This story, The Hensons and Camp Sister Spirit, came through my news feed today. I read the article and watched the entire video.
It is important to me for several reasons; One, this is a story from my home state, and not far from me at all. Two, I remember it, and Three, it is great to actually know about it after all these years.
When I say I knew about it, I mean in a child way. I was eleven and twelve when they first started building their camp and apparently were all in the news. The only thing I ever heard, however, were other children laughing, "Lesbians in Ovett! Hey Derek you live in Ovett, are you going to that camp?" And parents and children alike simply saying the name 'Camp Sister Spirit'. Nobody was really talking about it beyond that, at least not in front of their children. I couldn't see the big deal about it except why would anyone purposefully move to po-dunk-ville, Mississippi? I knew that lesbians were women who fell in love with each other, big deal, so they didn't choose a man, why is that a problem? No one could answer that at the time. But Ovett seemed scary to me. I also didn't really care about the news, so never sought it out at the time, not that it was really there to be read. Most parents and adults tried to hush that news up. Apparently because lesbians. What they could have steered me from was forcing me to watch the Gulf War or the O.J. Simpson trial in the classroom. I didn't care. This story, now that I've read about it is a lot more interesting that either of those.
So, at the time I never knew that they wanted a place for themselves, in nature; to educate, empower, and lift up other women; to help. I also never knew that people were threatening them. I never really thought about it, it never crossed my mind because what a waste of time. Now that I'm older and remember just how things were in the early nineties, it doesn't really surprise me, though it is sad.
Besides, harassing people. Not because they are women, not because they are lesbians, but people is beyond ridiculous to me. Who has time for that kind of thing? Who really thinks that's the greatest idea ever? Apparently the Family coalition of Baptist ministers thinks it's OK. Fellow Baptists think it's OK. Or did, rather. I can't say they still do, because that's not the story here, to be fair. What is inexcusable though, to me, is to murder animals and hang them on the gate.
Not that I condone the actions at all, but it is one thing to say, "Lesbians they terrify us, so they're doing something to us, we must intimidate them into leaving." and it is a completely different thing to say, "This animal here that has done absolutely nothing to us, let's murder it because yeah!"
At least the first comes from a reason, albeit a completely illogical reason that one has justified in their mind as being a good idea. The second, however, I can see no way of justifying the senseless murder of an animal, for what? Intimidation? That's just plain sadistic. That is just cruelty for the sake of cruelty and one can justify it all day long, but even they know, deep down, there was no good reason to do that.
It's not meant to make the women's plight any less, I do think what they went through and had to endure was terrible. I like humans. I don't want bad things to happen to humans. But humans can reason and humans have opposable thumbs. I do not think that animals are less than humans or vice versa, I just like animals better, personally, and part of me feels that they don't have the same fighting chance as humans and thus need someone to care more.
But that aside, it is ridiculous that Ovett (and I know not all of Ovett) took so long to say, "Oh, hey, they're alright in our book." and with such violent means at the beginning. I enjoyed reading the article and all that these women did for other women and people; the lives they touched. But am also sad to know that Camp Sister Spirit is over. I might never have gone to it, because I'm not much into festivals, I am not a lesbian, nor a women in an abusive relationship, nor am I apart of that community. But I might have gone there for one reason another, like this article was followed with "And they're still going strong and here's a list of day or weekend workshops", etc. I think I might have liked to, even just for a day. But you can't go anymore.
As, I pre-teen I couldn't understand why someone, anyone, would voluntarily move to the sticks. But, I understand now and commend them for sticking it out and seeing it through, because they were right. This was where it was needed. That was the time when it was needed. Here is the most logical place. I commend them and am a bit sad I never knew them.
Also, if anyone does watch the entirety of the video and you are all interested, the town that's nearest to Ovett is Richton, as in Rich ton, not RiCK ton. Richton is 15 minutes south (or 12 miles), we do things in time here, instead of distance. I am 33 minutes from Ovett, though I don't think I've ever been because it really is in the middle of nowhere, perhaps I passed through it a time or two because of my dad's delivery route which would hit Waynesboro and Richton. Also in case you are curious, I've connected those places because they are easily accessible to the other, and also because I've been to all of them numerous times; one being my home town.
It is important to me for several reasons; One, this is a story from my home state, and not far from me at all. Two, I remember it, and Three, it is great to actually know about it after all these years.
When I say I knew about it, I mean in a child way. I was eleven and twelve when they first started building their camp and apparently were all in the news. The only thing I ever heard, however, were other children laughing, "Lesbians in Ovett! Hey Derek you live in Ovett, are you going to that camp?" And parents and children alike simply saying the name 'Camp Sister Spirit'. Nobody was really talking about it beyond that, at least not in front of their children. I couldn't see the big deal about it except why would anyone purposefully move to po-dunk-ville, Mississippi? I knew that lesbians were women who fell in love with each other, big deal, so they didn't choose a man, why is that a problem? No one could answer that at the time. But Ovett seemed scary to me. I also didn't really care about the news, so never sought it out at the time, not that it was really there to be read. Most parents and adults tried to hush that news up. Apparently because lesbians. What they could have steered me from was forcing me to watch the Gulf War or the O.J. Simpson trial in the classroom. I didn't care. This story, now that I've read about it is a lot more interesting that either of those.
So, at the time I never knew that they wanted a place for themselves, in nature; to educate, empower, and lift up other women; to help. I also never knew that people were threatening them. I never really thought about it, it never crossed my mind because what a waste of time. Now that I'm older and remember just how things were in the early nineties, it doesn't really surprise me, though it is sad.
Besides, harassing people. Not because they are women, not because they are lesbians, but people is beyond ridiculous to me. Who has time for that kind of thing? Who really thinks that's the greatest idea ever? Apparently the Family coalition of Baptist ministers thinks it's OK. Fellow Baptists think it's OK. Or did, rather. I can't say they still do, because that's not the story here, to be fair. What is inexcusable though, to me, is to murder animals and hang them on the gate.
Not that I condone the actions at all, but it is one thing to say, "Lesbians they terrify us, so they're doing something to us, we must intimidate them into leaving." and it is a completely different thing to say, "This animal here that has done absolutely nothing to us, let's murder it because yeah!"
At least the first comes from a reason, albeit a completely illogical reason that one has justified in their mind as being a good idea. The second, however, I can see no way of justifying the senseless murder of an animal, for what? Intimidation? That's just plain sadistic. That is just cruelty for the sake of cruelty and one can justify it all day long, but even they know, deep down, there was no good reason to do that.
It's not meant to make the women's plight any less, I do think what they went through and had to endure was terrible. I like humans. I don't want bad things to happen to humans. But humans can reason and humans have opposable thumbs. I do not think that animals are less than humans or vice versa, I just like animals better, personally, and part of me feels that they don't have the same fighting chance as humans and thus need someone to care more.
But that aside, it is ridiculous that Ovett (and I know not all of Ovett) took so long to say, "Oh, hey, they're alright in our book." and with such violent means at the beginning. I enjoyed reading the article and all that these women did for other women and people; the lives they touched. But am also sad to know that Camp Sister Spirit is over. I might never have gone to it, because I'm not much into festivals, I am not a lesbian, nor a women in an abusive relationship, nor am I apart of that community. But I might have gone there for one reason another, like this article was followed with "And they're still going strong and here's a list of day or weekend workshops", etc. I think I might have liked to, even just for a day. But you can't go anymore.
As, I pre-teen I couldn't understand why someone, anyone, would voluntarily move to the sticks. But, I understand now and commend them for sticking it out and seeing it through, because they were right. This was where it was needed. That was the time when it was needed. Here is the most logical place. I commend them and am a bit sad I never knew them.
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| My lovely little drawing of the middle of nowhere |
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