Herland Sister Resources

There are currently 65,000 Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and other sexual minorities (BGLO) service members in the military. These individuals must live in a culture of oppression and homophobia created and condoned by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” It has happened that at least one person was not informed that his partner had been killed in Iraq until three months after his death. Why? Because the military did not know this service person was gay. Why? Because he would have been discharged from the military had they known that he was.

The Action: One or more openly BLGO persons who truly want to serve their country by enlisting in military service, accompanied by supporters and allies, will walk into a military recruitment office and say, “I am an openly gay person, and I want to serve my country.” Sooner or later during the interview/intake process, that person will be rejected. When that happens, the Soulforce contingent will begin a sit-in. The sit-in will continue until a congressperson for their state meets with them to discuss “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

It is very important that the potential recruit be openly out and seriously desirous of joining the military. This person or persons must be the ideal candidate, and meet the moral, physical and mental qualifications required in order to serve. The military recruitment office could use any excuse – asthma, past drug use, etc., to disqualify. The public and media must know that a qualified American citizen willing to serve her/his country has been denied that honor because of their sexual orientation.

Soulforce is looking for several BGLO persons and allies to support the candidate on the day of their enlistment and for the sit-in. If a congressperson chooses not to meet with the group, the group may be “forced” to leave the office, which may entail being arrested. Please know that everyone decides their own level of involvement in this effort. If you want to be arrested or simply stand outside as a show of support for the cause, it is your decision. Whatever you decide will be greatly appreciated.

This is not a war protest. Soulforce seeks to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” If you have issues with any military action of the current administration that you would not be able to keep securely to yourself, you should not participate in this action.

If you are interested in participating in any capacity, whether openly or behind-the-scenes, or have any questions, please contact Michael Cich, City Organizer for Tulsa’s “Soulforce: A Chance to Serve” and President, OSU Sexual Orientation Diversity Association, 405-744-9098 days, and email michael.cich@okstate.edu.

The U.S. House of Representatives will soon consider the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREH), which could do just that. Unfortunately, the legislation lacks the support to progress. Public awareness and support is needed to move it along. Please contact your representative and urge him/her to pass House Bill 1059 and repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

To commemorate this year’s World AIDS Day observance at the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco, the Memorial’s Board of Directors is asking the public for personal testimonies, remembrances, and reflections on the sweeping effects of the AIDS legacy.  The remembrance theme, “AIDS at 25,” asks that people identify a single year during this period and explain how the pandemic affected them.

Jack Porter, co-chair of the Memorial’s 13th annual World AIDS Day observance, describes the Board’s expectations as broad. “This could be a recollection of your own or a loved one’s experiences in dealing with AIDS, or remembering the wide swath the disease made in those early years when there were no medications,” said Porter. “Or it could be related to learning of your own diagnosis or that of a loved one in the last couple years; a visit to an AIDS-stricken African village; or a poignant moment in your work with a client of an AIDS service agency.”

This year’s observance will be held Friday, December 1st,  at the Memorial in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.  The goal of the commemoration is to bring people together to remember and honor the many lives lost to AIDS, the people still fighting to survive, the many caregivers, and those working to find new treatments and cures for the disease that takes 8,000 lives worldwide every day.

Porter said that some of the submitted stories will be selected to be read during the gathering on World AIDS Day, and all will be posted on the National AIDS Memorial’s website, www.aidsmemorial.org.

“Submissions do not have to be letter-perfect, but a telling from the heart,” Porter said. “These stories and comments will provide all of us with a meaningful and historical record of the personal impact of the disease this past twenty-five years.”

The National AIDS Memorial is a living tribute to all whose lives have been touched by AIDS. It is set in a seven-acre dell where people gather to heal, hope, and remember. The National AIDS Memorial Grove Act of 1996 bestowed national significance upon the memorial, which began as a grassroots effort by local residents searching for a positive way to express grief in a community devastated by AIDS. The Grove is the only federally designated AIDS Memorial in the United States.

Please send your stories by September 15, 2006, to mystory@aidsmemorial.org or mail to National AIDS Memorial, 856 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, CA 94117.

Our planning session was preceded by a lengthy discussion about consensus—what it is, what it isn’t, and how it should work. We are also reviewing the results of our survey to see what types of activities our community wants. (Check back next month for a progress report.)

Many thanks to Tina Stiefmiller for facilitating our retreat!

How has an event, moment, or political action rocked your world? How has a community, society, or nation been transformed by some event? Was your life revolutionized the first time you heard someone speak? Or read a particular book?  Or took a class? How does a community change after a violent act occurs within that community?  What was it like before, and how did it change after…?

PUSH, a magazine of queer feminist subversions, is an all volunteer, queer feminist collective located in Seattle, Washington.  We have published nine topical print (free!) issues since 1999. Our topics have ranged from revolution to taboos. We publish essays, stories, poetry, interviews, visual art, book reviews, and regular columns. Our goal is to create a collaborative, queer, feminist publication that engages our Pacific Northwest community in an ongoing dialogue on issues of politics, activism, identity, and representation. With each issue, we attempt to choose a dynamic theme that inspires multiple voices to reflect, speak out, and keep talking to each other long after the issue has gone to print.

Submissions due by September 1, 2006. To find out where to submit pieces or to contact us with questions, go to www.pushmagazine.org.