HerlandVoice-2002-09-v20-no09_ocr.pdf
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- HerlandVoice-2002-09-v20-no09_ocr.pdf
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The Her\and VoiGe
'5eptember :2.00:2.
O~U
G.L~TA
Volume :2.0, Number
A\umni
~
'5tude.nt5
G.roup
Dear Oklahoma Baptist University Alumni, former and present
students ...
My name is Karen Weldin. I am a 1975 graduate of OBU. I also
happen to be a lesbian . The journey from my OBU days to the present
has been one that included quite a struggle to reconcile my sexuality
and my spirituality. Along the way I discovered a couple of
organizations that have been influential in my life with this journey.
One is Soulforce www.soulforce.org (and ww1v.so11/forceinok/ahoma.org}
and the other, Heart Strong 1vww.heartstrong.org.
As a result of my involvement and interest in these groups, I have
found a passion and a desire to try and help other OBU students and
graduates who have or may be struggling with reconciling their
sexuality and spirituality. I would like to start an OBU GLBTA (gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and ally) Alumni group. The purpose
of this group would be to offer support to one another but most of all
to assist current OBU students with this struggle. It is my
understanding that still to this day if an OBU student comes out of the
closet they will be asked to leave OBU . With that kind of policy
GLBT students are forced to continue to live in isolation and fear,
damage their self worth, dignity, and integrity, and/or lose financial
and emotional support to continue their education. I would love to see
a group form that can continue to support one another and help one
another continue to work through our own internalized homophobia
(or help others if you have already worked through the majority of
yours); find ways to raise money to assist students continue their
education if they chose to come out of the closet; and to be a loving
visible reality to the OBU community - past and present.
To date I have a list of twenty-four (24) names and addresses
and/or email addresses of OBU GLBT A alumni and students who
may be interested in such a group. (Be assured that I am the ONLY
person who knows and has access to this list at this time.) This letter
has been snail mailed or emailed to the 24. I know this is the tip of the
ice berg. If you are interested in helping to form this group, and have
names and contact information of other OBU GLBT A alumni and
students, please forward that information to me. Be assured that this
information is being held in the strictest of confidence. I have no
intention of "outing" anyone. I would simply like to find out who all
might be interested in such a group, how we can communicate,
discover and share where we are in our own journeys, and be a
resource for other OBU alumni and current students.
If you are interested in an OBU GLBT A ALUMNI AND
STUDENT group such as I have described, please contact me as soon
as possible and send me your updated Name, Address, phone
number, Email address; Year graduated or attended OBU; Degree.
Also, please inform me if it is okay to share any of your contact
information with others on the list.
Please be specific.
I appreciate you reading this letter and I hope you will prayerfully
consider being a part of this important group.
In love and peace, Karen Weldin
(918-452-2761 home, 918-605-7405 cell, Karen@cwis.net
~
It's a Concert
To benefit
.UerLand .5isfer l<est:1urces
4
p.m. - 8 p.m.. 6unday, 6eptember 8. 2002
At
Leaf It To Us
:;oo N. Telephone R.oad. tvloore. Ok.Lahoma
(Corner of 2" 6heet N\\I and Telephone R.oad)
Join us for a casual come-and-go afternoon
of smooth sounds with
tv1ary R..eynolds and Louise c;"oldberg.
R..efreshments provided.
Donations of any size appreciated.
for more information call Pam or Chris
at (405) 912-8724 or email mocoxl@cox.net
for directions. look at the ".'.)upporters" on the address page ....
Wom~n
of C.o\or C.\ub
The Womyn of Color Club will meet Sunday September 8 at
Herland, at 4pm. A potluck will follow immediately after the
meeting. For directions or other questions, contact WOC at
their new email address: womynofcolor@gay.com, or call
Jacqueline at 405/842-2269.
Ne.~
Oi(C. 'Ptla9 C.hapte.r f ormin9
The Oklahoma City Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays will hold an organizational meeting at the First Unitarian
Church on Monday, September 9, at 7 pm. Bring your leadership
skills and help form a viable group. The church, on the comer of
Dewey and 13 1h Streets, is a Welcoming Congregation. Coffee,
lemonade and cookies will be served.
~oard
Me.mbe.r Ope.nin95
Herland is seeking highly motivated women to join us as Board
members, and as non-Board volunteers. Anyone wishing to lend their
time and energy in helping to shape and guide Herland is encouraged
to call us at 521-9696, or email us at herlanddsisters@cox .net. Our
Board meetings are the third Sunday of each month at 4pm, at the
bookstore.
111111111.herlandsisters.org
l\erland '5ister 12'..tsourc.es, :2.'31:2. NW ?t O~lahoma C.iti, 01( 1'311:2.
40'5-'5:2.1-~(,~(,
£mail us at herlandsisters@c.o'f..net; Visit us durin9 our boo~store hours, '5aturda1s, 1 - '5 p.m.
'5aint
'5~bi\
Mu&il. 14vie~
Dear Fell ow Saints and Sinners,
Two letters. Very fine letters, it is true, but onl y two! Only two
letters in response to my request for a little dialogue on feminism .
know there are more than just two of you out there who care. So I'm
giving you another month to get in your definition of a femini st twenty-five words or less, or many more if you like .... Mail them to
me at Herland or email them to Saintsybil 77@,hotmail.com .
Meanwhile, in case you are not sure if you are a feminist or not,
here 's a little negative light on the subject.
You know y ou 're not a feminist ..
.. . if you think it' s a compliment to say a woman
talks/thinks/throws/catches/runs like a man ....
.. . if you often say you couldn ' t work for a woman, women are such
back biters
... if you ' re happy to have Duchess and Princess spayed, but can 't
bear to neuter old Duke ...
.. . if you call any female who is not a real dog, a bitch
... if you say, " women are a significant part of our community"
... ifyou don't get why a woman might like to keep her own name
when she marries
... if you don ' t get why women object to being called girls
. . . if you don ' t get why women object to being called ladies
... if you don ' t get that if a woman tells you something is sexist, it's
sexist; end of story .. .
... or, if you can imagine ever stringing together these four words :
" I'm a feminist, but. .. "
Thanks for listening, love, Sybil
.,.ebslte of the Monu,
"'"'"' .ga~Oi'l.GOm
Iff> Not About '$ey. . . . . .
It' s not about sex. Rape is about power and control.
Not so long ago, a woman didn ' t report being raped because she
was the one who would be put on trial. Her sex life would be
scrutinized, her clothing, the time of night she was out, whether she
knew her attacker: in other words, what had she done to "ask for it".
Of course, if she had been raped by a woman, she would been written
off entirely as not even credible. Twenty years ago, even ten years
ago, woman who reported being sexually assaulted ended up being
raped again by the system. Despite the changes in law enforcement
and the courts, these concerns still linger, and it comes as no surprise
that rape continues to be under reported : less than one in three women
will report being sexually assaulted.
Every two minutes. Yes, every two minutes, someone is sexually
assaulted in the United States. In Oklahoma County we average a
reported sexual assault every day (reported is the operative word). The
Rape Hotline averages at least two calls each day from someone who
has been assaulted . Maybe the assault was recent, maybe the assault
was twenty years ago, regardless, the women who call need someone
to talk with.
What does any of this have to do with you? YOU can make a
difference. You could be the woman who answers the Hotline and
lends an ear, or you could be the Crisis Advocate who goes to the
hospital in the middle of the night to offer support, information, and a
change of clothes. Why not make a difference?
The YWCA is
offering Volunteer Training beginning September 16 in these areas. If
you are interested, call Susan at 947-4506.
£mai\ 14minder& - - Would you like an email reminder of upcoming Herland events 9
Email Ginger at McGing2(@cox.net and she will put you on her list.
By Jill Garner
Patty Griffin 's voice. Her skill and depth at songwntmg.
She shou ld be a household name, although she ' s not, but as long as
she continues to make music from her heart, she 's definitely one of
the best artists in music today, hands down.
Her voice can break your heart. It's breathtakingly clear and
strong, and sometimes I have to stop singing along and just listen in
awe.
Her songs introduce you to people you ' ve probably
overlooked, and may take you to places you didn ' t think you could
bear to go . She does have some " happy" songs, but they' re rarely
ever light and carefree.
Griffin has struggled with record labels and industry
executives who were disappointed in her because they said she didn't
have a " hit" they could release. With two CDs already under her belt,
she lost her last collection, Silver Bells, when the label she was on was
sold . Not too long after, she and Dave Matthews appeared on Austin
City Limits when Emmylou Harris invited them, as well as Julie and
Buddy Miller to perform with her. Matthews had never heard Griffin
but was so impressed he signed her to his label, ATO. She has since
released 1000 Kisses, her latest CD, which has been garnering a lot of
good reviews and attention. And, no "hit" is required .
In an interview I read recently in Acoustic Guitar, Griffin
laughingly called the theme of this release " sad". However, that' s not
entirely true. Griffin has a way of exposing the humanness and the
ordinary in everyday life, yes, complete with pain, but you can also
tell she ' s celebrating those very things and the ordinary people who
live those lives. She does have some sad songs, but it's easy to get
drawn into the lives of her characters rather than feel overwhelmed by
them. In the same interview, Griffin said, "I think that love and
sadness are married to each other indefinitely . .... I definitely feel like
our culture doesn't support exploring the sadness for very long. It' s a
difficult way to live, trying to avoid pain all the time. "
1000 Kisses does explore the sadness in songs like "Rain".
"It's hard to know when to give up the fight, the things you wanted
that will never be right, It's never rained like it has tonight, before. " .
"Long Ride Home" follows a regretful widower riding home after the
funeral , normally a song I couldn ' t bear to listen to, but Griffin can do
that, make it bearable by drawing you in to something you can relate
to, and explore the regret of taking a marriage for granted. "Forty
years go by with someone laying in your bed, Forty years of things
you say you wish you'd never said, How hard would it have been to
say some kinder words instead ."
"Making Pies" is one of the lighter songs on the CD, but I
kept looking for some deeper meaning, like depression perhaps, but it
really is about making pies. She saw a picture of a group of women
who worked at New England ' s Table Talk Pies and it sparked her
about these quiet persevering characters. A Native-American war vet
who never quite got over the war is detailed in "Chief'. One of the
prettiest songs on the CD, "Mil Besos" (translated for the title of the
CD into 1000 Kisses) is a beautiful Spanish song her friend , producer
and keyboard player Michael Ramos talked her into recording at the
last minute.
On "Nobody's Crying", one of my favorite moments of
listening to Griffin ' s gorgeous voice occurs when the music softens
and it ' s almost acappella for a moment as she sings, "I still have this
secret hope, Though sometimes all we do is cope, that somewhere on
the steepest slope, There ' s an endless rope, and nobody' s crying." I
tell ya, it's worth the cost of the CD just to hear that, although
fortunately you get to hear her on 8 other songs too!
The Dixie Chicks recorded Griffin ' s song "Let Him Fly" on
their 1999 release Fly, and she opened for them when they performed
at the Myriad. I'm still sad I missed it! Though we might never get to
see her again in OKC, don't miss this CD!
The Mu&ic.. '5c..ene
l-\er\and '5upper C.\ub
f
Saturday, September 71h: Mary Reynolds at the Full
Circle Book Store, 50 Penn Place. first floor; 7 pm.
~eptember ~upper C.\ub
1,11i\\ be l'OTLUC.l( at
\2-0man Nose ~tate 'Par"
On ~aturda~ ~eptember 14
at l# pm
The
f
Sunday, September 8 1h ,
Mary Reynolds and Louise
Goldberg at Leaf It To Us, 300 N . Telephone Road, Moore 4 - 8pm
f
Attention all you other Oklahoma songbirds & musicians, if
you would like your gigs to be listed here, email Roadiechick at
mocoxl@cox.net, and she ' ll put it in.
Ta\(e the J"ourne~ into '5ou\forc..e !
Soulforce In Oklahoma will start a new study group effective
August 21" in Oklahoma City. More than 5,000 people in 1999
followed a 17 Step Journey to prepare, as Gandhi and King taught, for
the Soulforce meeting with Jerry Falwell. The OKC study group will
be using this same material to learn more about the soulforce process
and to continue to learn and train to do justice work in OK.
The meetings will be held at Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N.
Pennsylvania Ave., OKC, every other Wednesday at 8 pm. The theme
of the study is "Getting Ready For a Journey Into Soulforce. " The
goals of the study group are : 1) to help end the anti-homosexual
rhetoric that leads to suffering and death; 2) to see our own spirits
revived and renewed; 3) to see how nonviolence offers an old/new
way to accomplish our goals, and 4) to help create a network of
soulforce friend s determined to apply nonviolence to the liberation of
sexual minorities. The study group is open to all interested persons
and you can join in at any time. For more information contact Philippe
at 405-528-1148 or info@soulforceinoklahoma.org by email, or visit
the website at www.soulforceinoklahoma.Qrg.
Soulforce in Oklahoma is an interfaith movement committed to
ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and
teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Soulforce teaches and applies the principles of M.K. Gandhi and
Martin Luther King Jr.
For more information, go to Soulforce In Oklahoma:
www.SoulforceinOklahoma.org. The next Soulforce vigil will be
Sunday, September 8, at Village Baptist Church.
~AV£ TH£ DAT£~
~
Thursday, October 3 - Celebrate Diversity, Stop the Hate
-~
Saturday October 5 - Race for the Cure
~
Sunday October 6 - OKC Aids Walk
~
Friday, October 11 - Coming Out Day!!! Just do it. ...
~
Friday, October 11 - Faith in Action
~
Friday, October 11 - Domestic Violence Awareness Concert &
SpeakOut
~ Saturday October 12 - Herland 's da~ hi\(e in the Chickasaw
National Recreation Area at Sulphur.
~
Friday October 18 - Herland Movie Night, 7 pm, "Honoring
our Foremothers". Refreshments will be served.
The Voice is published by: Herland Sister Resources, Inc. 2312 NW 39'\
Oklahoma City, OK 73I12 . 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.
The
~aturda~
£venin9 \2.etreat l'ot\uc.\(
is 1,11or\d reno1,11ned, and
fo\\01,11in9 dinner 1,11e 1,11i\\ attend the C.onc.ert
1,11ith C.a\ifornia \4c.ordin9 star
.PJ'>
TAMAF-A~
.Pb}}
l'ot\uc." and C.onc.ert are $10 p\us
a c.overed dish
We 1,11i\\ have si9ns at the \2.esort
\eadin9 ~ou to us at the 6.roup C.amp
Afrilan Americ..an Women'& ln&titute -
The African
American Women's Institute recently held its third conference,
Building Bridges of Power at Philander Smith College in Little Rock,
Arkansas. The conference ceiebrated the lives and achievements of
African American women and youth in the rural south. If you would
like information about the Institute contact Tufara at 50I-372-5113.
From the Women 's Project Ne wsletter - at www.womens-project.org
New '5upport 6.roup
The Oklahoma chapter of the Depression/Manic Depression
Association (DMDA) has added a new support group geared toward
our gay lesbian bisexual transgendered community. All ODMDA
meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend - not just people
who have been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder, but also
their loved ones and other supportive people. Our group consists
primarily of gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered people who live
with depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders, but straight
family members and friends are also welcome, whether they are
experiencing depression themselves or have a loved one who is.
Our group was created because many of us feel much more
comfortable talking and relating in a group of glbt people than in a
group consisting mostly of straight people. It is also a high priority for
our group to be a safe, comfortable place for everyone who
partieipates, and to be aware of and sensitive to the unique challenges
and issues faced by women, as well as bisexual and transgendered
individuals.
We are not professional therapists or a 12-step group. We simply are
a group of people sharing with and supporting each other as we deal
every day with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder in addition to
the challenges we face in a straight world .
We meet every Monday evening from 7 pm to 8:30 pm downstairs
at Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N. Penn.
If you have any
questions, please email Kane Watkins at any time at
okcglbtsupport@aol.com. The state DMDA office can be reached at
634-4646,
and you
can
also
~isit
their website
at
http ://www.geocities.com/bipolar2lb/
Herland Sister Resources
2312 NW 39
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
NonProfit Org.
U .S. Postage
PAID
Oklahoma City, OK
Permit No. 861
Address Service Requested
REBECCA R. HOLT, Ph.D.
Julia Irwin, M.D., P.C.
Psychiatrist
Clinical Psychology
405/321-2148
P.O.Box 5119
Norman, Okla. 73070
Individual - Couples
Family Therapy, Retreats
Directions to Leaf It to Lis:
Dired:ions from o~c Take the N. 12• .:itreet exit off of
1-35: stay on the service road until N. 5•: take a right
and jog Left immediately onto Telephone 12.oad.
Doctor's Park
500 East Robinson, Suite 600
Norman, OK 73071
Young
(405) 321-3719
and Older Adults
M' ~~.:~/!::/ ~
,']()(), 1~; .'~~l.cf'lumc· .o/W., ,.l/eo-, OYt
(40S) 912-8724
Dired:ions from Norman: Take the 6. 4• 6treet exit off
of 1-35: go west over the Interstate then three more
blocks west
WWU'J; ftti{il/«t6'.(:0m,.
W,/,,4 <f!!tti<ldl<l'/c-4, de.Hf""'•