FEAST steering committee and FEAST members,
Reading these articles makes me think, could/should FEAST write up a position statement explaining our recent decision to no longer hold our conference in the state of Florida, and point to Florida's anti-gay policies as a prime reason for this decision (and refer to this case). My thought is this statement could explain our principled objections and also document the financial impact to the state of Florida of our decision, and then send a copy of it as a letter to the editor to some local Florida papers, chambers of commerce, perhaps some key Florida legislators.

It's perhaps a small way to weigh in on this, but if other groups follow suit, it may have some impact.

Jean



-----Original Message-----
From: FEAST Members [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Claudia Card
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 10:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Kids and FEAST

Thank you, Bonnie, Joan, and Alison. --Claudia

Alison Jaggar wrote:

Yes, you speak for me Joan. Even though I too have loved the beach.

Thank you Bonnie.

Alison.

On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 2:36 PM, Callahan, Joan <[log in to unmask]

<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

   I'd like to thank Bonnie for bringing the Janice Langbehn/Lisa

   Pond case to the attention of FEAST-L subscribers.  Over all these

   years I, too, have enjoyed the Clearwater location without really

   giving thought to Florida politics on the matter of gay families

   and the importance of attending to such politics in deciding where

   a group such as FEAST should meet.  Bonnie has fought long and

   hard for this change, which is well justified on more than one

   ground.  I, for one, am very grateful to her for sticking with the

   struggle.

   Joan

   On 10/7/09 11:47 AM, "Bonnie Mann" <[log in to unmask]

   <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

   Hey Everyone,

   Much appreciation to Zoe for writing.  Maybe this will help her

   and the other kids feel better about the decision to move the

   location.  For those of us who live at a great distance from the

   Florida location, bringing our children is not a possibility.  I

   have four daughters, none of whom has ever been able to accompany

   me to FEAST because I could never afford the massive airfare costs

   from Oregon.  So also from a kids perspective, this is an issue of

   fairness.  The location (as does any location) makes things

   possible for families who live closer that are not possible for

   families who live further.  I must also say that kids with

   adoptive lesbian parents are disadvantaged by the Florida

   location--and I know that many lesbians have brought their

   children to Florida.  As an adoptive lesbian parent I would

   hesitate very much to bring my children to Florida.  If that seems

   odd, just a reminder (below... I pulled it off a website) about

   what happened to Janice Langehn and Lisa P!

    on!

   d's children, who happened to be in Florida for a cruise when one

   of their mothers had a fatal stroke.  I hope that the new site

   will be child friendly, but it is important to acknowledge that

   the old site was only friendly for some families and not for

   others.  So my children, over all the years I've been attending

   FEAST (since early on, except for this year), have missed out.

    They've never been able to come.

   Florida Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit of Lesbian Denied

   Information About and Visitation with Dying Partner in ER

   http://www.blogher.com/florida-federal-court-dismisses-lawsuit-lesbian-denied-information-about-and-visitation-dying-partne

   A few days ago, a U.S. District Court for Southern Florida

   dismissed Janice Langbehn's case against the Public Health Trust

   of Miami-Dade County, Jackson Memorial Hospital and 3 doctors. For

   those unfamiliar with, or don't remember Janice's story I'll give

   you quick synopses.

   In February 2007, Janice Langbehn, Lisa Pond, and their 3 children

   traveled to Florida for an R Family Cruise. But before the ship

   left port, Lisa collapsed and had to be rushed to a hospital.

   Janice and their children followed, arriving shortly after. The

   hospital refused to take information about Lisa's medical history

   from Janice, even after a copy of Power of Attorney had been faxed

   to the hospital. Janice and the children were not given any

   information about Lisa, and were denied visitation even after the

   doctor had indicated that there was no medical reason Lisa could

   not have visitors. In the mean time, other families, including

   children, were taken back to visit with patients in the trauma

   unit. The only visitation Janice was allowed in the ER, was 5

   minutes while the priest to delivered last rites. At some point

   during the ordeal, Janice was told by a social worker that she was

   in an anti-gay state and city, and she would not be acknowledged

   as family. Apparently, t!

    ha!

   t went for their adopted children too.

   When Lisa was finally moved from the ER to a non-trauma room in

   the hospital, Janice was not notified. She had to find out from

   Lisa's sister, who was told by the hospital staff when she

   arrived. It was more than hour after Lisa had been moved. Yes,

   Lisa's sister had more rights than her partner of 18 years did.

   Later, Dade County Examiner and the State of Florida both denied

   Janice a death certificate, which she needed for life insurance

   and social security benefits for the children.

   The court ruling, says the trauma unit does not have and

   obligation to allow the patient's family, health care surrogate,

   or other visitors, access to the patient. And since she was

   allowed in for the 5 minutes of last rites, that's good enough (my

   words). The ruling found that since she was briefly consulted

   twice, the Power of Attorney had not been denied or ignored. The

   ruling also stated that there was not enough evidence to show a

   fiduciary relationship. This has some bearing as to why it's

   justifiable under the law to keep loved ones apart, but I don't

   understand why. Since I am not a lawyer, and all of this legal

   speak makes eyes glaze over, this is about as much as I got out of

   reading the ruling. For a more in depth discussion of the ruling

   and it's implications, check out Leonard Links post Federal Judge

   Dismisses Tort Claims Against Florida Hospital and Staff Who

   Failed to Accord Compassionate Treatment to Life Partner of Dying

   Lesbian.

   On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 08:58:54 -0400, Sally Scholz

   <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>

   wrote:

Thanks Zoe and Anna!  For what it is worth, my two kids were

   similarly disappointed.  The Florida location was a nice place to

   bring families. We are trying to keep an open mind and hoping that

   the Illinois location will also be a nice place for kids too.

I was particularly delighted to see Zoe's letter-- I admire her

   courage and pluck in writing.

-----Original Message-----

From: Feminist ethics and social theory

   [mailto:[log in to unmask]

   <mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of FEAST-L

   automatic digest system

Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 12:04 AM

To: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Subject: FEAST-L Digest - 5 Oct 2009 to 6 Oct 2009 (#2009-147)

There is 1 message totalling 53 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

 1. change of location for next FEAST

   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:22:15 -0400

From:    Anna Stubblefield <[log in to unmask]

   <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>

Subject: Re: change of location for next FEAST

I want to thank all of the organizers for a wonderful FEAST a couple

of weeks ago! I enjoy this conference so much!

My daughter, who accompanied me to FEAST this year and in 2007 is

very, very sad that the conference will not be in Florida again next

time. I tried to explain to her the political reasons behind the

decision to try a new location, as you will see from her message

below, although she does not yet grasp the implication of harm being

done that is not directly to an individual (we'll work on that). I

confess being very torn myself between loving the Florida

   location, in

part but not totally because it is a great place to bring my

   daughter,

and agreeing with the political concerns about where our money

   is going.

Anyway, Zoë wanted to express her protest to the organization about

the change in location, and I certainly did not want to quash

   her urge

to do so, so I promised to pass on her message. Here it is:

Dear Feast,

I'd like to make a suggestion on account of the location of

   Feast. As

a ten year old girl, I'm sure you don't take me seriously. And I'm

sure you think I only want you to stay in Florida because I

   think it's

fun there. I can tell you it's fun for everyone involved in the

program and you are making a huge mistake. Florida may have homo

sexual issues and a bad environment, but they haven't done anything

wrong to the speakers or anyone involved, have they? I'm sure no one

there has given you a hassle about anything. Why move to a cold, 3

star place when you can live in peace at a 5 star hotel, with a

   beach,

and a pool, and great places to visit?? If things have gone wrong,

notify me and I'll take back the comment. Just a suggestion.

   Thank you

for listening.

                     Sincerely Yours,

                         Zoë Stubblefield

                        (Daughter of Anna

                        Stubblefield, Speaker

                             at Feast of 2009)

***********************************

Anna Stubblefield

Chair, Department of Philosophy

Rutgers University-Newark

------------------------------

End of FEAST-L Digest - 5 Oct 2009 to 6 Oct 2009 (#2009-147)

************************************************************

   ------ End of Forwarded Message

--

Alison M. Jaggar

College Professor of Distinction

University of Colorado at Boulder

Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies

Boulder, CO 80309-0232

303-492-8997 (direct line)

303-492-6132 (dept. office)

303-492-8386 (fax)