From: OpenProces@aol.com Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 22:10:58 EDT Subject: Media Update-Call for Accountability and Open Process Grows The call for an open process for deciding whether or not to hold a national rally in DC in the year 2000 continues to grow. Updated list of signers as of 6/8/98 Proposal to the June Meeting from the Ad Hoc Committee for an Open Process The Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender people of the USA have organized three national marches on Washington, in 1979, 1987 and in 1993. These marches raised the visibility and advanced the issues of our communities. But the real importance and success of these mobilizations can be measured by the effect they had on our own communities. Grassroots organizing raised issues locally, spawned lasting coalitions and turned many of us into activists. On state and regional levels, new links were forged. Nationally, constituency organizing resulted in the emergence of national organizations and networks. The marches on Washington have been unique organizing tools that helped build a larger, stronger and more unified movement. Each march was very different as were the times during which they were organized. However, each one was run democratically with mass, grassroots involvement, and each followed a similar organizing scenario. A committee (which dissolved after its work was done) organized a national meeting to which representatives of all lesbian and gay (and later expanded to include bisexual and transgendered) organizations--local, state and regional as well as national--were welcomed. Organizational representatives voted, but otherwise, all in attendance were invited to participate in these open meetings. Here, the primary decision whether to have the event was made first, followed by deliberations on the name of the event, the politics, structure, leadership, and the organizing strategy. Then, throughout the country, open, democratically run meetings selected delegates, with mandates to include women and people of color, to a national steering committee, the highest decision- making body. Constituencies were also represented in the national steering committee and every national organization in our community was invited to join. Many of these meetings were at times contentious and chaotic. But in the end the decisions were accepted because the process was fair and inclusive. People from all over the country were motivated to commit their time, energy, and resources to build the marches because they realized that they were both heard and represented. And finally, when the big day arrived, we reveled in and were empowered by our accomplishment. The marches on Washington strengthened our movement largely because they were democratically run grassroots efforts on a massive scale. They have become an essential part of our proud history and a model to other movements for social change. Now, as a fourth march on Washington is being proposed, we must summon the legacy of the previous three--for the process by which this discussion proceeds will define not only the nature of any event that may follow, but more importantly, that of the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered movement itself. Therefore, we, the Ad Hoc Committee for an Open Process, propose: 1. that the June Meeting issue a call for an organizing and strategy conference to include discussion and a decision on the proposed march on Washington and other proposals brought forth, with nothing about the proposed march on Washington presented as a fait accompli; 2. that all lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered organizations be invited to send two voting representatives to the meeting; 3. that attendance and participation (except for voting) be open to all. We are calling for an open process to engage our movement in a serious, national discussion on whether or not we want to go to Washington--what's the purpose, when do we want to go, what would we be calling for, and how do we insure the maximum, most diverse participation in any planning process? Signed (as of 6/5/98): Steve Ault Tommi Avicolli Mecca Columnist - S.F. Frontline Leslie Cagan-coordinator, New York City, 1987 March on Washington Mandy Carter Field Program Consultant National Black Lesbian & Gay Leadership Forum; 1987 March on Washington - State Coordinator, North Carolina; 1993 March on Washington - National Steering Committee; Coordinator, People of Color Lobby Days Melanie Clemans Long Island's Campus Leadership Network (CLN) (network of L.I. glbt campus groups based in LI, NY); OUT IN LI (a 20-something plus social and issues group) Marla Erlien Bromfield St. Educational Foundation; Gay Community News; Boston Organizer, 1987 March on Washington Jaime Grant Washington, D.C. Eileen Hansen 1987 Civil Disobedience; 1987 March on Washington San Francisco, CA Billy Hileman Co-Chair, 1993 MOW Sue Hyde Cambridge, MA John O'Brien Stonewall Veteran Diana Onley-Campbell Washington, D.C. Alana Samuels OUT IN LI (a 20-something plus social and issues group based in LI, NY); Long Island's Campus Leadership Network (CLN) (network of L.I. glbt campus groups) Barbara Smith Black feminist writer and activist, member of the Feminist Action Network of Albany, New York. One of the eight major speakers at the 1987 March on Washington Nadine Smith Co-Chair, 1993 MOW, Executive Director of Human Rights Task Force Howard Wallace National Steering Committee, Pride at Work Christine Williams National Queer Student Coalition UNC-Chapel Hill Paul Harris Playwright and syndicated columnist David Hencke Ohio -AIDS/HIV law activist Robin White Independent Public Radio Producer San FranciscoPaul Harris Playwright and syndicated columnist Janice Thom NY David Hencke Ohio AIDS/HIV law activist Robin White Independent Public Radio Producer San Francisco Kenneth Sherrill New York Dragonsani Renteria Deaf Queer Resource Center Jodi Weinhofer Key West, FL Jesse Heiwa/QUEERS FOR RACIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE An alliance of Queer People Of Color, Working-class Queers and Queer Progressives _____________________ Todd Martinez-Padilla Simmons Co-Chairman, Human Rights Task Force of Florida Chairman, Committee on Issues of Sexual Orientation, University of South Florida Tanya Domi Activist to Lift the Military Ban International Advocate for Human Rights Natalie Davis, columnist, Baltimore Alternative Fred Ulmer, Field Manager, Log Cabin Club of Florida - statewide chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans Flora L. Piterak 1994 Intl. March (Stonewall) Harry Hay for Harry Hay and John Burnside RADICAL FAERIE POLITICAL NETWERK Warren J. Blumenfeld, Editor, Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity Northampton, Massachusetts Peggy Barrett Cambridge, MA Dennis Poplin San Antonio Lesbian & Gay Media Project San Antonio, Texas TANIA ABDULAHAD, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, WASHINGTON, DC Sheilah R. Sable Holding Our Own: A Fund for Woman Board of Directors Albany, NY Catherine McKinley New York, NY Scot Nakagawa, Executive Director of the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation of Oregon. _________________________ David P. Becker Portland, Maine ___________________________ Suzanne Pharr, Women's Project, Portland, OR Jodi Dean Hobart and William Smith Colleges Mr. Jim Straz Jim Straz Productions, Inc. NYC, NY 10025 Ellen Rifkin Veneta, Oregon ___________________________________________ Mary Alice Ball Center for the Study of Higher Education Tucson AZ _________________________________________ Alice Bloch Seattle, WA ________________________________ Kristina Boerger, Urbana, IL Founding Director, AMASONG: Champaign-Urbana's Premier Lesbian/Feminist Chorus ______________________________ Scott B. Rothe Tucson Dennis Poplin San Antonio Lesbian & Gay Media Project San Antonio, Texas __________________________________ Felice Yeskel, Ed.D. Director, The Stonewall Center Amherst, MA 01002 Ilene Feinman teacher _______________________________ Rosemary Hennessy Associate Professor, Department of English, The University at Albany, SUNY _______________________________ Vickie Smith co-founder and president of In Our Own Voices (IOOV). The mission of IOOV is to promote and ensure the physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, cultural, and economic health and survival of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people of color communities in the Capital Region of New York State. Albany, NY ________________________________ Carolyn Epple, Ph.D. Tucson, AZ 85712 ___________________________________ Tamara A. Adrine-Davis Cleveland, Ohio __________________________________________ Vera Whisman Asst. Prof., Program in Women's Studies Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY Joyce Kauffman, Cambridge, MA _____________________________________ Surina Khan Research Analyst, Political Research Associates, Somerville, MA _________________________________ Karen Bullock-Jordan Bromfield Street Educational Foundation Boston, MA. OutWritex Conference Director; Former NGLTF staffer (including the time during the 1993 March oranizing process & the March itself); Writer and lecturer on sexual politics. ____________________________________ Sean Cahill, chair of the Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance of Massachusetts ___________________________________ MR. RON SIMMONS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, US HELPING US, WASHINGTON, DC. ____________________________________ MS. RUTH WATERS, LOS ANGELES, CA. _____________________________________ Char Ullman Tucson, AZ _________________________________ Kimberly Springer Atlanta, GA _____________________________ Peggy Lynch Cambridge MA _________________________________ Nancy A. Naples, Women's Studies and Sociology, University of California, Irvine ______________________________________ Surina Khan Research Analyst, Political Research Associates, Somerville, MA _______________________________________ Jorge Irizarry-Vizcarrondo Activist _______________________________________________ Elly Bulkin Boston __________________________ Kris Kleindienst writer, editor, co-owner, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO _______________________________ Rebecca (Beck) Young Brooklyn, NY ______________________________ Davanna Jones Minister, Warrior, Spirituality and Social Change Agent Grassroots Organizer _________________________________ Kostya Branwen Sudice, Crone~in~Residence, House of The Goddess Limited: Center for Pagan Wombyn Norfolk, Virginia ___________________________________ Shane Phelan Director, Women Studies Program Associate Professor, Political Science University of New Mexico Albquerque, NM _____________________________ Marcia Deihl Co-Founder Boston Bisexual Women's Network _________________________________ Susan Levene Cambridge, MA Meredith Woods Independent Television Producer Boston, MA ___________________________________ Anna Marie Smith Assistant Professor Department of Government McGraw Hall Cornell University Ithaca NY ________________________ Judith S. Kaufman, Ph.D. New Rochelle, NY _________________________ Jan Carpenter Tucker, San Diego, CA ___________________________ Robert Bray Director, The SPIN Project Institute For Alternative Journalism Former media director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (1990-97) and the Human Rights Campaign Fund (1989-90). Came out on network television at the 1988 march (where I was a media volunteer) and was a media consultant from NGLTF to the folks at the 1993 march. _______________________________________ Mary Porter South Bend, IN ________________________________ Lani Ka'ahumanu bisexual activist, author, poet Organizer 1987 MOW, organizer/speaker 1993 MOW _____________________________________ Wilfred Small Columbia University, New York recently Facilities Chair, OUTpost LGBT Community Center, Champaign, IL _________________________________________ Ku'umeaaloha Gomes Na Mamo O Hawai'i Honolulu, HI _____________________________________ Nancy Nangeroni, Cambridge, MA Host/Exec. Producer, GenderTalk radio (www.gendertalk.com) Exec. Director, International foundation for Gender Education