Newsletter of the Rainbow Alliance at the University of Florida
February 2003, Vol. 1, No. 5
Next RA Dinner Meeting! Wednesday, February 12, 2003 – 7:00 pm at Olive Garden
Features
First Words: Sesquicentennial
Progress on RA 2003 Plans
Apply Now for LGBT Service Research Awards
Proposed "Patriot Act 2" Threatens Further Civil Liberties Rollbacks
Legendary singer-songwriter Alix Dobkin at UF, February 12
UC Berkeley Group Debuts LGBT History Web SiteDepartments
Contributing to the Rainbow Alliance Fund
Resources
How To Join Rainbow Alliance
Contributors to This Issue of RA-News
This year, the University of Florida will celebrate its sesquicentennial, its 150th anniversary. In 1853, the state legislature created the East Florida Seminary at Ocala, which would become the University of Florida at Gainesville.
The University has grown significantly and achieved much in its history. Its services have benefitted millions of Floridians. Hundreds of thousands of graduates have gone all over the world to make their mark. As a staff or faculty member, it's a privilege to be a part of the University's mission and outreach.
As part of the university, LGBT people have shared in that contribution. But until recent decades, the history of LGBT people at the University of Florida has been written in invisible ink. That is to say, that history is out there somewhere, but it's waiting for someone to reveal it.
Perhaps, the most famous - - and infamous - - event in UF LGBT history is the Johns committee.
The Florida Legislature Investigative Committee, aka the Johns committee, was formed in 1958 to locate subversive elements which might be vectors of Communism in Florida. The committee focused initially on the NAACP. However, a lawsuit prevented them from continuing on that front. They then turned their attention to homosexuals at Florida's universities and colleges. The resulting witch hunt was shocking and sad. Numerous students and professors were hounded from Florida education during the six years of the committee's operation.
The pretext of the committee's work was national security. That work was supported by the environment of fear. After all, America was threatened by a sinister international conspiracy with the stated goal of bringing America low.
The Johns committee was terminated in 1964 after publication of a purple-covered handbook, titled "Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida." This publication was full of inapppropriate photographs, which were regarded as pornographic. The publication was never distributed to the public, and it implied that the committee's motivation was not patriotism but obsession with sex - - an implication confirmed by 30,000 pages of investigative reports. (This history is well documented at several Web sites, and notably, in the documentary, "Behind Closed Doors The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee," produced by Allyson A. Beutke.)
Certainly part of LGBT history at UF is a story about oppression. Some of this story, like the Johns committee or much more recent incidents, are well documented and were fairly public. But those stories are like the tip of an iceberg - - the great majority of oppressive acts are unseen. You can run into it even when you think you've steered clear.
We all want this party of our history to just go away, but we also know it isn't that easy. The good news that there have been changes. LGBT people are not trying to avoid detection so much anymore as to build a community - - to make a visible contribution and to enjoy life on their own terms. We have "growth and achievements" to celebrate. We have local heroes, leaders, organizations, publications... The Gainesville area has a remarkably vital LGBT community.
This year is a natural opportunity for the LGBT community at UF to look back, to develop a more complete history. That more complete history must bring to light unseen oppression, but it must look past the oppression to the lives of those whose dedication made them important contributors to the University. That history will be sobering and inspiring by turns, but in both ways, its goal is to give us clearer vision - - the vision we need to make plans, realize them, and add to the positive LGBT history of the University of Florida.
For more information:
Sequicentennial Home Page:
http://www.ufl.edu/150/index.html
Allyson Beutke's Web site on the Johns
Committee"
http://www.behindcloseddoorsfilm.com/johns.htm
View the "Purple Pamphlet":
http://www.behindcloseddoorsfilm.com/purplepam.htm
Chronology of Homosexuality and Politics
in Florida, starting in 1953:
http://www.geocities.com/gueroperro/chron-florida.htm
Rainbow Alliance Plans for 2003
If you haven't had a chance to attend a dinner, it might be difficult to keep up sith the progress of the plans that were presented in the January newsletter. We'll try to keep you current with a monthly update.
1) Creation of the Rainbow Alliance Fund.
We had expected to set up the fund in mid-January, but we are in the process of working out some details about the Fund and about Rainbow Alliance to make sure that the Fund is on a sound footing when the paperwork is actually completed. We're looking at another couple of weeks. Our contact at the Foundation has been very helpful and supportive. The Fund will be administered through the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research, and our conversations with the Center's director, Angel Kwolek-Folland, have been very helpful. So, we're looking at some date before the end of February for the creation of the Foundation account.
As always, details about contributing to the Rainbow Alliance Fund can be found at the end of the newsletter.
2) Rainbow Alliance will award two LGBT Service/Research Awards during Spring 2003 semester.
The announcement for this year's awards was sent out about two weeks ago, and you can read all about it in this newsletter. The proposals will be evaluated by a subcommittee of the LGBT Concerns Committee. The awards will be given sometime in March.
3) The Rainbow Alliance Web site will be created. Coming soon!
4) Rainbow Alliance will work to help create the LGBT Colloquium -- an undergraduate course to be offered in Fall 2003.
Planning for this course has proven to be more difficult than we anticipated, and we've received some good advice that a course may not be the best way to proceed. Therefore we're going to be looking at some options. One possibility is to sponsor a two-day forum during which UF faculty doing LGBT-related studies would give presentations. We might be able to bring in a couple of special speakers for such an event, and coordinate all this with the student organizations.
As always, your advice on this project is welcome and desired.
5) Work will continue to identify LGBTA alumni.
Still in the planning stages, though we have collected a few names for the newsletter list. The Web site will be the focus of this effort, and we're looking into advertising in the national gay press.
6) Of course, we'll continue our monthly dinners. We hope to see you there!
7) Rainbow Alliance depends on the efforts of dedicated volunteers. A little of your time could go a long way. Get involved. Make a difference.
Apply Now for LGBT Service/Research Awards
The University of Florida Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Concerns Committee announces its Third Annual Awards competition.
Two awards, each in the amount of $500,
will be given out:
one to a UF undergraduate student and one to a UF graduate student.
Applicants must demonstrate excellence in either service or research.
Service: Successful applicants must demonstrate exemplary service to the UF or larger Gainesville community on behalf of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender peoples. Such service may include efforts to eliminate homophobia, promote LGBT causes, or create safe spaces and activities for LGBT individuals.
Research: Successful applicants must have performed research within the last year or have completed a proposal to conduct research within the next year that focuses on a lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender topic or otherwise engages LGBT concerns.
Application Information
Applicants should submit the following: one copy of UF transcript (need not be official but must be recent); a brief (3-5 pages) statement of purpose pertaining to service or research; two letters of recommendation from individuals (preferably one from a faculty mentor) who can attest to quality of service or research. Members of the awards subcommittee are not eligible to provide letters of recommendation.
Applications must include a cover page with the following information:
the category (service or research) in which the applicant wishes to be considered; the applicant's full name, complete local mailing address, local telephone number, e-mail address, UF ID number, major and year at UF; and the name of the applicant's advisor. (Qualified students may apply in both categories, provided separate applications are submitted; the same letters of recommendation may be used, however, if both service and research accomplishments are addressed.)
APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2003, TO:
Amanda Wolfe, Associate Director, Center for Latin American Studies, PO Box 115530,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
For more information, please contact:
Carlos Hernandez at 392-1575, or hernandez@counsel.ufl.edu;
Gwynn Kessler at 392-1625, or gkessler@religion.ufl.edu; or
Amanda Wolfe at 392-0375, or akwolfe@latam.ufl.edu.
You may also visit our Web site at: http://www.aa.ufl.edu/committees/lgbtcc.htm
Proposed "Patriot Act 2" Threatens Further Civil Liberties Rollbacks
On his news program "Now" last Friday, Bill Moyers broke the story of a proposed follow-up to the so-called USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism").
The closely guarded draft legislation was produced in the Justice Department and is titled "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003." It was leaked to the Center for Public Integrity, which in turn handed to story to Now. The legislation proposes a sweeping program of additional surveillance powers for authorities, increases limitations on access to information, and creates provisions for "secret arrests." The Justice Department has avoided traditional preview of draft legislation by any congressional committee members. Apparently, before the leak, only Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert had been informed of the draft.
It was suggested by Chuck Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity that the perfect opportunity for passage of the law, which is equally offensive to liberals and conservatives, would be during the possible military action in Iraq, when public attention would be low and public acceptance of extreme security measures would be high.
For More Information:
You can read the complete interview,
the Department of Justice response, and download the draft at
the Now with Bill Moyers Web page on this story:
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/lewis.html
Yahoo News reports on the publicizing
of this proposed legislation:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030207/nyf087_1.html
Legendary singer-songwriter Alix Dobkin at UF, February 12
On Wednesday, February 12, at 3pm, in the Ruth McQuown Room,
219 Dauer, Alix Dobkin will present "Adventures in Women's
Music: Social Activism, Social Change." The program is an
engaging, interactive exploration of cultural politics, US feminisms,
and historical context.
This is a free, public presentation, co-sponsored by the Center
for Women's Studies and Gender Research, the Department of English,
and the Baskin-Rawlings Fund.
Producer of the groundbreaking "Lavender Jane Loves Women" in 1973, Alix Dobkin now has seven albums and a songbook to her credit. She has been a folksinger for more than 40 years, devoting the past three decades to writing and singing about women in general and lesbians in particular. A popular campus speaker and Chicago "Windy City Times" columnist, Alix remains a lesbian-feminist icon. "Spin" magazine calls her a "womyn's music legend."
For more information:
Alix's Web page:
http://www.ladyslipper.org/vendors/ladyslipper/alix_dobkin.xtml/agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
UC Berkeley Group Debuts LGBT History Web Site
The Gay Bears! Collection in the UC Berkeley University Archives has created a Web site which presents materials related to the LGBT histiry of the University. The materials begin in 1882 with stories from the college newspaper about the visit to the campus of one Oscar Wilde. The visit was part of a one-year tour of North America.
Site materials are arranged by date, name and event.
Also well worth a look, are the links under the heading "Links to other sites of related interest." Ideas here for UF ans Rainbow Alliance?
Check out the UC Berkeley LGBT History
Web site:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/gaybears
Contributing to the Rainbow Alliance Fund
Soon, the Rainbow Alliance Fund will be a reality. Several individuals have made contributions to help establish that fund. Their generosity is much appreciated. However, the Fund will need continuing support. Please consider making a donation. It is fully tax deductible. Once the Fund is set up, it will be very easy to set up a payroll deduction. Whatever you wish to contribute, including a few dollars a pay period, will really help. Ten dollars a pay period, for example. For most of us, it isn't that much, but it adds up to over $250 dollars a year. If we all gave just that, the Fund would thrive.
We will happily accept whatever you wish to give. Contributions will be gratefully accepted from anyone; non-UF individuals who contribute $50 or more will become honorary members of the Rainbow Alliance for one year.
We have established the following contribution levels:
Under $50 – Friend of the Rainbow
Alliance
$50 to $99 – Patron of the Rainbow Alliance
$100 to $199 – Benefactor of the Rainbow Alliance
$200 and above – President's Circle
To contribute, send a personal check made out to the University of Florida Foundation to the following address:
Charles M. Brown
PO Box 110570
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida 32610
These contributions are tax deductible.
Your contribution will fund the following:
- Competitive LGBT Research/Service Awards to be given in Spring semester.
- Purchase of materials for the collection of LGBT resources currently housed in the Dean of Students office.
- Rainbow Alliance makes a contribution annually to LGBT student groups to support specific programs.
- Lay the financial foundation for the University of Florida LGBT Resource Center.
If you have any questions about the Fund or for more information > Charles Brown: cbrown@agen.ufl.edu
RA-online > coming soon!
Pride Community Center of Gainesville > http://www.pridecommunitycenter.org/
Gainesville Community Alliance (GCA) > http://www.gcaonline.org/
Pride Student Union > http://sg.ufl.edu/pride/
Gator Gay Straight Alliance > http://www.gatorgsa.org
Many more links > http://sg.ufl.edu/pride/links2.html
Membership in Rainbow Alliance is available to all staff and faculty at the University of Florida. Graduate students will be considered for membership. Health Science Center staff and faculty are also welcome to join Rainbow Alliance. Individuals not associated with the University may become honorary members of Rainbow Alliance through an annual contribution to the Rainbow Alliance Fund of $50 or more.
To become a member, send an email to Charles Brown > cbrown@agen.ufl.edu
Charles Brown, editor
Greg Allen
Joyce Dewsbury
Kim Emery
Elaine Henjum
Linda Lamme
Amanda Wolfe
Chuck Woods
Corrections, comments, copy > Charles Brown: cbrown@agen.ufl.edu
RA-news, newsletter of the Rainbow Alliance at the University of Florida, copyright 2003