i
The Book Corner
Organizing for Change
Stepping Out of Line; A Workbook on
Lesbianism and Feminism by Nym Hughes,
Yvonne Johnson and Yvette Perreault.
Press Gang Publishers, 1984, $12.95
This book is just what it*s subtitle
suggests: a guidebook for organizing and
facilitating lesbian/feminist workshops.
It also contains valuable information
relevant to all women in that it deals
with the situations and problems any
independent, assertive, articulate woman
encounters in day”tO”day life. Therefore,
Stepping Out of Line performs a dual
function. It offers both practical
instruction regarding the organization of
workshops, and it provides straightforward
advice to both lesbian and non-lesbian
readers on how to do personal and politi
cal problem-solving and where to find
additional sources.
The book is written by three women who
are, as the back cover states, "friends,
as well as co-authors" who "share inter
ests in feminism, story telling, gardens,
animals, and how lesbians survive." Their
dedication and clarity as well as their
friendship is apparent throughout the
book. All three women are long-time
lesbian activists in British Columbia and
have developed and presented workshops on
lesbianism and feminism to over 40 women’s
groups.
Stepping Out of Line is divided into
two main parts. The first and briefer of
the two deals with the feminist/lesbian
workshop itself, with an actual workshop
script to go by and the basic notes of
advice to the facilitators of the work
shop.
The second and more expansive part of
the book concerns stories from the women
in the workshops themselves. There are
self-admitted limitations to this group of
stories, as all were collected from young,
white, urban lesbians and feminists living
in the B.C. area who are connected to a
strong feminist or lesbian community. But
the introduction to Part II makes this
quite clear.
The subtitle for Part II is "Organizing
for Change," and its overall emphasis is
to "encourage women to see their individ
ual situations in political terms and tow
ork with other women to find solutions
This is done mainly through thepersonal
stories presented throughout the rest of
the book. These stories are grouped into
the categories which range from how to
tell families and friends of your lesbian
ism to dealing with patriarchal l-^ws,
medical and legal system, and the media to
a listing of lesbian and feminist
resources in Canada, the U.S., and inter
nationally.
Stepping Out of Line is a clear-cut
and caring combination of factual and
13
A Workshop Primer
emotional stimulation. It combines these
two in a way that is 'symbolic of the woman
all women should, must, strive to be
one who is strong yet compassionate.
Hughes, Johnson, and Perreault succeed in
their attempt to present such a book as
they surely must in their own lives.
-Kim Turnage
A Way to Educate Uncle Sam
A group of concerned federal employees
have formed an organization that seeks to
end discrimination within the bureaucratic
structure based on sexual orientation.
Federal Lesbians and Gays (FLAG) says
their purpose is to assure equal access to
job opportunities, assist government
employees, and applicants who have
suffered such discrimination because of
their sexual preference, and to educate
the public and policymakers about the
concerns of homosexuals.
For more information, write:
FLAG
584 Castro Street
San Francsico, CA 94114-2588
or
496 La Guardia Place
P.O. Box 217
New York, NY 10012
(212-264-7241)
PYEWACKET
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