newsletter spring 2002

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News on undergraduate internships: Megan Fickling, Kristal Burtrum, Becky Petit and Jennifer Lee

Megan Fickling, Feminist Majority Foundation
At my internship at the Feminist Majority I have assisted in making calls for the National Center for Women and Policing (part of the Feminist Majority) to recruit high-ranking policewomen to attend the annual conference to be held in Washington, D.C. this year. I have also gone to San Bernardino to do some research for a lawsuit the foundation has out against a former San Bernardino man accused of conspiring to bomb & block access to abortion clinics nationwide. I have also gone to the Los Angeles city hall to retrieve some documents on the LAPD domestic violence unit. Moreover, I have worked to compile a list of Gender Studies/ Women’s Studies programs at U.S. universities that will eventually make its way on the Feminist Majority website. The entire office is very friendly and supportive.

Kristal Burtrum, Los Angeles Gender Center
For my SWMS 311 internship, I am volunteering at the Los Angeles Gender
Center. The LAGC is comprised of four therapists who provide counseling services to the transgender community in LA. So far, I spent the first part of my internship compiling a list of resources for their clients. This list includes support groups, transgender-friendly doctors, Internet websites that provide practical information for transgendered people, and many other topics. I have also attended some of the monthly gatherings that the LAGC organizes for their clients. These events, in particular, have given me tremendous insight into the lives of the Gender Center's clients. It is saddening to realize that many transgendered people are left without a family-support network after they transition. It is also oftentimes difficult for them to obtain employment or even appropriate medical care. I am working to help transgendered people gain access to things that most people take for granted.

Becky Petit, GLBTA
I am serving as the Executive Director of the Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered Assembly at USC. The GLBTA is a programming assembly that seeks to educate the student body about issues facing gay, lesbian, bi, and transgendered students. It also attempts to make the campus safer and more welcoming to GLBT students by creating a community of support. The position has been challenging and rewarding. It is an amazing opportunity to be a leader, as well as a good chance to collaborate with other students. I am beginning to understand what working at a non-profit organization might be like, since I am in charge of managing a budget and seeking funding for events. I have attempted to make the organization live up to its purpose to educate the student body about discrimination and oppression. I am very excited about our upcoming Week of Activism in April, which will include singers, spoken word artists, movie screenings, and workshops and results from collaboration with student groups such as the Women's Student Assembly and Human Rights Watch.

Jennifer Lee, CARAL
The California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (CARAL) strives to ensure that all women have equal access to reproductive health services, through educational programs and legislative work. I have spent the past few months witnessing firsthand the strategies and efforts of grassroots organizing. CARAL held an educational training session on crisis pregnancy centers for members and provided the activists with the information needed to fight anti-choice clinics. CARAL also tabled at the California Democratic Convention to get the pro-choice message out to politicians and voters. It was exciting to meet pro-choice politicians such as Governor Gray Davis and Senator Barbara Boxer. I regularly assist the CARAL staff with research tasks, attend meetings, strategize and plan events, and help the general public receive access to abortions and other reproductive health services. Although my time spent interning at CARAL has been short, I feel that I have experienced and learned a great deal, more than I could ever have learned in a classroom.