A Lesbian Feminist First

The Artemis Singers, the first Lesbian Feminist chorus in the USA is from Chicago, Illinois and celebrating 35 years of pozitive change in cultural assumptions regarding women and women artists while increasing Lesbian feminism.

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) who is also a feminist went to Artemis Singers's Women in Music a Celebration concert 2014. Afterward, Oboza was unprepared, yet, grateful to interview some Chorus members asking why Artemis Singers?

Mary (Soprano 2) "I went from audience to joining. I love this Lesbian Feminist group of women who like to make music together. ...We may not be all lesbians, but we are all feminists."

Allison (Soprano 2) "Amazing community" with musical and social... "So, that if you are strong musically and socially, it makes you a better musician."

Rennie (Alto 1) "I was a teacher and went to Artemis Singers concerts... It was empowering to sing the songs and meet the singers. I was persuaded to join Artemis Singers, a community and a sence of support. It made a huge impact on my life as a result."

Marianne (Alto 1) "I continue singing with Artemis Singers, because I learned about the beautiful music... I got hooked. Again." After all, "there is a connection to women's music that extends over decades that I was not exposed to."

Loraine (Soprano 2) Even though, "I have been a Soprano 2 all of my life." I am a Chorus member for over 25 years "because it is wonderful to grow as a musician in a group that always changes." (Loraine smiled while she shared how wonderful being in Artemis Singers is for her.)

Diana (Alto 2) "I joined Artemis Singers, because I love singing in choruses. And it is Lesbian Feminist..." And the music that we perform "is not heard in many different places."

Copia (Alto 1) "I am a radical feminist... I wanted to sing with other radical feminists and was looking for a Feminist community. I found Artemis Singers... I first joined as a token Straight woman... Four years later, I came out Lesbian feminist."

Mickey (Soprano 1)  "In the early 1970's, I was 17-18 years old going to bars. That was the only place to go to find people like myself, a lesbian. I remember being in a bar called The Midget Inn and hearing someone yell "Raid!" The police were coming in to raid and arrest us for being gay and lesbian. "I was so scared that I hid under a pool table..." In the early years of Artemis Singers, "I suggested fundraising to help the chorus." Then later on, "I joined as a Chorus member in 1998, because I like to sing in a Women's group.... This is a gift to belong to a chorus of all women who understand me as a woman and lesbian." I remember being with Artemis Singers on a flat bed truck in the 1999 Chicago Gay Pride parade. We had an Artemis statue and a sign that read, "2,000 lesbians in Chicago and only 16 sing." Mickey smiled, "I am amazingly happy to belong to Artemis Singers... It is ours! We created it!"

First Gay Awards 2014

In 2014, the Hollywood Film Awards (HFA) were televised for the first time...

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) watched the award show praying, hoping, wishing the the movie about Alan Turing, The Imitation Game may win one award. After all, Alan Turing was the father of Computer Science and broke the Enigma code during World War II.

"I was in a grateful place when the movie won three major category award," Oboza smiles, "Because I am grateful for any minority equal visibility... And to find out Alan Turing was gay and died very young... I am left beside myself and speechless."

For more information on Alan, please visit www.legacy project chicago.org/Alan_Turing.html

Gay Veterans Matter

On Veteran's day 2014, StonewallAGAIN's founder, Mike Lackovich and StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) spent the day together at a ceremony.

During day, the crowd stood for the Color guard while they presented arms presenting the American flag. After the American National anthem, the crowd sat and Veteran speakers shared their wisdom.

At the end, an Anglo Saxon straight male veteran mentioned that all veterans are forgotten when they take their uniforms off. And then, the same veteran happen to have created The Peace Garden, a Veteran's memorial mentioned the mistreatment of Veteran minorities such as African americas, Latinos and Gay brothers and sisters.

The person next to Lackovich, Lackovich and Oboza got emotional. They were moved by the visible equality of the minorities mentioned. Also, Oboza was rarely so moved that he asked to hug Lackovich. He said yes... "Thank you for what you do," Oboza shared with Lackovich, "You are stronger than I am."

Veronika with a K

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) knows the one and only Veronika Boundless, Trans Lesbian activist. For years, she always reminded him... "I am Veronika with a K...." Oboza was honored to interview her for StonewallAGAIN.

"It would have been around 1989. I was about 10 years old," Boundless remembers, "I told my mother, a evangelical christian, that I was a girl. She didn't respond well. For years, I repressed all memory of the events that followed as well as my gender identity."

"In my early 20's, I had the Internet which made a lot of information about trans people readily available. But I was uncertain," Boundless shares, "Because most of the trans people I read about were apparently straight and femme. It was not until 2004-not long after I had become a queer rights activist and having face-to-face interactions with trans people for a first time-that I started identifying as trans."

"I didn't really figure out my sexual orientation until 2009," Boundless reflects, "I was reading the incomparable Emi Koyama's "Whose Feminism is it Anyway" ...Something clicked and I said to myself, "I am a woman. And I must be a dyke too." 

The following is a brief summary of something Boundless experienced during her many years as a Queer rights activist that may help empower someone else to never give up or give in to anyone else's judgement of you. After all, according to Boundless, "we will be facing an uphill battle" and she "does not imagine that anything will change if we do not talk about it." 

"In 2009, I started organizing with The Chicago Dyke March Collective (CDMC) when a cis woman violated my privacy..." Regarding "as long as I do not expect equal time with cis women. As long as I do not make too much noise if a cis woman violates my boundaries. As long as I do not take up too much space."

"To this day, I cannot enter queer and trans activist spaces in Chicago without being wary," Boundless explains, "Our community is very inclusive- inclusive of people who violate trans women's boundaries. But it has a long way to go before it can offer trans women spaces where we feel safe."