We sat down with owner Avis Scaramucci to hear about the roots of the business, keys to long-term success, her involvement with various organizations all over OKC, and a little about what’s coming as Old Spaghetti Factory prepares to open their doors in the former Nonna’s space. For more information check out The Q Space on Facebook.Editor's note: In September, Chamber member The Painted Door will celebrate its 30th birthday. The Teen Support Group (ages 13-17) meets on Thursdays from 5:00 - 9:00 PM (meeting starts at 6:00 PM). The Young Adult Support Group (ages 18-25) meets on Wednesdays from 6:00 - 10:00 PM (meeting starts at 7:00 PM). Through its weekly meetings, The Q Space is dedicated to creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults to socialize and build community in a non-bar setting. Headed by Kris Williams, who calls herself “a youth pastor minus Jesus,” The Q Space is an organization devoted to supporting the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults to be their true authentic selves. Herland has also recently begun a partnership with local, youth-focused community group “The Q Space” by providing resources and a venue for the organization. Under the leadership of Ginger McGovern, Herland has become a place for women to meet and have fellowship with other women through its various workshops and occasional women’s retreats. Today, things at Herland are still evolving. Herland’s assistance earned it the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma Human Rights Award in 1997. Fox lost custody of her children but regained custody on appeal. Herland helped raise the legal funds for Donna Jeane Fox, a mother who was initially declared unfit only because she was a lesbian. In 1996, Herland Sister Resources was involved in the Oklahoma Supreme Court case Fox v. (A protest that led the human rights commission in Oklahoma to disband rather than grant protections for the LGBTQ community.) Herland participated in the March for Women’s Lives in 1992 and the March for Gay Rights in 1993. In addition to housing this extensive library, the center hosts educational and social programs for those interested to address issues of concern for the BGLTQ+ community and sponsors student organizations that serve BGLTQ+ students and their allies and provide leadership opportunities for members of the BGLTQ+ community. A partnership that has resulted in a documentary about Herland, which is currently making its rounds in queer film festivals around the country. Herland has since partnered with The University of Central Oklahoma to donate its extensive library, more than 4,000 books over time, to UCO’s BLGTQ+ Center along with a collection of all past Herland newsletters, which have been scanned, archived, and uploaded online. Along with the lending library, the new organization began producing concerts, a newsletter with over 1000 subscribers, and became an activist organization for women. Instead of selling books, the growing collection became a lending library. In 1984, the focus shifted and the nonprofit, Herland Sister Resources, was born. For those unaware, women’s music was in fact a bonafide genre described as “music by women, for women, and about women.” Originally dubbed La Salle de Femmes, Herland began by selling literature for the local lesbian community and music soon after, focusing on the “women’s music” genre. There were no LGBTQ sections in Barnes and Noble-no Amazon, two-day shipping for books-so, Herland found its niche. What once started as a for-profit bookstore that specialized in lesbian literature, Herland has molded and evolved through the years.īack in the 80s, queer literature was hard to come by. Founded some 30 years ago, Herland has been a staple of the 39th Street District longer than most.

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