Herland Sister Resources

In a serious game of one-upsmanship, County Commissioner Brent Rinehart of Oklahoma County has really raised the ante on Sally Kern, Oklahoma State Representative.  The two are currently dueling it out for title of “Most Embarrassing  Oklahoman.” 
Rep. Kern scored first in the contest by exposing the “gay agenda” to a group of donors and equating gays to terrorists.  Luckily for her, she was secretly recorded and the resulting audio posted to YouTube.  Millions have enjoyed listening to her thoughtful insights about how gays in our society are like having cancer in your toe—you just can’t ignore it and let it spread!  Even Ellen (DeGeneres) tried to call her on the air and congratulate her for the well-placed opening volley. 

From Brent Rinehart’s re-election campaign comic book.  Illustration by Shane Suiters.
Now Brent Rinehart has risen to the challenge and is out to show that he will not be outdone by any woman!  The only County Commissioner with the guts to use a 16-page comic book for his re-election campaign, Brent takes the fight right into Kern’s territory (that is, the homophobic religious right constituency).  He’s got an angel on his side and Satan against him!  SCORE!!
He’s got a toga-clad Roman trying to drag a Boy Scout out into the woods! (In case you don’t remember—Rome was destroyed by homosexuality.)  SCORE!!  He’s got Peter Pan, another Roman, and Satan marching in the gay pride parade!  SCORE!!
And did you know that good ole boy politicians in Oklahoma are now liberals?  They are!  And they’re against Brent just like the homosexuals!  SCORE!! 
Chafing at all the attention given to Rinehart, Rep. Kern tried to get back into the spotlight by packin’ heat at the Capitol this week.  It’s way too early to call, but Rinehart has a big lead over Kern in this year’s title bout.  (And, he’ll be hard to overtake with the angel on his side!)

As a gay man in OKC, I would like to share the gay “agenda” with everyone. You see, it is not about being treated fairly or on par with our heterosexual counterparts as some gays would have you believe. And it is certainly not about being able to visit your gay partner in the hospital as a family member or being able to leave property to your partner upon your demise…oh no, it is not about these things. The true gay agenda has been up until now very secret, but I am prepared to share it with everyone. As soon as the gay agenda is enacted, all gays (and gays only!) will be able to show their “gay agenda card” and receive a discount on gas, jump to the front of the line at the grocery store, and drive 15 miles over the posted speed limit. In the unlikely event that a gay agenda member is arrested, all they need to do is simply flash their gay agenda card, and voila, they will be released. The latest Cher farewell concert sold out? Not a problem if you have a gay agenda card. And heterosexuals, don’t feel left out. When the gay agenda is official, we will outlaw heterosexual divorce (I mean, seriously…what better way to protect marriage than to outlaw divorce?), and, in the interest of protecting families, we will once and for all outlaw heterosexual adoption (come on, you can’t have a kid without doing the hard work anymore), and finally, we will make it once again legal for heterosexuals to be fired from their job just for being straight. You see people, that’s it in a nutshell, that is the gay agenda. ~ Michael, Oklahoma City, posted on NewsOK.com blog, “Your Thoughts”

August 26 of each year is designated in the United States as Women’s Equality Day. Instituted by Rep. Bella Abzug and first established in 1971, the date commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave U.S. women full voting rights in 1920.

from 365gay.com

A Greek court Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing an LGBT rights group of demeaning the people of the Aegean island of Lesbos by purloining the word Lesbian, a term islanders have used to name themselves for centuries.
The lawsuit was brought by three islanders from Lesbos, home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women. The island is a popular holiday destination for gay women.
The suit said hat the name of the LGBT group - Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece - “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos.  In dismissing the case, the court said that islanders did not have sole claim to the name.
Attorneys for the three islanders said they may appeal to the European Court.
Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women.
Very little is known of her life. According to some ancient accounts, she was an aristocrat who married a rich merchant and had a daughter with him. One tradition says that she killed herself by jumping off a cliff over an unhappy love affair.
Dimitris Lambrou one of the litigants in the case said Sappho was not gay. “But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent - including women - be considered homosexual?”
Lambrou also denied the suit was homophobic.  “The word lesbian has been associated with gay women for the past few decades but we have been Lesbians for thousands of years,” he said.

from 635gay.com

The first American wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom told a House sub-committee Wednesday that many in his unit knew he was gay and it was not an issue.  It was only years after he nearly died in battle, receiving a Purple Heart for courage, that he realized he needed to speak out against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the ban on gays serving openly in the military.
“Three hours into the invasion, we had stopped to wait for orders. I went back to the Humvee to retrieve something – to this day I can’t remember what – and, as I crossed that dusty patch of desert for the third time that day, I triggered a landmine,” former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva told the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.  “I was thrown through the air, landing 10 or 15 feet away,” said Alva, who served in he Marine Corps for 13 years. ”The pain was unimaginable. My fellow marines were rushing to my aid, cutting away my uniform to assess the damage and treat my wounds. I remember wondering why they weren’t removing my right boot – it wasn’t until later that I realized it was because that leg was already gone.”
Alva said that he received the Purple Heart, along with visits from the President and First Lady. “I was told I was a hero,” he recalled.
“That landmine may have put an end to my military career that day, but it didn’t put an end to my secret. That would come years later, when I realized that I had fought and nearly died to secure rights for others that I myself was not free to enjoy. I had proudly served a country that was not proud of me. More importantly, my experience disproved all the arguments against open service by gays and lesbians – I knew I had to share my story,” Alva said.
The committee also heard from U.S. Army Major General Vance Coleman (Ret.) and U.S. Navy Captain Joan E. Darrah (Ret.) who also called for an end to the ban.  But Elaine Donnelly, president of the conservative Center for Military Readiness, expressed her concern over gay men sharing a “cramped submarine” with other officers.
The remark drew laughter from some in the packed committee room.  “Equal opportunity is important, but the needs of our military must come first,” Donnelly said.
The congressional hearing was the first on the impact of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell since it was enacted 15 years ago.