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More Than Half the World - Abortion
Host, Judy Pasternak, discusses abortion and the struggle for the legal right of women to have control over their bodies. In her reflection upon the legal battle surrounding this issue, Pasternak notes that the majority of the individuals making these decisions from a federal level down to its local implementation are male identifying. In her past experience and many other of the callers, the medical infrastructure and service providers were male which they felt impacted their care and the comportment of the medical team. -
A Woman's Place - Kate Millett Speaks About Sita
(Side A) Viv Sutherland welcomes listeners to The Velvet Sledgehammer and announces that the show's program will include "Hot Flashes," women's news from "Majority Report"; a story on "A Woman's Place" produced by Irene Yarrow; and an interview of author Kate Millett about her book Sita (1976) conducted by Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland.
The first segment is "Hot Flashes," a women's news report announced by Nancy Borman. Topics covered include: an "anti-wedding" event sponsored by Majority Report to discuss the sexist details of marriage contracts, Valerie Solanas reprinting Scum Manifesto after the original publisher went out of business and the copyright reverted to her, New York's announcement of plans for a large-scale Women's Rights rally, events for Lesbian Pride Week, and a bill to legalize abortion in Italy.
Irene Yarrow then introduces a tape about "A Woman's Place," a feminist collective in upstate New York that has existed for three years but is now in danger of closing due to lack of support. Irene recorded this tape at "A Woman's Place" and features women's songs, poetry and feelings about what the retreat has meant to them. The recording begins at 19:25 and continues onto side B. Irene announces that women interested in learning about "A Woman's Place" or contributing to save it can contact her. She attributes the music in the recording to Ruth Pelham, and the poetry to Erica Silver.
Kate Millet guest stars in the last segment, discussing her new autobiographical novel, Sita, with Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland. Kate describes the plot of Sita as "the plotline of the woman destroyed." She rebuffs "malicious" reviews that called her work either "icky" and "pukey" or "pornographic" for being queer. She considers these reviews to be motivated by bigotry. Kate recounts that a major motivation in writing Sita was to describe the loss of a lover, which she felt does not exist in any other book. She says she wanted to "write a very musical and very romantic book in praise of love: in praise, even, of its melancholy and possible futility." Kate also discusses hoping for "company" in writing "these kinds of books," but that she is alone in having to "take abuse" for them. With Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland, Kate Millett reflects on activism and efforts to dismantle the patriarchy. The interview closes with discussion of Kate's visual art. -
Lambda Legal Forum, 1982
This video depicts a panel discussion between Rosalyn Richter, the then Executive Director and attorney for Lambda Legal, and Rhonda Copelon, the then an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights and law professor at CUNY Law School moderated by David A.J. Richards, a teacher of Constitutional Law and Legal Philosophy at NYU School of Law .
The speakers discuss values and gay rights issues through the context of individual choice versus choice that brings harm. Richter and Copelon discuss and answer questions about Roe v. Wade and housing for queer youth. The video then cuts to a document entitled "Anti Gay Legislation: an Attempt to Sanction Inequality." An individual then holds up a Lambda document entitled “Court Approves Gay Adoption.” -
Liz Salen Interview
In this oral history conducted by the Rossmoor Lesbian Social Club, Liz Salen discusses her early feelings of attraction to girls, her experience having girlfriend at her Hebrew high school, remaining closeted through college and the beginning of law school and her ultimate coming out process and her family's reaction after her sister had also come out as a lesbian. She speaks about her work in her private law practice counseling non-profit activist organizations including OUT Week, ACT UP, and other queer focused organizations, becoming a mother with her partner's biological child, her own pregnancy journey and complications, and adopting a son. She discusses her daughters coming out to her as non-binary and moving to Rossmoor with her partner.
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Abortion
In this episode of Radio Free Women, three members of the National Organization for Women (NOW), discuss the state of abortion after the passage of Roe v. Wade. Mary Bailey (coordinator of the NOW Abortion Coalition), Mary Helen Bloom (member of the national area chapter of NOW), and Mary Garrison (President of the Montgomery NOW chapter) discuss threats to the landmark ruling. They also discuss how women are excluded for the conversation around abortion, as well as where states have the right to regulate and balance issues of state interests with consideration of women's health. -
Judith Schwarz and Joan Nestle Interview, November 14, 1992
The interview begins with Judith Schwarz and her recollections of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and how she knew of women who were hesitant to join Daughters of Bilitis, as they simply wanted to meet women at the bar, and feared their names appearing with labels publicly. She also discusses how women were hesitant to receive mail from Daughters of Bilitis for the same reason. She also talks about her first woman lover, and the circumstances that led to that.
Accompanied by an edited version where Judith Schwarz talks about the significance of DOB, the secrecy of membership, new member experience, social events, and harassment. Joan Nestle talks about the perception of the DOB as a threat during the McCarthy Era, the complexity of the organization, and her own perceptions of DOB. -
Modern Language Association Conference in Chicago, 1977
Modern Language Association Conference in Chicago, December 1977. Lesbian Feminist Poetry Reading featuring six poets. Side A includes Joan Larkin, Barbara Smith and Diedre McCalla. Side B includes Melanie Kaye, Adrienne Rich and Audre Lorde; Audre Lorde appears at 28:07 on SPW1151_B (Side B).