Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and TransgenderedHealth Science Librarians
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgendered
Editor: Tom Flemming
McMaster University Health Sciences Library
CONTENTS
UPFRONT:
1. From the Editor
2. Agenda for the Business Meeting
MIDDLE BUSINESS:
3. Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network (LGAIN)
4. To Fund or Not!
5. Does Your Employer Offer DP Benefits?
6. SIG Leadership Issues
7. Chapter Meeting Site Update
8. "Out at Work" Ready to Roll
BACKSIDE:
9. Do a Little Dance ...
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1. From the Editor
This issue is all about the MLA annual conference and our participation in it! The Medical Library Association is meeting in Kansas City, MO, from 31 May to 5 June 1996, and the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Health Sciences Librarians' Special Interest Group (LGB HSL SIG) is ready, once again this year, to meet and learn, have a good time with each other and our colleagues throughout the association, and to present another program that will educate and stimulate discussion among all members of MLA.
There are articles below on many aspects of our planning for this meeting and the year ahead of us. Our co-chairs present a preliminary agenda for the Business meeting, which will happen on the last day of the conference (Wednesday, 5 June); be sure to check it out and let them know if you think anything should be added. There are articles on topics of concern to the membership throughout the past year; some of these issues need to be raised at the Business Meeting and resolved (or at the least) discussed, so that our leadership knows how to proceed in the coming year. These are things like: fundraising, chapter meeting sites (in places with non-discriminatory policies) and ensuring that we have leaders to continue the work of the LGB HSL SIG for the future. The folks responsible for our program: "Out at Work" summarize and advertise it in this issue, too. And at the end, there is news about plans for fun in KC from our Social Committee. Don't fail to read through to the end; you'll miss the best bit for sure, if you do!
There is also another short, but informative, article from our Straight-but-not-narrow bibliographer, Karen Zundel. Karen writes this time about organizations for the elderly among us: lesbian and gay aging groups. Health Sciences Librarians in North America are getting on in years according to surveys done by the MLA; we'll all need this information sooner or later (if not for ourselves, then for our clients)!
Mitch Walters calls for help and advice in forming an organization to pursue Domestic Partnership benefits at his institution; get in touch, please, if you can help him.
Read on below, and enjoy! This will be the last issue of your newsletter that I present. A new editor will be chosen at the Business Meeting in KC. I have enjoyed the work of pulling together all the news "that's fit to print" for you throughout the past year, and I promise I'll be waiting anxiously to see what my successor has to offer us.
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Visit our web site, created by Fritz Whitcomb of the John Crerar
Library at the University of Chicago, at the following address:
URL http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~rfwhitco/mlalgb/home.html
**************
You can contact me as follows:
Tom Flemming
Health Sciences Library
McMaster University
1200 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5
Tel: 905/525-9140 x22321
Fax: 905/528-3733
E-mail: tomflem@fhs.mcmaster.ca
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2. AGENDA FOR THE MLA LGB HSL BUSINESS MEETING
Wednesday, 5 June 1996 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Co-chairs: Bill Karnoscak & Sally Harvey
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You may contact our male co-chair about the agenda or any SIG business as follows:
Bill Karnoscak
Academic Computing & Learning Resource Center
Rush University
600 S. Paulina Str., Suite 435
Chicago, IL 60612-3832
Tel: 312/942-6832
Fax: 312/942-2234
E-mail: btk@lib.rpslmc.edu
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3. LESBIAN AND GAY AGING ISSUES NETWORK (LGAIN)
by Karen Zundel
The Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network (LGAIN) is one of eight constituent units within the American Society on Aging (ASA), the largest professional membership association in the field of aging. Founded more that 40 years ago, ASA's 10,000 members comprise a national, multidisciplinary community of those who work with and on behalf of older adults. ASA's constituent units (including LGAIN) were established during the past four years, in response to requests by members, to provide specialized services and information to clearly defined communities.
LGAIN's mission is to promote programs, policies and educational opportunities to improve the quality of life for older lesbians and gay men. It supports its mission by providing a forum for the dissemination of information and perspectives about research, and practice and policy relating to lesbian and gay aging issues. The Network fosters and creates opportunities for multidisciplinary dialogue which includes policy makers, administrators of aging services, service providers, researchers, and older gay men and lesbians.
The primary goal of the Network is to assist its members in becoming sensitive to the special challenges lesbians and gay men face in aging and the unique barriers this often invisible segment of the aging population encounters in accessing housing, healthcare, long-term care and social services. Other goals of the Network are to:
OutWord, the Network's quarterly newsletter, available to members, provides continuous information about resources, program models, research, and policy developments. The Network also sponsors conferences that bring together health and social service providers, policy makers and planners, representatives of the aging network, gay and lesbian gerontologists and gay and lesbian elders to examine the issues, raise awareness and seek solutions, both locally and nationally. In addition, the Network sponsors a yearly three-day mini-conference as part of the ASA's Annual Meeting. Sessions at the 1996 ASA Annual Meeting included Coalitions Within Coalitions: Recognizing Diversity Among Older Lesbians and Gay Men, Substance Abuse Among Older Gay Men and Lesbians: A "Closet" Issue, and Working With Older Gay Men and Lesbians: Implications for All Mental Health Providers.
The Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network welcomes the involvement of all concerned individuals regardless of sexual orientation. For more information write or call:
American Society on Aging
Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network
833 Market St., Suite 511
San Francisco, CA 94103-1824
Tel: 415/974-9600
Additional resources for lesbian/gay/bisexual elders include:
Agencies/Organizations COLAGE (Coalition of Older Lesbian and Gay Endeavors) University of Michigan Lesbian Gay Bisexual Programs Office 3116 Michigan Union Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1349 Tel: 313/763-4186 GALAXY (Gay and Lesbian Accommodation for the Experienced in Years) 1187 Franklin St. San Francisco, CA 94109 GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Elders Active in Minnesota) Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council 310 E. 38th St. Minneapolis, MN 55409 GLOE (Gay and Lesbian Outreach to Elders) Operation Concern 1853 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel: 414/626-7000 GLOW (Gays and Lesbians Older and Wiser) Turner Geriatric Clinic University of Michigan Hospitals 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Golden Threads (lesbians over 50) P.O. Box 60475 North Hampton, MA 01060 Lavender Seniors P.O. Box 6044 Fremont, CA 94538 Tel: 510/247-2406 Lesbian and Gay Informal Interest Group Gerontological Society of America 1275 K St. N.W., Suite 350 Washington, DC 20005 LGAIN (Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network) American Society on Aging 833 Market St., Suite 511 San Francisco, CA 94103-1824 Tel: 415/974-9600 National Association for Lesbian and Gay Gerontology 1290 Sutter St., Suite 8 San Francisco, CA 94109 OLE (Older Lesbian Energy) P.O. Box 1214 East Arlington, MA 02174 Old Lesbians Organizing for Change P.O. Box 980422 Houston, TX 77098 Prime Timers P.O. Box 18-0010 Boston, MA 02118-0001 Tel: 617/338-5305 Prime Timers (International) P.O. Box 191101 Dallas, TX 75219 Project Rainbow: the Society for Senior Gay and Lesbian Concerns 8205 Santa Monica Blvd. #1 P.O. Box 267 West Hollywood, CA 90046-5912 Tel: 213/621-3180 SAGE (Seniors in an Aging Gay Environment) 305 Seventh Ave. New York, NY 10001 Tel: 212/741-2247 (15 independent affiliates across the US) Books Berger, Raymond M. Gay and gray: the older homosexual man, 2nd ed. Haworth Press, 1995. Kehoe, Monika. Lesbians over 60 speak for themselves. Haworth Press, 1989. Lee, John Alan. Gay midlife and maturity. Haworth Press, 1991. Published as a special issue of the Journal of Homosexuality, 20 (3/4), 1990. National Association for Lesbian and Gay Gerontology. Resource guide: lesbian and gay aging. NALGG, 1991. Reyes, Karen Westerberg. Lambda gray: a practical, emotional, and spiritual guide for gays and lesbians who are growing older. Newcastle Publishing Co., 1993. Sang, B. Lesbians at midlife: the creative transition. Spinsters Book Co., 1991. Journals Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services Haworth Press 10 Alice St. Binghamton, NY 13904-1580 Tel: 800/342-9678 Journal of Homosexuality Haworth Press 10 Alice St. Binghamton, NY 13904-1580 Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Issues Sage Publications P.O. Box 5084 Thousand Oaks, CA 91359-9924
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You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Karen M. Zundel
Health Services Library
McKeesport Hospital
1500 Fifth Avenue
McKeesport, PA 15132
Tel: 412/664-2362
Fax: 412/664-2581
E-mail: mckmedlib@hslc.org
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4. To Fund or Not! What to do About Fundraising
by Jerry Perry
As you may know, if you have been following the listserv conversation (on MLALGB), I wrote Carla Funk, Executive Director of MLA, in March asking her advice regarding the problem of fundraising. As a SIG, we are not allowed to solicit funds. We may tacitly accept donations but are not allowed to plan for the collection of revenue. This is an issue because SIGs are also forbidden to collect dues. My question to Ms. Funk was, given the level of our activity in programming and outreach, is there any way we can publicly acknowledge and accept donations? Before I wrote her, I contacted other SIG conveners and learned that this is not an issue for them.
Ms. Funk advised me that the reason behind these restrictions is that the Association has no oversight mechanism for SIG fundraising (including donations or dues). For us to collect such funds would violate the Association's tax status as an non-profit professional organization. If the Association were audited, any money we had would not be appropriately accounted for by MLA HQ, and the Association's non-profit tax status could be jeopardized. MLA HQ does NOT want to collect dues for SIGs, since they see this indication of formal organizing as contrary to the scope and purpose of SIGs.
I am presently scheduled to speak at Section Council during the Annual Meeting in Kansas City to let that body know about our concerns about fundraising restrictions. As mentioned in our listserv discussions, the problem with not being able to publicly raise funds is that we need money to put on programs and currently, all our fundraising must be done "under the table" and without full disclosure. If we are going to continue to present programs and conduct outreach efforts like the proposed Oral History Project, we will need to be able to draw on funds.
We can continue in the discreet, informal manner we have been collecting money. Recall that we collected donations at last year's annual business meeting. This money will be used in fact to support our annual meeting programming in 1996 and 1997.
*** I would like the SIG membership to consider this issue. At our Business Meeting, Co-chair Bill Karnoscak will initiate a discussion. I would like to know what the group thinks: is this an issue worth pursuing?
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You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Gerald (Jerry) Perry
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Tel: 312/942.2280
E-mail: perry@lib.rpslmc.edu
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5. DOES YOUR EMPLOYER OFFER DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP
BENEFITS?
by Mitch Walters
A small group at the UT Southwestern Medical Center Library has recently begun meeting informally to discuss the possibility of forming an official LesBiGay organization on the Dallas campus. One of the first items of interest for the group is the possibility of obtaining domestic partnership benefits >From the University. If your employer currently offers such benefits we'd like to hear from you. We're particularly interested in the circumstances at other academic medical centers. Also any "war stories" about campaigns to obtain these benefits would be very enlightening.
The informal group at UT Southwestern exists only in the Library at present, but our goal is, eventually, to include LesBiGay faculty, staff, and students in a more formal organization. We would like to hear from others where such formal groups exist, how they were started, joys and sorrows, "do"s and "don't"s. Since the University of Texas system doesn't include 'sexual orientation' in its written non-discrimination policy, we're wondering if changing the policy should be our top priority. Does everything else depend on this protection?
Another point which has already provoked considerable discussion is our obligation as "out" employees to our co-workers who are family but aren't "out" or are partially "out." Sounds like a question for the speakers at our program in Kansas City, doesn't it?
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You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Mitch Walters
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75235-9049
Tel: 214/648-2483
Fax: 214/648-2826
E-mail: walters@medcat.library.swmed.edu
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6. SIG LEADERSHIP ISSUES
by Jerry Perry
We (Kate Benning and Jerry Perry) would like to recommend that the SIG membership consider and vote on the following suggested procedures for identifying SIG leaders. We welcome additions, deletions, and changes to these suggestions!
Leadership Roles:
There are only a few "formal" leadership roles necessary for addressing the work of the LGBHSL SIG. These are:
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You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Gerald (Jerry) Perry
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Tel: 312/942.2280
E-mail: perry@lib.rpslmc.edu
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7. CHAPTER MEETING SITE UPDATE
By Jerry Perry
As readers of our list (MLALGB@MAYO.EDU) know, Jean, Mitch and Sally all reported problems when asking their Chapter leaders to consider the MLA Board's "Social Responsibility" meeting site selection policy. Their Chapter leaders asked for clarification of the policy and the Board's intent, and also asked them to prepare and present arguments supporting the policy! As a result of this, I facilitated communications between our Co-chairs and Carla Funk (Executive Director of MLA), asking the Board to consider this problem and form a Task Force with SIG representation to assist Chapter Leaders.
A few weeks ago I received assurances from Carla Funk that a letter with her recommendations was forthcoming. However, with the Annual Meeting looming large, I called Ms. Funk in the week of April 22 and pressed for a response. She advised me that the issue of Chapter leaders not knowing how to apply the meeting site policy should be remanded to Chapter Council for attention. She offered to speak with the Board's Chapter Council Liaison, Cynthia Goldstein. Ms. Funk said she could ask Ms. Goldstein to advise Chapter Council of this issue and remind Chapter leaders that nearly all municipalities/conference facilities seeking to host a meeting will readily provide a letter affirming nondiscrimination. In fact, many now offer such documentation without the asking! I thanked Ms. Funk for the suggestion and pressed her to follow through and ask Ms. Goldstein to raise the issue at Chapter Council. Ms. Funk said she would be happy to do this.
SIG members asking their Chapter leaders to comply with the Site Selection policy should simply remind them that all they need to do is to ask for the presentation of nondiscrimination documentation from candidate municipalities/facilities. This is standard practice now among associations. SIG members should not accept any challenge from Chapter leaders to provide additional arguments, documentation, explanation or assistance. This is a stalling tactic, plain and simple. Chapter leaders need to be held accountable and not pass off onto SIG members their responsibility to represent our interests. They are our leaders, after all.
I will follow-up with Ms. Funk at the Annual Meeting to verify that Ms. Goldstein was able to assist.
As a sidebar, regarding Jean's situation with her Chapter (New York/New Jersey): The selection of the military academy as a meeting site was due to the fact that the husband of one of that Chapter's Leaders has cheap and easy access to that facility as a ranking officer. It's who you know!
**************
You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Gerald (Jerry) Perry
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Tel: 312/942.2280
E-mail: perry@lib.rpslmc.edu
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8. "OUT AT WORK" READY TO ROLL
by Denis Gaffney
(with finishing -- and *controlling* -- touches by
Jean Sullivant)
After months of planning, head scratching, and soliciting suggestions, Jean Sullivant and I have finally put the finishing touches to our MLA program. Keep your schedules open for Tuesday, 4 June, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., when the SIG program: "Out at Work" will be presented in cooperation with the Relevant Issues Section (for whose co-sponsorship we are grateful). The session will be moderated by your correspondent, Denis Gaffney of SUNY Brooklyn.
We have been fortunate in getting the participation of Dr. David Barnett, Acting Director of the Office of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Concerns at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who will speak on: "Coming Out in the Workplace." David will introduce some of the complexities involved in coming out at work; it is often not as clear-cut a decision as we might like to think. Other factors may be involved in discrimination, such as race, class or parenthood status. Unlike other situations where a person's status is sometimes obvious -- e.g., race -- the lesbian, gay or bisexual person can choose what, if any, level of disclosure s/he will offer. Some of the issues David will touch on include: the cold facts of external oppression; different attitudes between partners; decisions to make regarding disclosure. Every negative situation you find yourself in at work may not be homophobic in nature; you shouldn't demean your sexuality by using it as a crutch. Being aware of internalized homophobia - your own and that of other LesBiGays - is important, as is sexual harassment, if it is present.
Arthur Downing, Librarian of the New York Academy of Medicine, will speak on: "Placing Management Issues for Gay Men and Lesbians in Context." Management issues relevant to gay men and lesbians need to be seen as part of the continuum of issues relating to all employees, including other disadvantaged minorities. In many cases, workplace issues that are considered "neutral" need to be interpreted with special reference to gay and lesbian employees. Arthur has told me that he has dealt with almost every conceivable situation that can come up with lesbian and gay workers.
Our third speaker, offering her own very personal perspective on these issues, will be our co-chair, Sally Harvey, now of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Library, Dallas TX. Sally's topic will be: "Out at Work? One Lesbian's Experience." Sally will talk about the stress involved in working (formerly) in a very closeted atmosphere. Lesbianism affects one's life profoundly, so that any work situation in which it is discounted or not respected, causes the whole psyche to suffer. In being out, we bring our whole being to the job, including our strengths and creativity, and can focus all our energies on the task at hand.
It sounds as though we will have an interesting session. Such provoking and challenging topics and situations! We hope you will all be there and that we will have even better attendance than last year! This session promises to be one of the highlights of your MLA - Kansas City - 1996 experience. With such wonderful people as speakers and friends, how can we fail?
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You may contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Denis Gaffney
S.U.N.Y. Health Science Center at Brooklyn
Library - Technical Services - Box 14
450 Clarkson Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11203
Tel: 718/270-7426
E-mail: gaffney@medlib.hscbklyn.edu
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9. DO A LITTLE DANCE, MAKE A LITTLE LOVE, GET DOWN
TONIGHT
by Bill Fleming
Why is it that whenever I think of KC....I think of the Sunshine Band? Probably because of a traumatic experience from my childhood. As I was getting ready for a Little League Baseball game (that phrase alone does two things: it gives away my age -- approximately -- and it gives you a clue to the kind of torture my father put me through ... I was an artistic child forced to participate in VIOLENT sporting activities!) I lost my balance and fell, hitting my head on the footboard of my bed (Note to the wise: don't try to put on socks standing up). The song playing on the radio at that time? GET DOWN TONIGHT. To this day, whenever I hear KC and the Sunshine Band I get a headache.
But I digress......
Plans for social activities are beginning to firm up for this year's annual meeting in Kansas City. The Social Committee discussed many options, and decided to proceed with two ideas:
1. The Committee will solicit volunteers to sponsor a series of outings -- dinner, dancing, karaoke, coffee, miniature golf, the possibilities are endless -- during the week which will have broad appeal, we hope. Once we have compiled a list, we will create a very loose "schedule" of events that we will make available via MLALGB, the SIG's web page, and in print (to be made available before and during the meeting).
2. The Committee, along with a few volunteers, will create a very simple "guide" to the city, with a list of restaurants, clubs, stores, etc., which might be of particular interest to SIG members. This guide will also be made available via MLALGB-L, the SIG's web page, and in print.
The schedule of activities will allow us to know where SIG members are gathering so that you can join us when you wish, and the "guide" is for those who feel the urge to stray from the group and explore the wondrous sights of Kansas City (the flowery prose can be attributed to the fact that Cher is currently playing on my CD player ... I'm in a GOOD mood)!
But the Committee can't do it all! We need your help!
Please consider "sponsoring" a dinner or outing during the week. There really isn't a lot of work involved. Just pick a place, let us know, and we'll put it on the schedule. And we refuse to schedule more than one thing at the same time. As I learned from Little League Baseball, competition isn't necessarily a good thing.
Here's the procedure:
If there are any problems, concerns, questions, complaints, etc., please feel free to contact me. All the work in the world won't make this a success without your participation. We want to make Kansas City a fun experience. Referring to the title of this article, we can get you to do a little dance ..., but the rest is up to you. We're not going there.
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You can contact the author of the article above as
follows:
Bill Fleming
Library of Rush University
600 S. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60612-3832
Tel: 312/942-2568
E-mail: bfleming@lib.rpslmc.edu
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..................................................................... Tom Flemming Internet: tomflem@fhs.csu.McMaster.ca Health Sciences Library Ariel: 130.113.181.186 McMaster University Voice: (905) 525-9140 x22321 1200 Main Street West Fax: (905) 528-3733 Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5 Visit the _Health Care Information Resources_ page URL http://www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/top.html .......................................................................
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