Herland Sister Resources

You won’t want to miss the Herland Fall Retreat at Lake Eufaula State Park on Fri., Sat., and Sun., October 27-29.  Come for as much or as little of the weekend as you like or are able.  Lake Eufaula is a beautiful location and there should be a nip of fall in the air.

Friday we arrive and set up camp.  A pot-o-something (soup, chili, etc.) is prepared for the evening meal.  Then we head down to the campfire.

We will have the popular pumpkin-carving contest (please bring your own pumpkin) and the Halloween costume contest on Saturday as well as several crafts workshops.

Bring an instrument if you are a performer for the open mic on Saturday afternoon.  Also, there are plenty of good hiking or mountain biking areas around Lake Eufaula State Park.

Saturday evening is our shared potluck meal so bring your favorite dish to wow your fellow retreaters.

For our Saturday evening concert, Herland presents Ochi.  Ochi has been known throughout Denver and surrounding areas as a preformer, teacher, drummer, and guardian of culture/history.  Hers is a new, same gender loving music for those tiredof living in a “straight jacket”.  Grab ya girl, go meet a girl, and get ready for some GIRL to GIRL love for the lesbian in you.

Using humor, relevant topics and good music she hopes to spread her message of love, harmony, and peace.  Hold on to your bonnet.  Her lyrics are sexy, even steamy but never vulgar.  They are humorous but never obscene.  Her wit is clever but never lame.

Sunday mornings are when we pack up our stuff, clean up the cabins, and have our always-fun raffle drawing.  If you wish to bring an item to donate for the raffle, it is always appreciated.

Retreat registration form and map to Lake Eufaula State PArk are on page 2.  If you have any questions about the retreat, please call Laura, Herland camp director, at (405) 602-1538 or leave a message at Herland (405) 521-9696.

General Retreat Info:  The retreat starts 5 pm Friday evening and continues to Sunday at noon.  We provide the Friday evening meal, Saturday breakfast and Sunday breakfast.  Saturday lunch is usually leftovers from Friday’s supper and Saturday breakfast or you may bring something.  The Saturday evening meal is a potluck and the kitchen is available if you need to bake or prepare your dish.  There are large refrigerators and freezers to store your potluck items or personal food.  Herland has pop, water, and snacks for sale all weekend (50 cents each).  Accommodations are at the Group Camp.  The cabins have mattresses but you need to bring a bedroll (or sheets and blanket) and a pillow.  Bring toiletries and a towel for your own use in the (group) bathrooms. Visit our website for more details.

Oct 19-21, 2006

The Oklahoma GLBT International Film Festival will return to the Oklahoma City area on Thur., Fri., and Sta., October 19-21, for a series of screenings in the Pegasus Theater, on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond.

This year, the festival will include a series of films addressing transgender experiences.  The festival will open at 7 pm on Thurs., Oct. 19, with a screening of the award-winning documentary Funny Kinda Guy which traces the journey and gender transition of Scottish singer and songwriter Simon.

For further information and a complete listing of all films, please contact UCO GATE President Thomas Mathews Horne (405-410-0012 or thorne2@ucok.edu), UCO GATE Vice President Nikki Luttrell (405-237-1236 or nikki004@hotmail.com).

On September 13, 2006, Nichole Rawls, an open lesbian, tried to enlist at an Army recruiting office in Norman, Okla.  “I am aware of the Army’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, but I don’t agree with it. I want to serve my country, but I am not willing to hide who I am in order to do so,” said Rawls.  Her grandfather, Clifford L. Roberts of Shawnee, was a Green Beret and a member of the Golden Knights elite parachute team. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam. 

“It’s a family thing. I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Rawls said.  Her grandmother, Jacqueline Roberts of Shawnee, accompanied her granddaughter to the Norman office. Roberts said her husband was “very supportive” of Rawls’s desire to join the military but died last April before he could help her in the current campaign. 

The demonstrators were treated with respect, but were asked to leave by a police officer or face being arrested.

The Norman demostration was held in conjunction with others around the country as part of the Soulforce’s Right to Serve campaign.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has declared “Talk About It” the theme for this year’s National Coming Out Day on Wednesday, October 11, 2006.  Coming out is a lifelong process and each coming out opportunity posses the question of whether it will be a positive or negative experience.  Being out certainly makes it easier to be ourselves and build stronger relationships with the people in our lives, but it can also lead to discrimination and rejection.  Only you know when coming out is right for you.  The HRC has compiled the following list of benefits and risks for you to consider when you are deciding whether to come out or stay in the closet.  Visit www.hrc.org for more information.

The benefits of coming out:
- Living an open and whole life.
- Developing closer, more genuine relationships.
- Building self-esteem from being known and loved for who we really are.
- Reducing the stress of hiding our identity.
- Connecting with others who are GLBT.
- Being part of a strong and vibrant community.
- Helping to dispel myths and stereotypes about who GLBT people are and what our lives are like.
- Becoming a role model for others.
- Making it easier for younger GLBT people who will follow in our footsteps.

The risks of coming out:
- Not everyone will be understanding or accepting.
- Family, friends or co-workers may be shocked, confused or even hostile.
- Some relationships may permanently change.
- We may experience harassment or discrimination.
- Some young people, especially those under age 18, may be thrown out of their homes or lose financial support from parents.

This research study is being used to gain important information about experiences of being in an intimate relationship with another woman.  Researchers are looking for woman who meet all of the following criteria: 18 years of or older; a woman involved in an intimate relationship with another woman; have been involved in this relationship for 1 year or longer.

It is important for the resulting data analysis that only one partner of the couple complete this survey.  Please answer each question from your perspective on the relationship.  If you are interested in participating in this internet-based research project, please assess the survey through the link below and type in Survey #118487 or enter the following URL address: https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=118487

If you have any questionsor concerns before deciding to participate, please call Dr. Anne Edwards at Purdue University Calumet, (219) 989-2863, or email her at edwardsa@calumet.purdue.edu.  You can also contact Rosemary Duffy-Greslo at Purdue University Calumet, (219) 989-2027, or email her at duffygreslor1@calumet.purdue,edu.  The study was approved by the insitutional review board at Purdue university June 2006.  IRB Protocol #0605003822.