sexual violence against children.
In mid-June 1993, my longtime friend,
Ann Gallmeyer, and I are moving to Oregon
where we hope to find greater services for
people with disabilities and a large women's
community for friendship and support.
Working out of a satellite office, I will remain
on the staff of the Women's Project doing the
same work I now do: national organizing and
writing. For two weeks of each quarter I will
return to Little Rock to work with the staff and
board. Hopefully, this plan will give me the
best of both worlds, a residence in the Northwest and work that remains rooted in the
South I have loved all my life.
-
❖
We must join others at the
forefront of the work against racial
injustice, using our understanding
Page 6 • Transfonnation • May/June 1993
Suzanne Pharr
Property of the Center
Annual Dinner Will Honor
Euba HarrisWinton
On Saturday, June 12 at 6:30
p.m. at the Pulaski Heights United
Methodist Church, 4823 Woodlawn
Avenue, the Women's Project will
sponsor its annual dinner. This year
the dinner will be combine the presentation of the Evangeline K. Brown
Award to a deserving woman and
the celebration of cultural diversity
through music, poetry and dance.
The dinner is our opportunity to
honor a woman who has shown
·extreme commitment and dedication to fighting to improve the devastating conditions that so many face.
One who has pushed the limits for
justice. This year's receipient of the
EvangelineK.BrownAward isEuba
Harris Winton, a member of the
Women's Project board of directors
and a longtime organizer from Fort
Smith.
Winton has battled racism, gang
violence, drug abuse, teen-age pregnancy, illiteracy, AIDS and other
offenses against humanity for 22
years as a community developer for
Mallalieu United Methodist Church
in Fort Smith.
Winton has been a member of
Mallalieu United Methodist Church
for 60 years and was hired in 1970 to
strengthen the small church's outreach ministry. Through her work
she has persuaded the city, through
the courts, to spend federal community development funds in the African-American community. She has
worked to gain improvements in
housing, employment, education and
municipal services. Through her
Janet Perkins
program, at-risk students are able to
receive tutoring and support from
adult mentors and attend peer-group
activities to help them remain in
school. Winton has been instrumental in developing community forums,
counseling and other measures to
combat violence, substance abuse
and the devastating spread of AIDS.
Presently Winton is a South Central Jurisdiction representative nominating committee core planning
group member for United Methodist
Women. Winton has also been active in Fort Smith as district coordinator for Christian Social Involvement and Christian Global Concerns.
In the North Arkansas Conference
she served as president of United
Methodist Women South Central Jurisdiction representative to the General Commission on the Status and
Role of Women.
In 1985 the Women's Project
sponsored the first dinner and presented the award for outstanding
work to the woman the award is
named for, Evangeline K. Brown,
who for more than 50 years has
fought for improvements for her
Dermott community and for a better
Arkansas. For those who have encountered Mrs. Brown, they know
that she stands firm on the things she
believes in and will go down to the
wire to fight against injustice. For
this reason our award was named for
Evangeline K. Brown. She is tireless and fearless in her effort to transform the world into a better place.
For too long the contributions
that women have made have gone
unnoticed. Therefore we feel we
must find avenues to celebrate the
lives of women and the long struggles
they have encountered in order to
survive. We feel Euba Harris Winton has demonstrated enormous
courage and longevity, thus making
hermostdeservingoftheEvangeline
K. Brown Award.
Please feel free to call Janet Perkins at 372-5113 for more information related to the dinner. Tickets for
this event will be available in May.
We look forward to you coming out
and helping us to celebrate the lives
of women.
Transformation
Published six times a year by the
Women's Project, 2224 Main Street,
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72206.
Letters to the editor are welcome.
Editor
Art Director
Suzanne Pharr
Kelly Henry
Women'sProjectSIil//:
Kerry Lobel, Kelly Mitchell-Clark,Janet Perkins, Suzanne Pharr, Joanne Reich
* Printedon recycledpaper. *
Page 7 •Transformation• May/June 1993
Sexist Climate
Two Garland County Community College faculty
members under criminal and internal investigation in
two separate incidents of alleged sexual harassment
said that they will retire. The charge of public sexual
indecency filed against Ron Adams was dismissed at
the request of the victim. The victim accused Adams
of sexually molesting her by fondling her breasts
while she was working in the college's data processing lab on campus. She stated she would drop the
charges if Adams was fired or resigned. Fred Price
was accused by another student on a misdemeanor
harassment charge of allegedly touching her on the
stomach and buttocks on numerous occasions while
in class.
Racist Climate
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim was found
guilty in federal court of discriminating against former Police Chief Frank D. Neely because he is black.
The jury awarded Neely $40,000 and directed that
$22,000 of it be paid by the city and $18,000 of it be
paid by Swaim. Swaim announced in April that he
would not appeal the court's decision.
Dr. Betty J. Cravy was fired from her position of
head of the state's first residential high school for
mathematics and sciences due to lack of management
and organizational skills to make the school topnotch. Cravy has been under criticism for the low
level of African-American youth that were recruited
to be part of the school, located in Hot Springs. Less
than 9 percent of the students enrolled for next year's
courses are black, compared with an application pool
of state 10th graders that is 21 percent black.
Joyce Scott Littleton, was named interim director.
Littleton becomes the first African-American employee on the school's eight-member staff.
The North Little Rock Water Department settled
a lawsuit out of court with Andrew McFadden, who
had contended that he had been denied a promotion
because he is black. The settlement was (or $2,500.
McFadden said he had been verbally disciplined by
his supervisor unfairly and had been denied a promotion because of his race.
Anti-Gay/Lesbian Climate
During a showing of the film "The Crying Game"
at Park Plaza mall someone released a canister of
cayenne pepper-based "defensive spray" inside the
theatre, forcing the evacuation of the theatre complex. The film has become quite controversial because of its portrayal of a gay female impersonator.
Some believe the act was a political statement. No
arrest has been made and no injuries were reported.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Pine
Bluff Commercial are two of 13 newspapers nationally to cancel the comic strip "For Better or Worse"
because a character in the strip has revealed his
homosexuality.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Art
Department pulled a series of graphite and ink drawings, some of which displayed homosexual acts,
from the department's student seniors show. The
student wanted his work to be displayed with the
other students; but the department chairman said it
wouldhavetobeexhibitedunderconditions"deemed
appropriate"bydepartmentpersonnel. At least 15 art
students signed and attached disclaimers to their
work stating that exhibiting their work wasn't "an
endorsement of UALR policies which abridge the
right of free expression." Later a compromise was
reached in which the work was put up in the Print
Study Room. The room is unlocked but monitored to
prevent unsupervised children from entering.
Religious Right Activities
In continued attacks on the Governor's School,
the video, "The Guiding Hand: The Clinton Influence on Arkansas Education," has been shown around
the nation condemning the curriculum at the school.
Page 8 •Transformation• May/June 1993
Jeff Botkin, famous for documenting the Willie Horton issue, produced the film, along with the Family
Council's Jerry Cox. On the video, a former Governor's School employee and unsuccessful Republican
candidate for the legislature, Mark Lowery, states that
a young man had become a member of a cult, and that
he'd left a long suicide note blaming the Governor's
School. The young man's mother said she called
Lowery and told him "If you guys are going to give
wrong information, leave me out." According to the
Arkansas Times, her son was never involved in a cult.
He did leave a suicide note, but it was short, and he did
not mention the Governor's School. This follows
action by the American Family Association of Arkansas last month which asked Governor Jim Guy Tucker
to investigate the school.
The Family Council of Arkansas sponsored an ad
in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette entitled "In Defense of a Little Virginity: a message from Focus on
the Family." The ad speaks strongly against birth
control, condom use and "safe sex" as methods for
AIDS prevention. The Family Council is closely affiliated with Focus on the Family, an anti-gay organization formed in 1988.
A coalition of "family-values" lobbying groups
won a victory in the state House of Representatives
when it adopted a compromise amendment to the appropriation bill for the state Health Department.
Marilyn Simmons, state director of Family, Life,
America, God (FLAG), said her group "would have
liked a stronger amendment." The amendment states
that before any new school clinics are established, the
school board in question must pass a resolution requesting it, and that any clinic distributing condoms
must maintain records of teen pregnancies at the
school and report their findings annually to the school
board. It also states that it is a state policy to discourage premarital sex, and that any sex education or
health class must emphasize abstinence from sex as
the best and only sure means of avoiding pregnancy
or sexually transmitted diseases.
During a House Committee meeting on Senate
Bill 500, the Arkansas Disabilities Act, Fred Hart and
Jerry Cox of the Family Council argued against S.B.
500 saying it's "simply disingenuous to say AIDS is
not related to homosexuality." The bill failed to pass.
Ann Dierks, past president of the Arkansas Right
to Life c_ommittee, told The Washington Post recently that Health Department Director Joycelyn
Elders, President Clinton's choice for surgeon general, "is to me really a very dangerous woman because of her policies. I see not an extension of a prochoice policy, but a pro-abortion policy." Elders'
response: "I'm not about abortions. I'm about preventing pregnancy. Which would in tum prevent
abortions."
Book Notes_
From The Women's Project Library
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their
Accents by Julia Alvarez - "To
speak without an accent is the ultimate goal of the immigrant, yet the
literature of immigration requires
an accent to lend it authenticity and
flair. This threshold - between accent and native speech, alienation
and assimilation - is the golden door
through which (the author) sails with
her first collection of interwoven
stories." The best stories come at
the end of the book and include "rich
descriptions of island life and details of the Garcia's first year in the
United States." The author has
"beautifully captured the threshold
experience of the new immigrant,
where the past is not yet a memory
and the future remains an anxious
Page 9 •Transformation• May/June 1993
dream."
- New York Times Book Review
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto,
translated by Megan Backus - "A
sense of the fragility of life permeates these works (two novellas);
death is the central event. But
Yoshimoto' s message, articulated
(continued on page 10)
with delicacy and maturity, is that
humans have the intellectual and
spiritual resilience to overcome tragedy and find meaning in existence.
A bestseller in Japan, Yoshimoto's
first book should-delight a discerning audience here."
- Publishers Weekly
1959 by Thulani Davis "is a powerful coming of age story set against
the beginnings of the civil rights
movement. In 1959 Billie Holiday
dies, the main character has her first
date, and her father begins to worry
about integration when eight black
college students go into the local
Woolworth's and sit down at the
lunch counter. This debut novel by
an acclaimed playwright, journalist
and poet received reviews that
compared her book to Sula and To
Kill A Mockingbird."
- Feminist Bookstore News
Both Right and Left Handed: Arab
Women Talk About Their Lives by
BouthainaShaaban."Arabwomen
tell of constant shame and fear, of
the astounding ignorance of sexuality among Arab girls, of violent male
revenge for being 'dishonored' by
women's sexual behavior. These
are extraordinary people recounting
triumphs great and small, from persuading a husband to cook a meal to
smuggling arms."
- New York Times Book Review
Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and
Writings by Women of African
Descent, From the Ancient Oral
Tradition to the Present edited by
Margaret Busby. Here are the
works of more than 200 authors from
Africa, North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and
Asia, spanning two millennia-from
the ancient Egyptian queen
Hatzbepsut and the Queen of Sheba
to contemporary American writers
such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker
and Jewelle Gomez. Within the
1,152 pages are excerpts from oral
history, autobiography, historical
fiction, science fiction, literary
novels, short stories, poetry, essays,
journalism, memoirs, diaries, letters, plays, folklore and more. It
also includes a biographical sketch
of each author and a list of her individual works, as well as substantial
bibliographies of sources and further readings.
Catholic Girls edited by Amber
CoverdaleSumrall& PatriceVecchione - Women who grew up
Catholic share an experience that
transcends class, race and nationality. This unique anthology of 52
short stories, poems and memoirs
captures in moving, humorous and
sometimes angry words the stories
of Catholic girls-tales of first doubts
and disappointments, fears and rebellions, and the emerging sexuality
that finally challenges the church's
narrow concept of womanhood.
Contributors include Louise Erdrich,
Audre Lorde, Mary Gordon, Marilyn Murphy and Valerie Miner
(What! No Kate Clinton?!?).
Songs of My People - AfricanAmericans: A Self-Portrait edited
by EricEaster,et al is an extraordinary and historic photo documentary of the world of African-Americans. Fifty photojournalists examine and capture on film the stirring
lives of African-Americans from
the cotton fields of Mississippi to
the floor of the New York Stock
Exchange; from the anguish of the
homeless in the nation's capital to
the selflessness of the nuns of the
Oblate Sisters of Providence. An
exhibition of photographs from this
book will be at the Arkansas Arts
Center through May 16.
More New Books in the Library:
The War Against Women by Marilyn French
FromPaychecktoPower:TheWorkingWoman'sGuidetoReducingDebt,BuildingAssets,
and Getting What You Want Out of Life by Little Rock's own Linda Bessette &
Anne Owings Wilson
Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men by Gary David Comstock
This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer by Ray Mills
Families We Choose: Gays, Lesbians & Kinship by Kath Weston
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Femicide: The Politics of Woman Killing edited by Jill Radford & Diana E.H. Russell
Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Sitko
Love, Zena Beth by Diane Salvatore
The House Tibet by Georgia Savage
Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Invisible Epidemic: The Story of Women & AIDS by Gena Corea
Undersong: Chosen Poems Old and New, Revised by Audre Larde
Hot Chicken Wings by Jyl Lynn Felman
Talking with Your Child about a Troubled World by Lynne S. Dumas
Sapphic Songs: Eighteen to Eighty, Revised by Elsa Gidlow
Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America by Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Life ls Painful, Nasty and Short ...in My Case It Has Only Been Painful and Nasty: Djuna
Barnes, An Informal Memoir by Hank O'Neal
Page 10 •Transformation• May/June 1993
Property of the Center
umvilill(l~illl~f
1·11\1
~If
[llf
111·~
Hlllf
flll~]l\·1111··
-••
M 001 111 292
Our goal is social change or, as the poet Adrienne
Rich writes, "the transformation of the world." We
believe this world can be changed to become a place of
peace and justice for all women.
We take risks in our work; we take unpopular stands.
We work for all women and against all forms of
discrimination and oppression. We believe that we
cannot work for all women and against sexism unless we
also work against racism, classism, ageism, antiSemitism, heterosexism and homophobia. We see the
connection among these oppressions as the context for
violence against women in this society.
We are concerned in particular about issues of
importance to traditionally underrepresented women:
poor women, aged women, women of color, teenage
mothers, lesbians, women in prisons, etc. All are women
who experience discrimination and violence against
their lives.
Wearecommittedtoworkingmulti-culturally,multiracially, and to making our work and cultural events
accessible to low income women. We believe that
women will not know equality until they know economic
justice.
We believe that a few committed women working in
coalition and in consensus with other women can make
significant change in the quality of life for all women.
Trans/ ormation
is now published six times every year.
Six times each year, members and volunteers receive analysis of contemporary issues,
information about Women's Project upcoming events and activities, book reviews, and more.
If you are not a Women's Project member or volunteer and would like to continue
receiving the newsletter, please fill out the membership form on this page.
r------------------7
rall Yes, I wouldliketo join
CurrentProjects
Prison Project
A support and advocacy project for women in prison that provides
support groups for battered women in prison andformerly incarcerated
women, and job training and advocacy.
Women's Watchcare Network
A project to monitor incidents of racial, religious, sexual, and anti-gay
violence, and the activities of hate groups in Arkansas.
W
the Women'sProject.
Name________________
Address _______________
_
_
City _________________
_
The Social Justice Project
Zip ________
Workshops on understanding racism and homophobia and developing
methods to eliminate them.
State _____
Womenand AIDS
A project to develop strategies for working with women and caregivers
Phone/day _______________
around AIDS issues.
Phone/evening ______________
_
_
_
_
__
$ 5 ( low income)
15
25
50
100
Make checks payable to:
African-AmericanWomen's Institute for Social Justice
A project which creates strategies for overcoming the barriers that
hinder African-American women's efforts toward power and selfdetermination.
Communicationsand Events
A newsletter, a lending library, statewide and regional conferences, and
production of women singers, poets and novelists.
L _____
Page 11 •Transformation• May/June 1993
Women's Project
2224 Main Street
_:-ittle Rock, AR 72206______
_J
Women's
Project
Non-Profit Organization
U. S. Postage Paid
Little Rock, Arkansas
Permit No. 448
2224 Main Street
LittleRock, AR 72206
HERLAND
SISTER RES.
2312 NW39TH
OKLAHOMA
CITY OK 73112