Herland Sister Resources

The popular OKC band, IRIS, will perform their first acoustic concert ever at Herland’s Spring Retreat.  Many of you know IRIS as a rockin’, hoppin’, high-energy band.  They promise to still play lots of crowd-pleasing favorites—just at a few decibels lower than we normally hear them! 
Get away for a great spring weekend and enjoy peace, quiet, and nature at Roman Nose State Park, near Watonga.  The retreat will be Friday through Sunday, May 18-20th.  We’ll be at the Group Camp where A-frame cabins can  accommodate up to a dozen women each.  (You can also tent camp or bring an RV if you prefer.) Bring a bedroll and toiletries.  Dogs are welcome as long as they can agreeably stay on a leash all weekend and not come in the dining hall.
We provide most meals —Friday evening pot-o-soup, Saturday and Sunday breakfast.  For lunch on Saturday there is usually leftover soup.   Saturday evening is the grand potluck dinner where you bring your favorite dish  to wow your friends.  Herland has lots of drinks and snacks available all weekend for a small donation or you can bring your own.
During the day,  we’ll be relaxing, playing games, hiking, fishing, and holding workshops.  Friday and Saturday night we sit around the campfire, singing songs, and telling tales.  The IRIS concert will be Saturday evening about 8 pm.  You can drive up for the concert only (for only  $10) if time is limited.
Don’t wait till the last minute—send in your registration form today and get ready for some fun!

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Seventy-five percent of gay students report being verbally abused at school, and more than a third say they are physically harassed.  All efforts to encourage the Oklahoma City School Board to add “sexual orientation” to the classes protected in the school handbook from bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, etc., have — to date — been unsuccessful.  Perhaps you can help.  When enough encouragement reaches members of the School Board, they will add “sexual orientation” to the classes protected. 
Chairman of the Board Cliff Hudson P.O. Box 1854, OKC 73101; District 1 Ron Bogle 3001 Willow Brook Rd., OKC, 73120; District 2 Jennifer Puckett 6503 Lenox Avenue, OKC 73116; District 3 Terri Silver 3620 N.W. 28, OKC 73107; District 4 Joseph L. Clytus 624 N.E. 18, OKC 73105; District 5 Thelma R. Parks, 2804 N.E. 18, OKC 73111; District 6 Harry Wilson 1520 S.W. 71, OKC 73159; District 7 Barry Nance 5224 S. Western, OKC 73109.  Please write a letter to your board representative and tell them it’s time to make our schools safer for gay and lesbian students. 

SB 714 (outlawing some abortions and placing greater restrictions on others) was opposed by medical professionals in the best position to understand the bill’s impact. Those opposing include: the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Osteopathic Association and the Oklahoma Nurses’ Association.
Governor Henry stated SB 714 “is flawed in that it does not include exemptions for cases of insest and rape. That means many victims of rape or insest would have no option but to carry a fetus to term, no matter how horrific and violent the circumstances. I have grave concerns that its inadvertent consequences would prove disastrous.  I believe the unintended consequences of this bill would do more harm than good.  Although designed to simply prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions, in reality the bill reaches much further, impacting most community hospitals in the state and severely compromising the quality and availability of medical care.
Furthermore, because of its flaws, it was questionable whether this legislation could withstand the legal challenges that would have awaited it. For instance, the bill disproportionately impacts healthcare options for low-income women and families.  I share the concerns of a majority of medical experts who believe this bill would severely compromise healthcare in our state by placing undue restrictions on the sacred relationship between doctor and patient.  Under this measure, a woman may have no option but to carry to term a fetus with a fatal birth defect. There are a number of fatal birth defects in which there is no chance of survival, and yet SB 714 would add to a family’s suffering and medical costs by forcing a woman to carry that fetus to term.”

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) addressed a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2007, supporting legislative efforts to repeal the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy regarding gay soldiers.  
Rep. Frank, one of the first openly gay members of Congress, spoke candidly at the event sponsored by Allied in Pride and the College Democrats. His topics included same-sex marriage, the war in Iraq, and partisan politics. He also discussed rights for LGBT couples.
“I’d like the gay community to have the right to get married, keep a job without being discriminated against, and be able to join the military,” he said.

k.d. Lang, together with Lyle Lovett, brings her unique brand of music to Tulsa’s Historic Brady Theater on Sunday July 8th, 2007.  From Country to standards and everything in between, her popular CDs include “All You Can Eat,” “Ingénue,” “Invincible Summer,” and “Drag.”
Lang’s public declaration of her lesbianism has only served to heighten her popularity and garner her a loyal following within the lesbian and gay community.
Tickets ($71 and $81) can be purchased beginning Saturday, May 5th, at  www.bradytheater.com, www.etix.com, at Tulsa’s Historic Brady Theater at 105 West Brady, Tulsa, Oklahoma, or by calling the Brady Theater Ticket Office at (918) 58-BRADY (27239).