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DECEMBER 1972 35e in L.A. Area 50e Elsewhere bESSIAN TIBE~ A FEMINIST PUBLICATION, WRITTEN BY AND FOR THE RISING TIDE OF WOMEN TODAY. uhe VOLUME 2, NUMBER 5 THE TIDE COLLECTIVE ADVERTISING JoAnne Mitchell CIRCULATION Bonnie Doutre Sandra J. Hayley Caren L Pressley COMMUNITY RELATIONS Diane Banos Gail Griest Mary Ann Mitchell EDITORIAL Sally Anderson Jeanne Cordova Rita A. Goldberger Sandra J. Hayley Jayne Barbara McLean lindsay Ralphs Dianne Trzcinski Sharon Zecha FINANCE Barbara McLean PRODUCTION Anne Bonnie Doutre Jan Lydon Marg Caren L Pressley Tyler Kathy White STAFF Co-ordinator: Jeanne Cordova Correspondents: Beth Elliot, San Francisco linda Shimandle-Tessier, Orange County Freda Smith, Sacramento Julie Lee, New Jersey Mac McCornabie, Michigan Photography: Freda Smith Alejandro Stewart Distributors: Jeanne Cordova Kay Stevens The LESBIAN TIDE is an independent, feminist lesbian magazine. It is financially supported by the community it serves and is maintained by the pride, time, and efforts of a work ing collective of gay women. This publication is on file at the International Women's History Archive, 2235 Oak St., Berkeley, Calif. 94708, and is available on microfilm through Bell and Howell, 1124% N. Ogden Dr. • Los Angeles, Ca. 90046 • 656-1049 Drawer "E", Wooster, Ohio 44691. IS N.O.W. HOMOPHOBIC? by Julie Lee The following resolution was officlally adopted by last year's National Convention of N.O. W. "Whereas, The L.A. Chapter recognizes the double oppression of women who are les- bians, Whereas, the Chapter recognizes that a woman's right to her own person in- cludes the right to define and express her own sexuality and to choose her own life- style, therefore, we acknowledge the op- pression of lesbians as a legitimate con- cern of feminism. " The organized lesbian movement in New Jersey to the lesbian workshop belng held at the same started in April of 1971 when [an Rubin--a DOB time! One of the main speakers at the conference member, living in N.J •--founded Daughters of was Jacqueline Ceballos, NOW Eastern Regional Bilitis in New Jersey (DOBNJ). One of her first Director, who discussed with the conference co- prlorities was to join the lesbian movement with ordinators the advisability of setting up an ex- the women's movement in our state. She did clusive statewide NOW structure in N.J. Plans this by joining the Statewide Coordinating Commit- were immediately made for the first planning meet- tee (SCC) consisting of all N.J. NOW chapters ing of such a structure at which only presidents plus many other independent feminist organizations of NOW chapters and/or specially designated "ge- of all types throuqhout the state. Her efforts were ordinators" were permitted. very successful, and lesbians had considerable influence and a strong voice, and participated act- . Plannlng Structure Developed to Exclude Lesbians ively in many feminist activities for one year. The danger of this entlre situation was immed- Lesbians Harassed at "Woman Power" Conference lately apparent to N .J. Ie sbtans , The new exclu- slvestructure would effectlvely exclude lesbians-- The first hint of trouble came shortly before the no up-front lesblan .being a NOW chapter president.' April 8, 1972 statewide "Woman Power" conference So Ian Rubin succeeded ln having herself deslg- where several homophobic women surfaced, includ- nated "coordinator" from Essex County NOW, Jan's ing at least one woman with personal conflicts re- own NOW chapter. garding her own sexual orientation. There were supposed objections to the two lesbian workshops-- In NUs capacity Jan attended several of the one general and the other on lesbians in the wo -_ early organizational meetings, and trled to polnt men's movement--but Jan insisted, and both work- out to the women what the new EXclusive structure shops were kept on the program. As it turned out, would do to slsterhood in the State, byessenUally both workshops were so overcrowded that effec- excluding lesbians and other minorlty women, and tive work was impossible, and we found that FOUR also by most likely ellminating or rendering ineffec- such workshops would have been just right. Also, tive the INclusive Statewide Coordinating Committee, without consulting the lesbians, the woman in which heretofore had pulled together AU. femlnist charge of publicity barred the press from our work- activities in New Jersey. Ian found vlrtually no shops, and this same woman announced at the be- help from any of the women in these meettnqs , or ginning of the workshop on "The Single Woman in in the sWl-continuing meetlftgs of SCC. Many Society", which she was leading, that lesbianism women were openly hostUe, whUe others were would not be discussed in this workshop, ana that afraid to publlcly slde with thelr gay sisters. anyone who wanted to discuss this issue should go to the lesbian workshop being held at the same (Continued"" ••••• .!. ....._•. ---=- 3 r (Continued from Page3) the discrimination AGAINSTlesbians in NOW. Ob- vious ly she never answered. By this time it was apparent to most of us that a State-Wide EXclusive Two women especially were extremely antagonistic NOW structure was inevitable. to Ians attempts to stop the NOW-only structure, one of whom later admitted to being a lesbian herself -- a fact we had known but were not at liberty to disclose, N .0.W. Chapter Formed Dedicated of course. When it became clear to the women that To Minority Women New Jersey lesbians were actively trying to stop this divisive superstructure, some of the women started All seemed to go well, and Jane received a employing underhanded and secretive ways of insuring letter from Muriel Fox, Chairone of National that the lesbians would be undercut in their attempt to NOW, stating that she had sent our Charter to save sisterhood in New Jersey. Jacqui Ceballos for signature and delivery to us, but the Charter never arrived. In its stead Jane Appeal to National N •O. W. Rebuffed got a letter dated October 8, 1972, from Ms. Ceballos which was so insulting and condescen- On July 12, 1972, I sent a two-page letter to Wilma ding as to be almost unbelievable. Ms. Ceballos Heide, National President of N.O. W., writing to her told Jane that she was withholding the Chart er be- as one veteran feminist to another, and calling on her cause she felt our chapter was "discriminating" aid to preserve sisterhood in New Jersey, by because it was formed "for" the doubly-oppressed pointing out to her that an INclusive State- women. Our Chapter Newsletter "Sisterhood" Wide feminist structure already existed in the clearly stated that the chapter was DEDICATEDto State, and that the addition of an EXclusive all- such women, not that it was FORthem, or in any NOW structure was creating ill feeling, and way restricted to such women. Ms. Ceballos also worse. The reply to this serious letter came on alluded to a short article in "Majority Report" August 20 - more than five weeks later - in the quoting from the DOB Newsletter "Lazette" which form of an almost illegible POSTCARD. My letter alledgedly said that Mid-East Jersey NOW was had been lost - so Ms. Heide said - and she formed to "fight the State Structure or to influence had so informed Ms. Ceballos, who was sup- it." No such thing was ever said, of course -- posed to call me and tell me (which she never we were always completely open about our purpose, did, of course). The postcard then went on to which was to have fair representation for minority say that NOW was perfectly free to form exclu- status women. Dis crete inquirie s by sympathetic' sive State-wide organizations, would not be NOW women later disclosed that "the Board" -- frustrated in doing so by any independent group, apparently meaning the Executive Committee -- and it ended with these words: "We will work had unanimously voted to deny Mid-East Jersey in coalition as we mutually choose" (emphasis its charter. Ms. Heide's). N.O. W. To Withhold Power From Minority Women I replied by stating that sisterhood was indeed dead in New Jersey, and that it looked to me as if We received a letter from Ms. Fox - Chairone of I esbians had no real place in NOW. National NOW, confirming this refusal so this Chapter is closed. The letter was full of lies - as usual. But the entire thing proves to us what Anti-Lesbian Letter Sent Out By N.O. W. we knew all along: that NOW will go to ANY lengths to prevent lesbians from having any say-so Her ans wer to this was to send me a copy of a or -- GOD FORBID-- power in the feminist move- sick and incredibly homophobic letter from one ment. We feel this conclusion also applies to Kathleen Mullahey, complaining of supposed other minority women, be they black, red, Chicano, atrocities perpetuated by "lesbians" and "dykes" working-class or women-in-poverty. at the Womens Liberation March in New York on August 25th. I happened to have attended this march - a fact Ms. Heide apparantly was unaware of - and though we walked pretty much in the center of the small demonstration, we were totally una ware of any of the "terrible" things of which Ms. Mullahey was complaining. And even if these things had actually happened, I was hardly -responsible for them. Ms. Helde-mentjoned that she had sent this .) letter to many people to demonstrate "what kind of communication I receive by letter, phone, etc". I replied, asking Ms. Heide whether she also dis- tributes copies of letters like mine, pointing out 4 BEATEN LESBIAN SUES POLICE by Rita A. Goldberger Gail Minor, a sister from Los Angeles, was beaten by law enforcement officers at the City of Industry Sheriff's station (see November Lesbian Tide).