WOMEN'S STUDIES NEWSLETTER
December 2002
Volume 9, Issue 2

Anita Hill's Visit Sparks
New Conversation at Concordia

Openly lesbian and ordained minister Anita Hill visited Concordia’s campus on December 2, sharing her story and wisdom with students and faculty at a series of events.  Her visit was co-sponsored by Women’s Studies, Campus Ministry, the Dovre Center and the Straight and Gay Alliance of Concordia.

As a pastor at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, Hill’s 2001 ordination caused quite a stir in the ELCA.  The church's Definition and Guidelines for Discipline of Ordained Ministers states that "practicing homosexual persons are precluded from the ordained ministry of this church." The church's Vision and Expectations states that "ordained and commissioned ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships.

As an open lesbian in a committed relationship, Hill’s ordination was not recognized by the ELCA, and to this day her name does not appear on the official roster of ELCA pastors.  Additionally, in response to her ordination, St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church was officially censured for their failure to comply with church policy.

This past summer, Hill led a coalition of groups in an effort to amend church policy to allow homosexual clergy in committed relationships.  The motion was made at the Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, but failed in a close vote.  Instead of accepting the amendment, the ELCA opted to pursue a study of homosexuality within the church.

Hill’s personal journey to ordination, along with the happenings at the Churchwide Assembly, were documented in a film entitled “This Obedience.”  The film was shown to an audience of students, faculty and community members during Hill’s Concordia visit.
Hill commented after the film, “Perhaps the church needs to be moving towards unity instead of uniformity.”

Rev. Hill’s visit to Concordia opened up a controversial but important topic of conversation on campus.  As a college of the ELCA, it is especially vital that Concordia continue this discussion.  Hill communicated throughout the day that the Gospel’s story is one that is meant for all—regardless of sexual orientation.

With this stance, the issue is one larger than ordination or even the role of homosexuality in the church.  The issue is one of inclusiveness.  It is about how we choose to welcome and treat those
whom we encounter.  It is about justice
for a diverse population of people, and it is about embracing a sense of equality in our everyday lives.

During Hill’s ordination service in 2001, her co-pastor Rev. Paul Tidemann made a bold and exciting prediction.

“We will see the day when the rule will fall and the flock of sexual minority people will become pastors and leaders in this church,” stated Tidemann.  “Mark my word.  It will happen—before I die!  Let us go forth as resurrection people to be continually disobedient until the last scales have fallen.  AMEN!”

What happens when you fill a room full of thoughtful, intelligent, motivated and informed women?  Introductions begin.  Discussion ensues.  You become inspired.

This is exactly what happened at the second annual Women in Action Conference held at MSUM on November 9. The Women in Action Conference was co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Departments of NDSU, MSUM and Concordia.  Financial support was generously provided by the American Association of University Women, the YMCA and the League of Women Voters.

The topics of the two panel sessions were “Politics and Advocacy at the Community Level” and “Women Graduates Facing the Job Market in the 21st Century.”
The guest speakers for the conference were a group of empowered women from the community that included AAUW Vice President Dr. Yvonne Connell of MSUM; Sherbanoo Aziz, former employee at the World Bank and U.S. Department of Agriculture; Activist and MSUM Prof. Amy Phillips; and Laurie Baker, Senior Project Manager at U.S. Bank and women’s history playwright.

These down-to-earth women, along with the other speakers, conducted very spirited discussions while sharing their wisdom and advice with the conference participants.  This advice ranged from advice about advocacy--such as how it is important to provide opportunities for self and community development wherever one may be--to advice about the workplace such as how to detach one’s self from office politics.

We were instructed that as advocates we must learn to support all things that improve community, challenge the media in how it scandalizes women, expand our comfort zones and develop a “bulldog tenacity.”

One of the most important messages that I heard was shared by Laurie Baker who said that those who can do something in this world to cause positive change have the responsibility to do so.  This is a message that rings true in all areas of life, not only women’s issues.

The conference as a whole was very eye opening and thought provoking.  I left with new expectations of my future or lack thereof.  My expectations and proposed plans were washed away with the flood of inspiring words and replaced by a clean slate of eagerness to see what my life journey will bring in hope that it will be as amazing as the lives that these women have led.

What do the United States and Afghanistan have in common?  Both countries have failed to support the rights of women around the world by failing to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and has since been ratified by over ninety percent of the UN Member States.  Currently, the United States remains the only Western nation to not ratify the treaty.

The document defines discrimination against women as “…any discrimination, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”

States that ratify CEDAW agree to a minimum series of measures to end discrimination against women, including the incorporation of the principle of equality of men and women into their legal system.  States must also submit periodic national reports on their actions to comply with the treaty’s obligations.

CEDAW is the first and only human rights treaty to affirm the reproductive rights of women and identify the influences of culture and tradition as forces in creating gender roles.

On July 30, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-7 to approve CEDAW and send the treaty to the Senate for a vote on ratification.  Although CEDAW has received wide support from the international community, without the full support of the United States, the treaty can be easily discounted by oppressive governments.

Here’s what you can do to help:
1. For more information on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, visit Amnesty International at www.amnestyusa.org/cedaw/, or the UN Division for the Advancement of Women at www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/.
2. Contact your United States Senator today and urge her or him to support the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.
 

For one to understand the purpose of V-Day,
The meaning of the V must first be relayed.
The V stands for violence, it stands for pain,
But no longer must this symbol remain
A reminder of all the sufferings of past
For now a new meaning has come at last.

This is an exciting time, don’t you all see?
Time to reclaim and discover the strength of a V,
The strength of women, of having the choice
To speak against violence in a united Voice.
It is a time for all members of society,
To see the true beauty surrounding the V.
The V is for Vagina, for woman, for all.
The V is for standing straight and tall
For standing and saying we will not give up,
We promise to not rest until we disrupt
the glass ceiling, the secrets the sexual ads
the starvation caused by society’s hands,
the image of what the ideal woman should be,
expectations lacking in Validity.

V-Day is a day for all to rejoice and proclaim
That the beauty of women is that none are the same.
There exists certain strengths and weaknesses in each
Yet in banding together is how we will reach
A day when the only meaning of V
will be the Vivacious, Voluptuous, Veracity
Found in the sacred spirit and soul
of a Woman,
a Vagina,
a Voice,
the Whole.

By Kate Sorensen

Representative Nancy Pelosi shattered the glass ceiling for women in the House of Representatives this November as she was elected to serve as the first female Minority Leader in United States history.  Pelosi’s new position puts her at the number one position for House Democrats.

Women currently hold only 13.8% of the seats in the House of Representatives and 13% in the Senate.  With her recent election, Pelosi will not only be the first female Minority Leader, but the first female to lead a major political party in Congress ever.

As one of the strongest supporters of women’s rights in Congress, Pelosi brings a new perspective to the job and a fresh face to the Democratic party.

In a NOW press release, NOW President Kim Gandy stated, “[Pelosi] is opening doors that will someday lead a woman to the White House.”

According to a 1999 Roper Starch Worldwide Survey, 61% of Americans do expect to see a woman president in their lifetime.  With Pelosi’s victory, Americans are closer to that goal than ever.

Congratulations to Representative Pelosi on making history for women everywhere!