Well, here's my last report as co-coordinator. I will be moving to the position of membership chair, so that Christian can concentrate his electronic media genius on the position of Legislative Action. I hope to make it easier for both members and the public to get information on chapter activities. I said my grand thank yous last issue, but have to acknowledge again the fantastic individuals who serve on the board. They are my inspiration as well as my support, and I hope you all will come to our next meeting (Thursday, 6/6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Kids' Klub) to give your thanks in person, not to mention to bring fabulous food, drink, and goal-setting ideas to our annual elections pot-luck.
There are a few unfilled openings
up for chapter elections (co-coordinator, fundraising, program), but we're in pretty good shape in the leadership department. We won't do much more than token arm-twisting, so come on out for potluck and dreams. Your dreams, hopefully, whatever inspires you to get out on the street, or onto the net, or on the phone to your friends and family.
We really need to know what you would be willing to spend your time on if the chapter leaders organize it. Hate to say it, but sometimes we feel we're doing things in a vacuum. Organizing takes a lot of effort, and it's like getting kicked in the teeth if nobody shows. So we do need your input or we burn out fast. Last month, for example, a pretty small group met on a pretty gorgeous spring night and did some pretty powerful writing.
We sent postcards against female genital mutilation, and for the veto of the "partial birth abortion" ban. We sent others against a stripping of laws designed to protect children. We asked each person there to write a letter to the editor. Think how potent it would have been if there were ten more people writing. What would have inspired you to be there? If you can't come by the meeting, you can always leave a comment on the chapter phone machine.
Now, looking forward to our next action which is one of my personal favorites--marching in Gay Pride. Assemble at 11:30 in the parking lot at Cedar and Cathcart under the chapter banner. We'll have signs and rounds, or you can bring your own. We'll be tabling at the festival afterwards, so if you can spare some time to work the table, we'd be grateful. For the truly macha types, we've volunteered for garbage duty, so anyone who can show at 4:30 with some leather/work gloves and a recycling soul would be doubly welcome! Call Shannon at 728-3988 for some information. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but you don't have to be lesbian or gay to be in the parade. And, I gotta say, we have the best Pride celebration for my money. Not too big, but plenty of gusto! Hope to see you there on Sunday, June 2, and at the potluck/chapter elections on Thursday, June 6.
Last month, we reported that there might be problems with the Sheriff's office regarding how advocates are treated, and officer treatment of domestic violence victims and their families. Since that time, we have not been contacted by anyone who could substantiate the rumors we heard. We did obtain information from Defensa de Mujeres, who had similar concerns as ours and who told us they had visited the Sheriff's office and had a positive reception.
At the county level, a combination of members from the Women's Commission and the Domestic Violence Commission are attempting to produce a protocol, complete with checklist for officers called out on domestic violence calls, to utilize. If you want more information, call Shannon, 728-3988.
Finally, the Clothesline Project will be at Pride on June 1, then will travel to Foothill College from June 3 to June 14. The Santa Cruz City Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (CPVAW), asked us to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness day, April 22. The Clothesline Project was displayed at the town clock during a rally, and was on local television. As usual, if you want to participate in the Project in any way, call Shannon, 728-3988.
Victory! (O.K. a small one). As I reported last month, the task force met with principal David Hare at Aptos High School. At that time, we suggested to Mr. Hare that the school perform an interest survey for girls to see what types of athletics they were interested in. This is done to see what is the most likely sport to meet girls' needs as well as to provide information to plan for greater participation by girls in sports. Two weeks after our visit, we sent Mr. Hare a letter outlining what we believed we had communicated in our meeting. Two weeks after that, members of the local AAUW visited Mr. Hare. The very next day, there was a memo in teachers' boxes requesting them to allow the survey to be performed in their first period classes!
What this small victory means is that the administration at Aptos High is listening, and that someone is finally asking girls what they want.
The next step will be for the school to provide them with the means to participate. We'll be there and we'll keep membership informed not only on what the results of the survey are, but how we plan to keep Aptos High moving toward equality.
Our next step will be to visit the Title IX and Title VII administrator at the district level to facilitate the district's formation of policies and procedures for every level of the district. So keep your eyes glued to your newsletter. Better yet, join the task force and be a force for change in girls' lives!
June, with its associated lavender, pink, rainbow hued pride is busting out all over. In short, it's Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Pride month, and that means that SCCNOW will be participating in a parade through downtown Santa Cruz and in the festivities in San Lorenzo park afterwards. Chapter co-coordinator, Julie Skilton, will be among the speakers this year, and, as usual, SCCNOW has volunteered to return the park to its pristine state afterwards (read "clean up," here).
This year, we not only have the usual sense of pride, we are, as usual, fighting several right wing opposition battles regarding equal rights. As you may know, the state of Hawaii has allowed same-sex marriages. The Hawaii supreme court, using the state's ERA, told the state that to allow men to marry women and women to marry men but not to allow men to marry men and women to marry women is in violation of equal protection, and that the state must prove it has a compelling interest in disallowing same-sex marriages, a standard the state is unlikely to come up with. If it doesn't, then same-sex marriages will continue to be the norm in Hawaii.
Unfortunately, the fundies have begun promoting restrictive legislation in all fifty states and in the federal government. You are probably aware that our state Assembly passed AB 1981, which stated that California would not recognize Hawaii's same sex marriages. At the federal level, the House is about to pass a similar bill for the federal government, and while it will have some struggle in the Senate, it is possible it will pass there. President Clinton has already said that he opposes same-sex marriages, so it is unclear whether he will veto such a bill if it comes to his desk.
What all this means is that nobody except Hawaii and those states that do not pass anti-same sex marriage bills will recognize them (read no same sex married couples will get federal/state benefits, no social security, no death bed visits without a writing, no tax breaks, no assumptions of maternity/paternity, etc., etc., etc.Š).
It seems ironic that Santa Cruz County NOW has been fighting to include lesbian rights and abortion rights in a new national ERA, and while we have been saying that we need a national ERA to keep from fighting state by state, and we have often been told that a national ERA may not help lesbian couples, we are shown again that a national ERA is likely to be an answer. Hawaii's ERA protected lesbians and gay men. Other states are claiming states rights to deny recognition of Hawaii marriages (not heterosexual marriages, mind you). The federal government is attempting to pass bills stating it will not recognize Hawaii's same-sex marriages. It is long past time for a federal ERA that would require all states to provide the same level of equal protection to all marriages.
So, get your tennies washed, stretch out those legs and those vocal cords and get ready for a full day of marching, music and merriment (and don't forget, we could use people to help at the booth and at the end of the day for cleanup)! If you want to help, call Julie or Shannon. The parade lineup begins at 11:30 on June 2. The route is likely to be different than in other years because of the Water Street bridge work that is being done. This also means that the starting point may be slightly different than in other years. But don't worry, you won't have any problem finding the starting pointŠjust look for the tremendous crowd downtownŠyeah, the one with the posters and the guys in tutus and the dykes on bikes (will there be any on trikes this year)?
Have you heard about our History Project? The Woman's History Task Force of Contra Costa NOW is extremely close to going to the printers with the fruits of four long years of work. Our coloring book/biography of California women is entitled California Women, Then and Now. In it, we brought to life twenty-two California women, some of them well-known, some who left only traces of their existence. Our illustrator, Ms. Jazelle Lieske, has produced exciting portraits of each woman. These pictures convey the essence of each woman's special contribution to California history. The book was initially a teaching aid to the fourth grade level California history curriculum. It has evolved into a work to be enjoyed by people of all ages.
So, there you have our exciting good news. The not-so-good news is we have been unable to find grant money or corporate funding to cover the costs of our initial printing. We have a loan from the Chapter coffers which is sufficient to fund about a third of the cost of the first printing. This is just a loan. We will not allow this project to die on the vine for that extra support we need.
We ask each member to pre-order one or more copies of our book so we may fund the first printing without further delay. We expect copies of the book to be available before the next school year commences, if not sooner.
Your pre-orders or contributions will also allow us to proceed with placing the book in the National Women's History Project Catalogue for the coming year.
Should you have any questions, or want to know more about California Women, Then and Now, you may contact a member of the Task Force at 510-827-5868 in care of Jeanne Wade. The order form/contribution pledge form is below. We hope to hear from you soon.
JUNE
Gay Pride Month
Next Meeting
Community Calendar
(not sponsored or endorsed by NOW)
JUNE
Two studies were recently released touting a new abortion pill combination.
Two common drugs, namely, methotrexate and misoprostil, have been used in a doctor's office to cause an abortion with success rates documented at 90-96%. Methotrexate is an older drug used mostly for cancer chemotherapy, and works by affecting fast growing tissue.
It is also used for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. It has been used to resolve ectopic pregnancies, so, there was an easy connection to try it for abortion.
Misoprostil (Cytotec) is a prostaglandin used in ulcer prevention and treatment. Prostaglandins cause uterine contractions. The manufacturer has each container labeled with a silhouette of a pregnant woman with a red circle and slash. There have been reports of misoprostil being used exclusively for abortion (without methotrexate or any other drug), especially in South America, with a reported success rate of about 50%.
RU486, or mifepristone is an anti-estrogen used with an injection of prostaglandin and is in US studies right now.
The methotrexate and misoprostil combination is in studies presently and is very inexpensive and is usually given by mouth, although the prostaglandin has been made into vaginal suppositories. While the use of these drugs is not approved for this indication by the FDA, physicians are permitted to use any legal drug for unapproved uses.
Jennifer Pitino, Director of Marketing & Sales Pacific Publishing - Bringing Business to Business (408) 462-5700, x-22 fax 462-2616Contents
Co-Coordinator's Report
by Ms Skilton
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Action Against Domestic Violence Task Force Report
by Ms Sullivan
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Education Task Force Report
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Gay Pride is back!
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California Women Then and Now
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Chapter Calendar
02 Gay Pride Parade
06 7-9pm. Thurs. SCCNOW General Meeting/Elections/Potluck. Kid's Klub, Harvey West Blvd. 335-7704.
Elections * Goal Setting * Potluck Dinner To avoid the dreaded, nutritionally unbalanced, aesthetically unpleasing, 1-course dinner, we suggest "cooking by the alphabet." If your last name begins with:
A-C Drinks
D-G Main Dishes
H-L Vegetables
M-P Desserts
Q-Z Salads
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Gay Pride Month
05 World Environment Day
16 Fathers' Day
20 Summer Solstice
23 Gay Pride Day
27 Emma Goldman born (1876)
27 Stonewall Inn Riot in NYC. (1969): Start of modern gay rights movement.
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TWO COMMON DRUGS INDUCE ABORTION
submitted by: Diane L, registered pharmacist
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