Herland Sister Resources

okc taste of pride
Friday, June 13, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Gold Dome, 1112 NW 23rd Street, $20

okc pride at the zoo
Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Oklahoma City Zoo, 2101 NE 50th Street

okc pride strip show
Friday, June 20, 6 p.m. to 7:45p.m.
NW 39th Street between Pennsylvania and N. Youngs
The Strip Show is a party on 39th Street!  It will feature music and performances by Oklahoma’s most talented professionals and food vendors will be available.

okc pride parade
Friday, June 20, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
START: Memorial Park (NW 36th Street and N. Classen)
END: The Strip (NW 39th Street and N. Pennsylvania)
For the first time, the Parade will be an evening event.  Be a part of this magical summer night.  Awards will be given to selected entries in this friendly competition.  

okc pride festival
Saturday, June 21, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, June 22, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Park, NW 36th Street and N. Classen 
The OKC Pride Festival is a two-day event, featuring live music, contests, and much, much more.

okc pride ice cream social
Sunday, June 22, 5:30 p.m.
Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N Penn 

okc pride concert
Sunday, June 22, 6:30 p.m.
Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N Penn 

OKC band Covert Union will open the concert at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Therapy Sisters at 7:30 p.m.  Suggested donation $10. 

the herland backyard pride picnic     
Saturday, June 21
5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Herland Backyard
2312 NW 39th Street

Don’t miss this awesome Pride event—the annual Herland Backyard Pride Picnic.  We grill up hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie dogs and burgers, with all the fixins, sides, and drinks. 
Plus you’ll hear music by Covert Union (Wende, Peggy, Nancy, Elyse, Sannie) and The Therapy Sisters (live from Austin, Texas) and many more! 
Food starts about 5:30 pm and music about 6 pm.  This is a family-friendly event.  So bring lawn chairs, kids, friends, and a donation, $5/person  (or more if you can).  Please no pets.

(From the LA Times)
The California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.
The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental “right to marry” that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June.
The majority opinion, by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, declared that any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation will from this point on be constitutionally suspect in California in the same way as laws that discriminate by race or gender, making the state’s high court the first in the nation to adopt such a stringent standard.
The decision was a bold surprise from a moderately conservative, Republican-dominated court that legal scholars have long dubbed “cautious,” and experts said it was likely to influence other courts around the country.
But the scope of the court’s decision could be thrown into question by an initiative already heading toward the November ballot. The initiative would amend the state Constitution to prohibit same-sex unions.
The campaign over that measure began within minutes of the decision. The state’s Catholic bishops and other opponents of same-sex marriage denounced the court’s ruling. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who previously has vetoed two bills in favor of gay marriage, issued a statement saying he “respects” the decision and “will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn” it.
The ruling was greeted with loud cheering and whooping when it was released at the high court’s headquarters here Thursday morning. About 100 people lined up outside to purchase copies of the decision for $10 apiece. Some people bought 10 to 15 copies, calling it a historic document. One man said he planned to give them out as Christmas presents.  Gay groups planned celebrations up and down the state.
The decision came after high courts in New York, Washington and New Jersey refused to extend marriage rights to gay couples. Only Massachusetts’ top court has ruled in favor of permitting gays to wed.

The Spring Retreat has come and gone, and I for one am already looking forward to the Fall Retreat.  The weather was beautiful, many new friendships were made, and even more old ones were rekindled.
I want to thank every single one of you that came to the retreat.  The awesome blend of women made for a really great weekend!   I especially want to thank Christa and Lara for their delicious culinary talents, Andy for the great auction items, Marsha for being the drill sergeant upon checkout (the state park guy that checked us out gave us five stars and all of our deposit!), Terri for building and keeping the fire blazing, Kathy for the insightful and inspirational workshop, Nancy for all the patience, guidance, and help, the Herland Board members for all their help, and Laura Choate for being an incredible Camp Director for so many years - being patient with all my many questions – and for finally being able to have a relaxing retreat weekend.  As for the sappy “emotional vomiting” some of you witnessed Sunday morning… I’m working on it.  There is just something so very special about the retreats…
Whether you made a potluck dish, scrubbed a kitchen dish, dished out a song or simply dished around the fire – you are appreciated and you helped to make the weekend what it was.
Peace & Love to you all –
Sannie

Pride Concert
Church of the Open Arms
Sunday, June 22
Covert Union 6:30 pm
Therapy Sisters 7:30 pm

Austin’s “Divas of Dysfunction” have appointments for new and returning clients in Oklahoma City. The Therapy Sisters, a.k.a. Maurine McLean and Lisa Rogers, long-time Lone Star lampoon artists, will travel to Oklahoma City to co-facilitate 2 large “group sessions” as well as a small group workshops June 21-22, just in time to celebrate OKC’s Gay Pride Parade and festival.
The large group sessions will be held at Church of the Open Arms.  The Sisters will participate in the Sunday morning worship service, which begins at 10:45 a.m. on June 22.  Later that evening, they will perform in concert following the Ice Cream Social at 5:30 p.m.  OKC band Covert Union will open the concert at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Therapy Sisters at 7:30 p.m.  Suggested co-pay for the evening session is $10, or whatever you can afford.  One small group session will be held Saturday evening at the Herland picnic.  If psychotherapy were this much fun, we’d all have our mental health.
Maurine McLean seeks stability by playing steady bass lines. She plays fretted or fretless bass, depending on her stress level. Among the musical styles that influence her songwriting are comic opera, Latin pop music, and TV theme songs of the 1960s. Maurine is a Spanish-English interpreter by day; a musician by night. Both trades allow her to play with sound and meaning, two tireless companions. She’s responsible for such Therapy Sisters songs as “My Finger is an Instrument of Death” and “Don’t Touch Me When I’m Beautiful.” Giving people the giggles by playing music is her heart’s delight.
Lisa Rogers has played in various and sundry bands throughout the developmental stages of her life. She was weaned on church music, cut her teeth on folk music, took her first steps to bluegrass, swore off high heels while listening to women’s music, and found self-realization in the world of novelty tunes. A social worker by trade, Lisa is an avid reader of printed matter that ranges from the New York Times to the National Enquirer. Her most acclaimed news-inspired hit, “The Weenie Whacking Woman,” based on the tale of John and Lorena Bobbitt, topped the charts on Dr. Demento’s syndicated novelty radio show. Listen to Lisa as she sings of life at its most bizarre; therapy at its best.
Lisa’s melodic guitar playing and Maurine’s fretless bass go together like hallucinations and Haldol. Though accepted by no major medical insurance, The Therapy Sisters continue to offer their musical mental health care nationwide, reminding you that if you’re not part of the problem, you’re not part of the Family. But if you are one of the best-stressed people you know, let these regular contributors to Dr. Demento introduce your tongue to your cheek with the most affordable therapy in town.