User:Pat Palmer/sandbox/test2: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:13, 31 August 2024

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C.^[1] It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members.^[2] NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system.^[3] NOW campaigns for constitutional equality,^[4] economic justice,^[5] reproductive rights,^[6] LGBTQIA+ rights^[7] and racial justice,^[8] and against violence against women.^[9]

History

Background

Many influences contributed to the rise of NOW. Such influences included the President's Commission on the Status of Women, Betty Friedan's 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, and the passage and lack of enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting sexual discrimination). The President's Commission on the Status of Women was established in 1961 by John F. Kennedy, in hopes of providing a solution to female discrimination in education, work force, and Social Security. Kennedy appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as the head of the organization. The goal was to reconcile those wanting to advance women's rights in the workforce (such as advocates of the Equal Rights Amendment) and those advocating women's domestic role needing to be preserved (such as organized labor groups). The commission was a way to settle the tension between opposing sides.

Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique in response to her own experiences. She was a feminist long before her book, by educating herself and deviating from the domestic female paradigm. The book's purpose was to fuel movement to a women's role outside of domestic environment. Acknowledging some satisfaction from raising children, cooking, and rearranging house decor was not enough to suffice the deeper desire for women to achieve an education.^[10] The book is widely credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States.^[11] It was published on February 19, 1963, by W. W. Norton. In an interview, Friedan specifically notes,^[10]

There was no activism in that cause when I wrote Feminine Mystique. But I realized that it was not enough just to write a book. There had to be social change. And I remember somewhere in that period coming off an airplane [and] some guy was carrying a sign... It said, "The first step in revolution is consciousness." Well, I did the consciousness with The Feminine Mystique. But then there had to be organization and there had to be a movement. And I helped organize NOW, the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus and NARAL, the abortion rights [organization] in the next few years.

Founding

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 by 28 women at the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women in June (the successor to the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women), and another 21 women and men who became founders at the October 1966 NOW Organizing Conference, for a total of 49 founders.^[12] Both conferences were held in Washington, D.C.^[12] The 28 women who became founders in June were: Ada Allness, Mary Evelyn Benbow, Gene Boyer, Shirley Chisholm, Analoyce Clapp, Kathryn F. Clarenbach, Catherine Conroy, Caroline Davis, Mary Eastwood, Edith Finlayson, Betty Friedan, Dorothy Haener, Anna Roosevelt Halstead, Lorene Harrington, Aileen Hernandez, Mary Lou Hill, Esther Johnson, Nancy Knaak, Min Matheson, Helen Moreland, Pauli Murray, Ruth Murray, Inka O'Hanrahan, Pauline A. Parish, Eve Purvis, Edna Schwartz, Mary-Jane Ryan Snyder, Gretchen Squires, Betty Talkington and Caroline Ware.^[12]

They were inspired by the failure of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; at the Third National Conference of State Commissions on the Status of Women they were prohibited from issuing a resolution that recommended the EEOC carry out its legal mandate to end sex discrimination in employment.^[13]^[14] They thus gathered in Betty Friedan's hotel room to form a new organization.^[14] On a paper napkin Friedan scribbled the acronym "NOW".^[14] The 21 people who became founders in October were: Caruthers Berger, Colleen Boland, Inez Casiano, Carl Degler, Elizabeth Drews, Mary Esther Gaulden (later Jagger), Muriel Fox, Ruth Gober, Richard Graham, Anna Arnold Hedgeman, Lucille Kapplinger (later Hazell), Bessie Margolin, Margorie Palmer, Sonia Pressman (later Fuentes), Sister Mary Joel Read, Amy Robinson, Charlotte Roe, Alice Rossi, Claire R. Salmond, Morag Simchak and Clara Wells.^[12]

The founders were frustrated with the way in which the federal government was not enforcing the new anti-discrimination laws. Even after measures like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers were still discriminating against women in terms of hiring women and unequal pay with men.^[15] Women's rights advocates saw that these legal changes were not being enforced and worried that without a feminist pressure group, a type of "NAACP for women",^[16] women would not be able to combat discrimination. NOW was created in order to mobilize women, give women's rights advocates the power to put pressure on employers and the government, and to promote full equality of the sexes. It hoped to increase the number of women attending colleges and graduate schools, employed in professional jobs instead of domestic or secretarial work, and appointed to federal offices.^[17] NOW's Statement of Purpose,^[18] which was adopted at its organizing conference in Washington, D.C., on October 29, 1966, declares among other things that "the time has come to confront, with concrete action, the conditions that now prevent women from enjoying the equality of opportunity and freedom of choice which is their right, as individual Americans, and as human beings."^[19] NOW was also one of the first women's organizations to include the concerns of black women in their efforts.^[17]

NOW founder and president Betty Friedan (1921–2006) with lobbyist Barbara Ireton (1932–1998) and feminist attorney Marguerite Rawalt (1895–1989)

Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray wrote NOW's Statement of Purpose^[18] in 1966; the original was scribbled on a napkin by Friedan.^[20] Also in 1966, Marguerite Rawalt became a member of NOW, and acted as their first legal counsel.^[21] NOW's first Legal Committee consisted of Catherine East, Mary Eastwood, Phineas Indritz, and Caruthers Berger; it was the first to sue on behalf of airline flight attendants claiming sex discrimination.^[22]

In 1968 NOW issued a Bill of Rights,^[23] which they had adopted at their 1967 national conference, advocating the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, enforcement of the prohibitions against sex discrimination in employment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, maternity leave rights in employment and in Social Security benefits, tax deduction for home and child care expenses for working parents, child day care centers, equal and non-gender-segregated education, equal job training opportunities and allowances for women in poverty, and the right of women to control their reproductive lives.^[24] The NOW bill of rights was included in the 1970 anthology Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women's Liberation Movement, edited by Robin Morgan.^[25]

Lesbian rights

In 1969, Ivy Bottini, who was openly lesbian, designed the logo for NOW, which is still in use today.^[26] The first time lesbian concerns were introduced into NOW also occurred in 1969, when Bottini, who was then president of the New York chapter of NOW, held a public forum titled "Is Lesbianism a Feminist Issue?".^[27] However, NOW president Betty Friedan was against lesbian participation in the movement. In 1969, she referred to growing lesbian visibility as a "lavender menace" and fired openly lesbian newsletter editor Rita Mae Brown, and in 1970 she engineered the expulsion of lesbians, including Bottini, from NOW's New York chapter.^[28]^[29] In reaction, at the 1970 Congress to Unite Women, on the first evening when all four hundred feminists were assembled in the auditorium, twenty women wearing T-shirts that read "Lavender Menace" came to the front of the room and faced the audience.^[30] One of the women then read their group's paper "The Woman-Identified Woman", which was the first major lesbian feminist statement.^[30]^[31] The group, who later named themselves "Radicalesbians", were among the first to challenge the heterosexism of heterosexual feminists and to describe lesbian experience in positive terms.^[32]

In 1971, NOW passed a resolution declaring "that a woman's right to her own person includes the right to define and express her own sexuality and to choose her own lifestyle", as well as a conference resolution stating that forcing lesbian mothers to stay in marriages or to live a secret existence in an effort to keep their children was unjust.^[33] That year, NOW also committed to offering legal and moral support in a test case involving child custody rights of lesbian mothers.^[33] In 1973, the NOW Task Force on Sexuality and Lesbianism was established.^[33] Del Martin was the first open lesbian elected to NOW, and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first lesbian couple to join NOW.

Activism

Anti-discrimination

NOW also helped women get equal access to public places. For example, the Oak Room held men-only lunches on weekdays until 1969, when Friedan and other members of NOW staged a protest.^[34] As well, women were not allowed in McSorley's Old Ale House's until August 10, 1970, after NOW attorneys Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCrow filed a discrimination case against the bar in District Court and won.^[35] The two entered McSorley's in 1969 and were refused service, which was the basis for their lawsuit for discrimination. The case decision made the front page of The New York Times on June 26, 1970.^[36] The suit, Seidenberg v. McSorleys' Old Ale House (1970, United States District Court, S. D. New York), established that, as a public place, the bar could not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.^[37] The bar was then forced to admit women, but it did so "kicking and screaming".^[38] With the ruling allowing women to be served, the bathroom became unisex. But it was not until sixteen years later that a ladies room was installed.^[39]

Carole De Saram, who joined NOW in 1970 and was later president of the New York chapter, led a demonstration in 1972 to protest discriminatory banking policies. She encouraged women to withdraw savings from a Citibank branch in protest of their practices, causing a branch to close.^[40] NOW led numerous similar protests, and in 1974, their actions led directly to the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.^[41]^[42]

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Advocacy of the Equal Rights Amendment was also an important issue to NOW. The amendment had three primary objectives, which were:^[43]

Section 1. Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

Efforts were proven successful when Congress passed the amendment in 1972. However, simply passing the amendment in the two houses of Congress did not mean the work was finished. NOW had to direct the efforts of getting the amendment ratified in at least three-fourths of the states (38 out of the 50 states).

In response to opposing states denying the ratification of the amendment, NOW encouraged members to participate in marches and economic boycotts. "Dozens of organizations supported the ERA and the boycott, including the League of Women Voters, the YWCA of the U.S., the Unitarian Universalist Association, the United Auto Workers (UAW), the National Education Association (NEA), and the Democratic National Committee (DNC)."

As strong as the support was, it was to no avail to the opposition from various groups. These groups included select religious collectives, business and insurance interests, and most visibly was the STOP-ERA campaign led by antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly. Schlafly argued on the premise that creating equality in the work force or anywhere else would hinder the laws that are instilled for the mere protection of these women. The safety of women was a higher priority than ensuring there is equality in financial and social scenarios. The predicament over the Equal Rights Amendment was not a fight between men and women who abhor men, but rather two groups of women advocating different perspectives on the nature of their lives. The rivalry was sparked in speeches, such as that of Schlafly who began her dialogue by thanking her husband for allowing her to participate in such an activity.^[44]

Even though the efforts did not prove to be enough to have the amendment ratified, the organization remains active in lobbying legislatures and media outlets on feminist issues.

Abortion

Abortion being an individual woman's choice has come into the forefront since the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade in 1973. The decision of the court was that it ultimately was the woman's choice in reproduction. However, according to the National Organization for Women, decisions following the 1973 landmark case had substantially limited this right, which culminated in their response to encourage the Freedom of Choice Act. The controversy over the landmark case ruling was initiated in the two cases, Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood and Gonzales v. Carhart. These two cases consequently banned abortion methods after 12 weeks of pregnancy.^[45]

Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood and Gonzales v. Carhart both dealt with the question of whether the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was unconstitutional for violating the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment expressed in the Roe v. Wade case. This act ultimately meant that the concept of partial-birth abortion as defined in the Act as any abortion in which the death of the fetus occurs when "the entire fetal head [...] or [...] any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother" is banned. The Supreme Court ultimately decided 5–4 that it was not unconstitutional and did not hinder a woman's right to an abortion.^[46]

National Organization for Women claimed it was a disregard to a basic principle stemming from Roe v. Wade, which was to only have legislative restriction on abortion be justified with the intention of protecting women's health. Hence, the support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which primary purpose was to safeguard a woman's access to abortions even if the Roe v. Wade ruling is further disregarded. As of 2013, there are seven states that have made the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) state law. FOCA will consequently supersede any other law prohibiting abortion in those seven states. They are: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, Wisconsin, Maine, and Washington. In addition, Maryland, Nevada, and Washington were the only three states to adhere via ballot initiative.^[45]

Succeeding in the enactment of FOCA would ultimately mean fulfilment of three goals for the National Organization for Women. First, asserting a woman's reproductive right. Second, disseminate information to the public audience about threats posed in the two court cases mentioned above. Third, through the dissemination of information to the public, this in return would mobilize efforts to support female rights in multiple areas that will be presented in the future.^[47]

Women's Strike for Equality

On August 26, 1970, the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment which granted women the right to vote, NOW officially sponsored the Women’s Strike for Equality, a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights. Approximately 10,000^[48] women took to the streets of New York City’s Fifth Avenue for the strike and about 50,000 participants, mostly women, in total all throughout the country.^[49]^[48] Time described the event as “easily the largest women’s rights rally since the suffrage protests”.^[50] The organizers of the strike approved three main goals: free abortion care, 24/7 childcare centers, and equal opportunity in jobs and education.^[50] Other goals included passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, political representation,^[51] and no forced sterilization.^[52] Public reaction and media coverage were mixed. Many spectators called the demonstrators anti-feminine, "ridiculous exhibitionists,” “a band of wild lesbians”, or Communists,^[53]^[54] but the event was generally uninterrupted.^[48] The strike was a major success. Weeks after the event, NOW’s membership rose by 50 percent, and a CBS News poll found that four out of five people had heard or read about women’s liberation.^[55]

Core issues

NOW campaigns for constitutional equality,^[4] economic justice,^[5] reproductive rights,^[6] LGBTQIA+ rights^[7] and racial justice,^[8] and against violence against women.^[9]

Constitutional equality

NOW supports the Equal Rights Amendment and works to give women explicit protections in the United States Constitution.^[4]

Economic justice

NOW advocates for economic justice.^[5]

Reproductive rights

NOW supports safe and legal abortion, affordable birth control and other contraception, and reproductive health education.^[6]

Ending violence against women

NOW works to end violence against women.^[9]

Racial justice

NOW has been involved in the civil rights struggle since the 1966 and advocates for equal opportunities for women of color in all areas of society, such as employment, education & health care.^[8]

LGBTQIA+ rights

NOW supports LGBTQIA+ rights as one of its core issues.^[7] NOW president Terry O'Neill has said the struggle against transphobia is a feminist issue.^[56] NOW has affirmed that "trans women are women, trans girls are girls."^[57] In a further statement NOW said that "trans women are women. They deserve equal opportunity, health care, a safe community & workplace, and they deserve to play sports. They have a right to have their identity respected without conforming to perceived sex and gender identity standards. We stand with you."^[58] NOW has said that "'debate' about trans girls and women in school sports spreads transphobia and bigotry through the false lens of 'fairness'" that amounts to a hate campaign.^[59] NOW has further said that "waging a hate campaign against trans people is not feminist."^[60]

Goals

Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray wrote the organization's Statement of Purpose^[18] in 1966. The statement described the purpose of NOW as "to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men." The six core issues that NOW addresses are abortion and reproductive health services access, violence against women, constitutional equality, promoting diversity/ending racism, lesbian rights, and economic justice, with these issues having various sub-issues. The organization goes about creating these changes through laborious lobbying, rallies, marches, and conferences. NOW focuses on a variety of issues deploying multiple strategies, causing it to be an organization in which a comprehensive goal is envisaged and performed.^[61]

Priorities mentioned above were pursued to ultimately secure constitutional amendments guaranteeing these rights. Even though discrimination on the basis of sex was illegal, the federal government was not taking an active role in enforcing the constitutional amendments and the new policies.^[16] NOW sought to apply pressure to employers, local governments, and the federal government to uphold anti-discrimination policies. Through litigation, political pressure, and physical marches, NOW members held an authoritative stance leading to recognition in court cases, such as NOW v. Scheidler and Weeks v. Southern Bell.^[62]

NOW v. Scheidler revolved around the issue of racketeering to gain support for anti-abortion groups. NOW was suing the groups for utilization of violence and the threat of violence for garnering support. The violence varied from physical barriers into entrances of abortion clinic to arson and bombings of those clinics. The plaintiff accused the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN) of unethically seizing the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies and argued that this right needed to be defended. The case was a success in terms of the class action suit "brought against terrorists by those they had terrorized".^[63]

However the case was dismissed based on the mere definition of racketeering because racketeering must have an economic inclination, and there was no evidence to prove PLAN had this financial intention. This does not mean it was not a significant case. It brought light and recognition to National Organization for Women and its goals. If anything, it galvanized the organization to strengthen its tactics.^[64]

Weeks v. Southern Bell had the same effect, but this is an example where those galvanized efforts proved beneficial. This concerned discriminatory practices against women in the workplace. Lorena Weeks, employee of Southern Bell, claimed she was being discriminated against via exclusion to higher paying positions within the company. Sylvia Roberts acted as her attorney, supporting Week's grievances with the accusation of the company's violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII is enabled to "protect individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of race and color, as well as national origin, sex, and religion". With this premise, Weeks, with the aid of Sylvia Roberts, succeeded in 1969 after making an appeal. The trial not only served as the triumph of National Organization for Women, but brought to life legislation made to the intentions of organizations, such as NOW.^[65]

Organizational media

NOW published a national newsletter, Do It NOW, beginning in 1970, edited by Muriel Fox.^[66] From 1977, the journal has been known as the National NOW Times (Template:ISSN).^[67]

Presidents

The following women have led the National Organization for Women:^[68]

Betty Friedan, 1966–1970
Aileen Hernandez, 1970–1971
Wilma Scott Heide, 1971–1974
Karen DeCrow, 1974–1977
Eleanor Smeal, 1977–1982
Judy Goldsmith, 1982–1985
Eleanor Smeal, 1985–1987
Molly Yard, 1987–1991
Patricia Ireland, 1991–2001
Kim Gandy, 2001–2009
Terry O'Neill, 2009–2017
Toni Van Pelt, 2017–2020
Christian Nunes, 2020–present

Criticism

NOW has been criticized by various anti-abortion, conservative, and fathers' rights groups.^[69]^[70]^[71] During the 1990s, NOW was criticized by the Los Angeles Times for having a double standard when it refused to support Paula Jones in her sexual harassment suit against former Democratic President Bill Clinton, while calling for the resignation of Republican politician Bob Packwood, who was accused of similar assault by 10 women.^[72] The Jones suit was later dismissed by U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright, ruling that Mrs. Jones' allegations, even if true, would not qualify as a case of sexual harassment. Jones appealed but later dropped her suit after reaching a settlement out of court for $850,000. Judge Webber Wright later held President Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky in the Paula Jones lawsuit, marking the first time that a sitting president has been sanctioned for disobeying a court order.^[73]

NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system.^[3] NOW has been criticized for not supporting anti-abortion feminists.^[74]^[75] Some members, such as LA NOW chapter president Tammy Bruce left NOW, saying they oppose putting liberal and partisan policy positions above equality for all women. Tammy Bruce has attacked NOW for not doing enough to advocate for international women's rights, but instead attacking the George W. Bush White House for their conservative positions.^[76] Accusations of putting politics above feminism began in 1982, the year the ERA was defeated, when NOW, under President Judy Goldsmith, fiercely opposed Reaganomics and endorsed the Democratic opponent of Republican feminist Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick due to Fenwick's support of Ronald Reagan's economic agenda.^[77]^[78]^[79]

Additionally, Deborah Watkins, who was once the President of the Dallas Chapter of NOW, left NOW in 2003 to found, in the same year, the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the National Coalition for Men, stating she grew tired of what she considered "hypocrisy" and "male bashing" at NOW.^[80]

NOW was criticised by Fox News' Megyn Kelly in 2014 for by putting Little Sisters of the Poor on their 'Dirty 100" list'.^[81]

External links

National Organization for Women (NOW) official website
National NOW Times on WorldCat

Records

A Guide to the San Antonio Chapter of the National Organization for Women Records, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries) Special Collections.
Additional Records of the National Organization for Women, 1970–2011. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Elaine Latourell Papers. 1970–1977. 8.42 cubic feet (9 boxes). At the Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections. Contains records from Latourell's service as a leader of the National Organization for Women between 1970 and 1980.
Inventory of the Texas Chapter of the National Organization for Women Records, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries) Special Collections.
National Organization for Women (NOW), San Diego Chapter Records, 1964–1984 Template:Webarchive, San Diego State University Special Collections.
National Organization for Women, San Jose/South Bay Chapter Records, San Jose State University Special Collections.
National Organization for Women. Springfield (Mass.) Chapter, at Smith College.
Records, 1959–2002 (inclusive), 1966–1998 (bulk). Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
National Organization for Women, Maryland Chapter records at the University of Maryland libraries
National Organization for Women, Rochester chapter records, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Attribution

Some content on this page may previously have appeared on Wikipedia.

Footnotes

↑ "Information about NOW. Template:Webarchive" National Organization for Women. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
↑ National Organization for Women. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 (1991) The Feminist Spectator as Critic. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472081608.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Constitutional Equality. NOW.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Economic Justice. NOW.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Reproductive Rights and Justice. NOW.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 LGBTQIA+ Rights. NOW.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 Racial Justice. NOW.
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Ending Violence Against Women. NOW.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 Wattenberg, Ben. Betty Friedan Interview. The First Measured Century. PBS.
↑ Fox, Margalit. Betty Friedan, Who Ignited Cause in 'Feminine Mystique,' Dies at 85, 5 February 2006.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Goldsmith, Allyson (2014-02-09). Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers. National Organization for Women.
↑ The Feminist Chronicles, 1953–1993 – 1966 – Feminist Majority Foundation. Feminist.org.
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 MAKERS Team (2013-06-30). NOW's 47th Anniversary: Celebrating Its Founders and Early Members. MAKERS.
↑ Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books, 95–102.
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books.
↑ ^17.0 ^17.1 Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books.
↑ ^18.0 ^18.1 ^18.2 N.O.W. Statement of Purpose, 1966.
↑ National Organization for Women (NOW). Harvard University Library Web Archive Collection Service.
↑ The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose. National Organization for Women.
↑ Rawalt, Marguerite – Biography. President and Fellows of Harvard College (2000).
↑ Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers – National Organization for Women. now.org (9 February 2014).
↑ N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968.
↑ N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968. National Organization for Women.
↑ Sisterhood is powerful : an anthology of writings from the women's liberation movement (Book, 1970). [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 96157.
↑ Wood, Julia T. (2005). Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender and Culture, 6th. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 69–70. ISBN 0-534-63615-2.
↑ Love, Barbara J. Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975
↑ Bonnie Zimmerman Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia, Garland Pub., 2000 ISBN 0815319207, p. 134
↑ Vicki Lynn Eaklor Queer America: a GLBT history of the 20th century, ABC-CLIO, 2008 Template:ISBN p. 145
↑ ^30.0 ^30.1 Flora Davis Moving the mountain: the women's movement in America since 1960, University of Illinois Press, 1999 Template:ISBN p. 264
↑ Cheshire Calhoun Feminism, the Family, and the Politics of the Closet: Lesbian and Gay Displacement, Oxford University Press, 2003 Template:ISBN p. 27
↑ Carolyn Zerbe Enns Feminist theories and feminist psychotherapies: origins, themes, and diversity, Routledge, 2004 Template:ISBN p. 105
↑ ^33.0 ^33.1 ^33.2 Leading the Fight | National Organization for Women Template:Webarchive. NOW. Retrieved on 2014-07-25.
↑ Gathje, Curtis (January 16, 2005). What Would Eloise Say?. New York Times.
↑ Seidenberg v. McSorleys' Old Ale House
↑ Charlton, Linda. Judge Tells Mcsorley's to Open All-Male Saloon to All Women, New York Times, 26 June 1970.
↑ Seidenberg v. McSorley's Old Ale House, 317 F.Supp. 593 (1970) (United States District Court, S. D. New York 25 June 1970)
↑ Lichtenstein, Grace. McSorley's Admits Women Under a New City Law, The New York Times, August 11, 1970.
↑ "Tour" Template:Webarchive from McSorley's website
↑ Love, Barbara J. (2006). Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975. Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2.
↑ (May 1979) "Women and Interest Group Politics: A Comparative Analysis of Federal Decision-Making". The Journal of Politics 41 (2). DOI:10.2307/2129770. ISSN 0022-3816. Research Blogging.
↑ Divall, Colin (2015). Cultural Histories of Sociabilities, Spaces and Mobilities. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-31726-5.
↑ Equal Rights Amendment. National Organization for Women.
↑ 57c. The Equal Rights Amendment. Ushistory.org.
↑ ^45.0 ^45.1 Freedom of Choice Acts. NARAL Pro-Choice America.
↑ Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood. The Oyez Project.
↑ Freedom of Choice Act would Guarantee Roe Protections in U.S. Statutes. National Organization for Women (April 30, 2007).
↑ ^48.0 ^48.1 ^48.2 Charlton, Linda. Women March Down Fifth in Equality Drive, The New York Times, 1970-08-27. (in en-US)
↑ Gourley, Catherine (2008). Ms. and the Material Girl: Perceptions of Women from the 1970s to the 1990s. Twenty-First Century Books, 5–20.
↑ ^50.0 ^50.1 Template:Cite magazine
↑ The 1970 Women's March for Equality in NYC (en-US) (2015-03-10).
↑ How the Strike for Equality Relaunched the Struggle for Women's Liberation in the US (en-US).
↑ Why the Women's Strike for Equality in 1970 Was Important (en).
↑ Fosburgh, Lacey. Traditional Groups Prefer to Ignore Women's Lib, The New York Times, 1970-08-26. (in en-US)
↑ Doherty, Maggie. Feminist Factions United and Filled the Streets for This Historic March, The New York Times, 2020-08-26. (in en-US)
↑ Why Transphobia Is a Feminist Issue. NOW (8 September 2014).
↑ NOW Celebrates International Transgender Day of Visibility. NOW (31 March 2021).
↑ Trans women are women. National Organization for Women.
↑ "Debate" about Trans Girls and Women in School Sports Spreads Transphobia and Bigotry Through the False Lens of "Fairness". NOW (5 May 2022).
↑ Even if Bigots Insist it is, Waging a Hate Campaign Against Trans People is Not Feminist. National Organization for Women (25 July 2023).
↑ Key Issues. National Organization for Women.
↑ Tripp, Jennifer. National Organization for Women. Learning To Give. Grand Valley State University.
↑ 62 Alb. L. Rev. 967 (1998–1999) NOW v. Scheidler: Protecting Women's Access to Reproductive Health Services Template:Webarchive; Clayton, Fay; Love, Sara N.
↑ Oyez Project: NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (NOW) v. SCHEIDLER Template:Webarchive
↑ Lorena Weeks Files related to Weeks v. Southern Bell Template:Webarchive, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
↑ Love, Barbara J. (2006). Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2.
↑ (2006) National NOW times : official journal of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Stanford, California: Stanford University.
↑ Celebrating Our Presidents. National Organization for Women.
↑ Cimons, Marlene. NOW Seeking Abortion Summit, The Pittsburgh Press, 8 February 1979.
↑ Susman, Carolyn. Women wary of man's bid to crash panel, The Palm Beach Post, 30 July 1986. Template:Dead link
↑ Conservatives urge Reagan to deny 'leftists' grants, Lakeland Ledger, 8 April 1982.
↑ Jackson, Robert. NOW Won't Back Paula Jones, Cites Her Backers, Los Angeles Times, 23 April 1998.
↑ Clinton pays Paula Jones $850,000, The Guardian, 13 January 1999.
↑ Seager, Ilana (10 November 2008). Feminists can be pro-life. Yale Daily News.
↑ Browder, Sue Ellen (1 August 2013). Meet the Bold 'New Feminists'. National Catholic Register.
↑ Feministing's Top Ten Anti-Feminist Videos! - Feministing.
↑ Views of NOW – The National Organization for Women. NBC Today Show (11 October 1982).
↑ Salmans, Sandra. THE RISING FORCE OF WOMEN'S PACS, The New York Times, 28 June 1984, p. 22.
↑ Neal, Steve. Can't The Women Play This Game?, Chicago Tribune, 29 November 1985.
↑ History of the National Coalition for Men Template:Webarchive "Both the Los Angeles, California and Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas chapters were approved in 2003. Dallas/Ft. Worth was founded by Deborah Watkins, the former President of the Dallas chapter of the National Organization of Women who had grown tired of what she considered hypocrisy and male bashing by NOW."
↑ Little Sisters of the Poor Named on NOW's 'Dirty 100' List?!. Fox News (8 July 2014).

[1] "Information about NOW. Template:Webarchive" National Organization for Women. Retrieved 2011-01-13.

[2] National Organization for Women. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

[Dolan-3] 3.0 ^3.1 (1991) The Feminist Spectator as Critic. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472081608.

[auto1-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Constitutional Equality. NOW.

[auto5-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Economic Justice. NOW.

[auto6-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Reproductive Rights and Justice. NOW.

[lgbtrights-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 LGBTQIA+ Rights. NOW.

[auto-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 Racial Justice. NOW.

[auto3-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Ending Violence Against Women. NOW.

[Friedan_interview-10] 10.0 ^10.1 Wattenberg, Ben. Betty Friedan Interview. The First Measured Century. PBS.

[nytimes2006-11] Fox, Margalit. Betty Friedan, Who Ignited Cause in 'Feminine Mystique,' Dies at 85, 5 February 2006.

[autogenerated3-12] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Goldsmith, Allyson (2014-02-09). Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers. National Organization for Women.

[13] The Feminist Chronicles, 1953–1993 – 1966 – Feminist Majority Foundation. Feminist.org.

[makers1-14] 14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 MAKERS Team (2013-06-30). NOW's 47th Anniversary: Celebrating Its Founders and Early Members. MAKERS.

[15] Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books, 95–102.

[Schneir_1994_95-16] 16.0 ^16.1 Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books.

[Schneir_1994_98-17] 17.0 ^17.1 Schneir, Miriam (1994). Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present. Vintage Books.

[msu.edu-18] 18.0 ^18.1 ^18.2 N.O.W. Statement of Purpose, 1966.

[19] National Organization for Women (NOW). Harvard University Library Web Archive Collection Service.

[autogenerated1-20] The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose. National Organization for Women.

[hbio-21] Rawalt, Marguerite – Biography. President and Fellows of Harvard College (2000).

[now.org-22] Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers – National Organization for Women. now.org (9 February 2014).

[23] N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968.

[24] N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968. National Organization for Women.

[25] Sisterhood is powerful : an anthology of writings from the women's liberation movement (Book, 1970). [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 96157.

[26] Wood, Julia T. (2005). Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender and Culture, 6th. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 69–70. ISBN 0-534-63615-2.

[bare_url_d-27] Love, Barbara J. Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975

[28] Bonnie Zimmerman Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia, Garland Pub., 2000 ISBN 0815319207, p. 134

[29] Vicki Lynn Eaklor Queer America: a GLBT history of the 20th century, ABC-CLIO, 2008 Template:ISBN p. 145

[google2-30] 30.0 ^30.1 Flora Davis Moving the mountain: the women's movement in America since 1960, University of Illinois Press, 1999 Template:ISBN p. 264

[31] Cheshire Calhoun Feminism, the Family, and the Politics of the Closet: Lesbian and Gay Displacement, Oxford University Press, 2003 Template:ISBN p. 27

[32] Carolyn Zerbe Enns Feminist theories and feminist psychotherapies: origins, themes, and diversity, Routledge, 2004 Template:ISBN p. 105

[autogenerated2-33] 33.0 ^33.1 ^33.2 Leading the Fight | National Organization for Women Template:Webarchive. NOW. Retrieved on 2014-07-25.

[Times2-34] Gathje, Curtis (January 16, 2005). What Would Eloise Say?. New York Times.

[35] Seidenberg v. McSorleys' Old Ale House

[nytfront-36] Charlton, Linda. Judge Tells Mcsorley's to Open All-Male Saloon to All Women, New York Times, 26 June 1970.

[case-37] Seidenberg v. McSorley's Old Ale House, 317 F.Supp. 593 (1970) (United States District Court, S. D. New York 25 June 1970)

[admit-38] Lichtenstein, Grace. McSorley's Admits Women Under a New City Law, The New York Times, August 11, 1970.

[39] "Tour" Template:Webarchive from McSorley's website

[40] Love, Barbara J. (2006). Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975. Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2.

[41] (May 1979) "Women and Interest Group Politics: A Comparative Analysis of Federal Decision-Making". The Journal of Politics 41 (2). DOI:10.2307/2129770. ISSN 0022-3816. Research Blogging.

[42] Divall, Colin (2015). Cultural Histories of Sociabilities, Spaces and Mobilities. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-31726-5.

[43] Equal Rights Amendment. National Organization for Women.

[44] 57c. The Equal Rights Amendment. Ushistory.org.

[prochoiceamerica1-45] 45.0 ^45.1 Freedom of Choice Acts. NARAL Pro-Choice America.

[46] Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood. The Oyez Project.

[47] Freedom of Choice Act would Guarantee Roe Protections in U.S. Statutes. National Organization for Women (April 30, 2007).

[auto2-48] 48.0 ^48.1 ^48.2 Charlton, Linda. Women March Down Fifth in Equality Drive, The New York Times, 1970-08-27. (in en-US)

[49] Gourley, Catherine (2008). Ms. and the Material Girl: Perceptions of Women from the 1970s to the 1990s. Twenty-First Century Books, 5–20.

[auto4-50] 50.0 ^50.1 Template:Cite magazine

[51] The 1970 Women's March for Equality in NYC (en-US) (2015-03-10).

[52] How the Strike for Equality Relaunched the Struggle for Women's Liberation in the US (en-US).

[53] Why the Women's Strike for Equality in 1970 Was Important (en).

[54] Fosburgh, Lacey. Traditional Groups Prefer to Ignore Women's Lib, The New York Times, 1970-08-26. (in en-US)

[55] Doherty, Maggie. Feminist Factions United and Filled the Streets for This Historic March, The New York Times, 2020-08-26. (in en-US)

[56] Why Transphobia Is a Feminist Issue. NOW (8 September 2014).

[57] NOW Celebrates International Transgender Day of Visibility. NOW (31 March 2021).

[58] Trans women are women. National Organization for Women.

[59] "Debate" about Trans Girls and Women in School Sports Spreads Transphobia and Bigotry Through the False Lens of "Fairness". NOW (5 May 2022).

[60] Even if Bigots Insist it is, Waging a Hate Campaign Against Trans People is Not Feminist. National Organization for Women (25 July 2023).

[61] Key Issues. National Organization for Women.

[62] Tripp, Jennifer. National Organization for Women. Learning To Give. Grand Valley State University.

[63] 62 Alb. L. Rev. 967 (1998–1999) NOW v. Scheidler: Protecting Women's Access to Reproductive Health Services Template:Webarchive; Clayton, Fay; Love, Sara N.

[64] Oyez Project: NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (NOW) v. SCHEIDLER Template:Webarchive

[65] Lorena Weeks Files related to Weeks v. Southern Bell Template:Webarchive, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

[66] Love, Barbara J. (2006). Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2.

[67] (2006) National NOW times : official journal of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Stanford, California: Stanford University.

[68] Celebrating Our Presidents. National Organization for Women.

[69] Cimons, Marlene. NOW Seeking Abortion Summit, The Pittsburgh Press, 8 February 1979.

[70] Susman, Carolyn. Women wary of man's bid to crash panel, The Palm Beach Post, 30 July 1986. Template:Dead link

[71] Conservatives urge Reagan to deny 'leftists' grants, Lakeland Ledger, 8 April 1982.

[72] Jackson, Robert. NOW Won't Back Paula Jones, Cites Her Backers, Los Angeles Times, 23 April 1998.

[73] Clinton pays Paula Jones $850,000, The Guardian, 13 January 1999.

[74] Seager, Ilana (10 November 2008). Feminists can be pro-life. Yale Daily News.

[75] Browder, Sue Ellen (1 August 2013). Meet the Bold 'New Feminists'. National Catholic Register.

[76] Feministing's Top Ten Anti-Feminist Videos! - Feministing.

[77] Views of NOW – The National Organization for Women. NBC Today Show (11 October 1982).

[78] Salmans, Sandra. THE RISING FORCE OF WOMEN'S PACS, The New York Times, 28 June 1984, p. 22.

[79] Neal, Steve. Can't The Women Play This Game?, Chicago Tribune, 29 November 1985.

[80] History of the National Coalition for Men Template:Webarchive "Both the Los Angeles, California and Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas chapters were approved in 2003. Dallas/Ft. Worth was founded by Deborah Watkins, the former President of the Dallas chapter of the National Organization of Women who had grown tired of what she considered hypocrisy and male bashing by NOW."

[81] Little Sisters of the Poor Named on NOW's 'Dirty 100' List?!. Fox News (8 July 2014).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62]

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

[74]

[75]

[76]

[77]

[78]

[79]

[80]

[81]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-test
+{{TOC|right}}
-The '''United States of America''' is a large [[nation]] in [[North America]].   Its government is a republic of fifty semi-independent states.  The government consists of three branches (legislative, judicial, and executive) that provide checks and balances on each other's power.  The executive branch is headed by the [[President of the United States of America]] (elected every four years), the legislative branch consists of the [[U.S. Congress]] (elected periodically), and at the top of the judicial branch is the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] whose nine members serve for life.  This form of republic is specified in the [[U.S. Constitution]] of 1789 and has survived in essentially the same form for well over two centuries (at the cost of one bloody civil war fought in the 1860's to prevent states from ceceding from the union). The nation's capital is [[Washington, D.C.]].
+The '''National Organization for Women''' ('''NOW''') is an American [[feminist]] organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a [[501(c) organization|501(c)(4)]] social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 [[U.S. state]]s and in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>"[http://www.now.org/organization/info.html Information about NOW.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112062509/http://www.now.org/organization/info.html |date=2011-01-12 }}" National Organization for Women. Retrieved 2011-01-13.</ref> It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=National Organization for Women |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Organization-for-Women |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=25 November 2021}}</ref> NOW is regarded as one of the main [[liberal feminism|liberal feminist]] organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for [[gender equality]] within the existing political system.<ref name=Dolan /> NOW campaigns for constitutional equality,<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Constitutional Equality |url=https://now.org/issues/constitutional-equality/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> economic justice,<ref name="auto5">{{cite web |title=Economic Justice |url=https://now.org/issues/economic-justice/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> [[reproductive rights]],<ref name="auto6">{{cite web |title=Reproductive Rights and Justice |url=https://now.org/issues/abortion-rights-reproductive-issues/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> [[LGBT rights|LGBTQIA+ rights]]<ref name="lgbtrights">{{cite web |title=LGBTQIA+ Rights |url=https://now.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> and [[racial justice]],<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Racial Justice |url=https://now.org/issues/promoting-diversity-ending-racism/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> and against [[violence against women]].<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Ending Violence Against Women |url=https://now.org/issues/stopping-violence-against-women/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref>
-The United States of America is also informally called the ''United States'', ''U.S.A'', ''U.S.,'' ''US'', or (inaccurately) ''America''.
+==History==
-== States and territories ==
+=== Background ===
-<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
+Many influences contributed to the rise of NOW. Such influences included the [[President's Commission on the Status of Women]], [[Betty Friedan]]'s 1963 book ''[[The Feminine Mystique]]'', and the passage and lack of enforcement of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] (prohibiting [[sexual discrimination]]).
-<big>See [[United_States_of_America/Catalogs/States_and_Territories|U.S. States and Territories]] for a more complete listing including territories and uninhabited islands.</big>
+The President's Commission on the Status of Women was established in 1961 by [[John F. Kennedy]], in hopes of providing a solution to female discrimination in education, work force, and Social Security. Kennedy appointed [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] as the head of the organization. The goal was to reconcile those wanting to advance women's rights in the workforce (such as advocates of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]]) and those advocating women's domestic role needing to be preserved (such as organized labor groups). The commission was a way to settle the tension between opposing sides.
-<div class="mw-collapsible-content">{{US states}}</div>
-</div>
-== Government Structure and Branches ==
+Betty Friedan wrote ''The Feminine Mystique'' in response to her own experiences. She was a feminist long before her book, by educating herself and deviating from the domestic female paradigm. The book's purpose was to fuel movement to a women's role outside of domestic environment. Acknowledging some satisfaction from raising children, cooking, and rearranging house decor was not enough to suffice the deeper desire for women to achieve an education.<ref name="Friedan interview">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/fmc/interviews/friedan.htm|title=Betty Friedan Interview|last=Wattenberg|first=Ben|work=The First Measured Century|publisher=PBS|access-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924120434/http://www.pbs.org/fmc/interviews/friedan.htm|archive-date=2013-09-24|url-status=live}}</ref> The book is widely credited with sparking the beginning of [[second-wave feminism]] in the United States.<ref name="nytimes2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/us/betty-friedan-who-ignited-cause-in-feminine-mystique-dies-at-85.html|title=Betty Friedan, Who Ignited Cause in 'Feminine Mystique,' Dies at 85|first=Margalit|last=Fox|date=5 February 2006|access-date=19 February 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201200010/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/us/betty-friedan-who-ignited-cause-in-feminine-mystique-dies-at-85.html|archive-date=2017-02-01|url-status=live}}</ref> It was published on February 19, 1963, by [[W. W. Norton & Company|W. W. Norton]]. In an interview, Friedan specifically notes,<ref name="Friedan interview" /><blockquote>There was no activism in that cause when I wrote ''Feminine Mystique''. But I realized that it was not enough just to write a book. There had to be social change. And I remember somewhere in that period coming off an airplane [and] some guy was carrying a sign... It said, "The first step in revolution is consciousness." Well, I did the consciousness with ''The Feminine Mystique''. But then there had to be organization and there had to be a movement. And I helped organize NOW, the National Organization for Women and the [[National Women's Political Caucus]] and NARAL, the abortion rights [organization] in the next few years.</blockquote>
-{{main|Government of the United States of America}}
-[[Image:Bush Cheney Pelosi.jpg|thumb|230px|Former President [[George W. Bush]] delivering the State of the Union address, 2007. Also pictured are Former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] and Speaker of the House [[Nancy Pelosi]].]]
-The United States is a [[representative democracy]], and its structure and system of [[checks and balances]] are established by the [[United States Constitution]]. The Federal government is divided by the Constitution into three branches - Executive, Judicial and Legislative.
-There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are not usually subordinate to the Federal government. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the Civil War and [[Reconstruction]], but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.
+=== Founding ===
+The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 by 28 women at the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women in June (the successor to the [[Presidential Commission on the Status of Women]]), and another 21 women and men who became founders at the October 1966 NOW Organizing Conference, for a total of 49 founders.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |first=Allyson |last=Goldsmith |url=http://now.org/about/history/honoring-our-founders-pioneers/ |title=Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers |publisher=National Organization for Women |date=2014-02-09 |access-date=2015-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425005046/http://now.org/about/history/honoring-our-founders-pioneers/ |archive-date=2015-04-25 |url-status=live }}</ref> Both conferences were held in Washington, D.C.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> The 28 women who became founders in June were: [[Ada Allness]], Mary Evelyn Benbow, [[Gene Boyer (activist)|Gene Boyer]], [[Shirley Chisholm]], [[Analoyce Clapp]], [[Kathryn F. Clarenbach]], [[Catherine Conroy]], [[Caroline Davis (feminist)|Caroline Davis]], [[Mary Eastwood]], [[Edith Finlayson]], [[Betty Friedan]], [[Dorothy Haener]], Anna Roosevelt Halstead, Lorene Harrington, [[Aileen Hernandez]], [[Mary Lou Hill]], Esther Johnson, [[Nancy Knaak]], [[Min Matheson]], Helen Moreland, [[Pauli Murray]], Ruth Murray, [[Inka O'Hanrahan]], [[Pauline A. Parish]], [[Eve Purvis]], [[Edna Schwartz]], [[Mary-Jane Ryan Snyder]], [[Gretchen Squires]], [[Betty Talkington]] and [[Caroline F. Ware|Caroline Ware]].<ref name="autogenerated3"/>
-The executive branch is led by the [[President of the United States of America|president]]. The president is responsible for appointing the [[United States cabinet|cabinet]], which is confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]]. The current head of state and head of government is {{headofstate|United States of America}}, serving a four-year term, and eligible for re-election to one additional term.
+They were inspired by the failure of the [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] to enforce [[Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964]]; at the Third National Conference of State Commissions on the Status of Women they were prohibited from issuing a resolution that recommended the EEOC carry out its legal mandate to end sex discrimination in employment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.feminist.org/research/chronicles/fc1966.html |title=The Feminist Chronicles, 1953–1993 – 1966 – Feminist Majority Foundation |publisher=Feminist.org |access-date=2015-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527025013/http://feminist.org/research/chronicles/fc1966.html |archive-date=2015-05-27 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="makers1">{{cite web |author=MAKERS Team |url=http://www.makers.com/blog/nows-47th-anniversary-celebrating-its-founders-and-early-members |title=NOW's 47th Anniversary: Celebrating Its Founders and Early Members |publisher=MAKERS |date=2013-06-30 |access-date=2015-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518073400/http://www.makers.com/blog/nows-47th-anniversary-celebrating-its-founders-and-early-members |archive-date=2015-05-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They thus gathered in Betty Friedan's hotel room to form a new organization.<ref name="makers1"/> On a paper napkin Friedan scribbled the acronym "NOW".<ref name="makers1"/> The 21 people who became founders in October were: [[Caruthers Berger]], [[Colleen Boland]], [[Inez Casiano]], [[Carl Degler]], [[Elizabeth Drews]], [[Mary Esther Gaulden Jagger|Mary Esther Gaulden]] (later Jagger), [[Muriel Fox]], [[Ruth Gober]], [[Richard Alton Graham|Richard Graham]], [[Anna Arnold Hedgeman]], [[Lucille Kapplinger]] (later Hazell), [[Bessie Margolin]], Margorie Palmer, [[Sonia Pressman Fuentes|Sonia Pressman]] (later Fuentes), [[Sister Mary Joel Read]], Amy Robinson, [[Charlotte Roe]], [[Alice Rossi]], [[Claire R. Salmond]], [[Morag Simchak]] and [[Clara Wells (feminist)|Clara Wells]].<ref name="autogenerated3"/>
-The judicial branch is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.
+The founders were frustrated with the way in which the federal government was not enforcing the new anti-discrimination laws. Even after measures like the [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] (EEOC) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers were still discriminating against women in terms of hiring women and unequal pay with men.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present|last = Schneir|first = Miriam|publisher = Vintage Books|year = 1994|pages = 95–102}}</ref> Women's rights advocates saw that these legal changes were not being enforced and worried that without a feminist pressure group, a type of "[[NAACP]] for women",<ref name="Schneir 1994 95">{{Cite book|title = Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present|last = Schneir|first = Miriam|publisher = Vintage Books|year = 1994|page = 95}}</ref> women would not be able to combat discrimination. NOW was created in order to mobilize women, give women's rights advocates the power to put pressure on employers and the government, and to promote full equality of the sexes. It hoped to increase the number of women attending colleges and graduate schools, employed in professional jobs instead of domestic or secretarial work, and appointed to federal offices.<ref name="Schneir 1994 98">{{Cite book|title = Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present|last = Schneir|first = Miriam|publisher = Vintage Books|year = 1994|page = 98}}</ref> NOW's Statement of Purpose,<ref name="msu.edu">{{cite web |url=http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowstate.html |title=N.O.W. Statement of Purpose, 1966 |access-date=2014-11-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117134328/http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowstate.html |archive-date=2015-01-17 }}</ref> which was adopted at its organizing conference in Washington, D.C., on October 29, 1966, declares among other things that "the time has come to confront, with concrete action, the conditions that now prevent women from enjoying the equality of opportunity and freedom of choice which is their right, as individual Americans, and as human beings."<ref>{{cite web|title=National Organization for Women (NOW)|url=http://wax.lib.harvard.edu/collections/seed.do?seed=1498&primColl=261&lang=eng|publisher=Harvard University Library Web Archive Collection Service|access-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019172936/http://wax.lib.harvard.edu/collections/seed.do?seed=1498&primColl=261&lang=eng|archive-date=2013-10-19|url-status=live}}</ref> NOW was also one of the first women's organizations to include the concerns of black women in their efforts.<ref name="Schneir 1994 98"/>
-The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the [[U.S. Congress|Congress]]. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the [[House of Representatives]] and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population. The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determines the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and makes determinations of due process but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact.
+[[File:NOW women.jpg|thumb|left|<!-- Billington, (unknown woman) --> NOW founder and president [[Betty Friedan]] (1921–2006) with lobbyist [[Barbara Ireton]] (1932–1998) and feminist attorney [[Marguerite Rawalt]] (1895–1989)]]
+Betty Friedan and [[Pauli Murray]] wrote NOW's Statement of Purpose<ref name="msu.edu"/> in 1966; the original was scribbled on a napkin by Friedan.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.now.org/history/purpos66.html |title=The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose |publisher=National Organization for Women |access-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902232426/http://www.now.org/history/purpos66.html |archive-date=2011-09-02 }}</ref> Also in 1966, [[Marguerite Rawalt]] became a member of NOW, and acted as their first legal counsel.<ref name="hbio">{{cite web|url=http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00250|title=Rawalt, Marguerite – Biography|year=2000|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|access-date=30 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716160748/http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00250|archive-date=16 July 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> NOW's first Legal Committee consisted of [[Catherine East]], [[Mary Eastwood]], [[Phineas Indritz]], and Caruthers Berger; it was the first to sue on behalf of airline flight attendants claiming sex discrimination.<ref name="now.org">{{cite web|url=http://now.org/about/history/honoring-our-founders-pioneers/|title=Honoring Our Founders and Pioneers – National Organization for Women|work=now.org|date=9 February 2014 |access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525145731/http://now.org/about/history/honoring-our-founders-pioneers/|archive-date=2015-05-25|url-status=live}}</ref>
-----
+In 1968 NOW issued a Bill of Rights,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowrights.html |title=N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968 |access-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114091603/http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowrights.html |archive-date=2012-11-14 }}</ref> which they had adopted at their 1967 national conference, advocating the passage of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]], enforcement of the prohibitions against sex discrimination in employment under [[Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964]], [[maternity leave]] rights in employment and in Social Security benefits, tax deduction for home and child care expenses for working parents, child day care centers, equal and non-[[Single-sex education|gender-segregated education]], equal job training opportunities and allowances for women in poverty, and the right of women to control their reproductive lives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowrights.html |title=N.O.W. Bill of Rights, 1968 |publisher=National Organization for Women |access-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114091603/http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/nowrights.html |archive-date=2012-11-14 }}</ref> The NOW bill of rights was included in the 1970 anthology ''[[Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women's Liberation Movement]]'', edited by [[Robin Morgan]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Sisterhood is powerful : an anthology of writings from the women's liberation movement (Book, 1970) |publisher=[WorldCat.org] |oclc = 96157}}</ref>
+=== Lesbian rights ===
+In 1969, [[Ivy Bottini]], who was openly lesbian, designed the logo for NOW, which is still in use today.<ref>{{cite book |title=Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender and Culture |last=Wood |first=Julia T. |year=2005 |edition=6th |publisher=Wadsworth/Thompson Learning |location=Belmont, California |isbn=0-534-63615-2 |pages=69–70}}</ref> The first time lesbian concerns were introduced into NOW also occurred in 1969, when Bottini, who was then president of the New York chapter of NOW, held a public forum titled "Is Lesbianism a Feminist Issue?".<ref name="bare_url_d">[[Barbara Love|Love, Barbara J.]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=kpNarH7t9CkC&dq=1968+lesbian+ivy+bottini&pg=PA51 Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975]</ref> However, NOW president [[Betty Friedan]] was against lesbian participation in the movement. In 1969, she referred to growing lesbian visibility as a "lavender menace" and fired openly lesbian newsletter editor [[Rita Mae Brown]], and in 1970 she engineered the expulsion of lesbians, including Bottini, from NOW's New York chapter.<ref>Bonnie Zimmerman [https://books.google.com/books?id=0EUoCrFolGcC&pg=PA134 Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia], Garland Pub., 2000 ISBN 0815319207, p. 134</ref><ref>Vicki Lynn Eaklor [https://books.google.com/books?id=qJZdHuZ0aM0C&pg=PA145 Queer America: a GLBT history of the 20th century], ABC-CLIO, 2008 {{ISBN|0313337497}} p. 145</ref> In reaction, at the 1970 Congress to Unite Women, on the first evening when all four hundred feminists were assembled in the auditorium, twenty women wearing T-shirts that read "Lavender Menace" came to the front of the room and faced the audience.<ref name="google2">Flora Davis [https://books.google.com/books?id=ioM-8naFn60C&pg=PA264 Moving the mountain: the women's movement in America since 1960], University of Illinois Press, 1999 {{ISBN|0-252-06782-7}} p. 264</ref> One of the women then read their group's paper "[[The Woman-Identified Woman]]", which was the first major lesbian feminist statement.<ref name="google2"/><ref>Cheshire Calhoun [https://books.google.com/books?id=7V73W75tGssC&pg=PA27 Feminism, the Family, and the Politics of the Closet: Lesbian and Gay Displacement], Oxford University Press, 2003 {{ISBN|0-19-925766-3}} p. 27</ref> The group, who later named themselves "Radicalesbians", were among the first to challenge the heterosexism of heterosexual feminists and to describe lesbian experience in positive terms.<ref>Carolyn Zerbe Enns [https://books.google.com/books?id=bIe7ZtOubc8C&pg=PA105 Feminist theories and feminist psychotherapies: origins, themes, and diversity], Routledge, 2004 {{ISBN|078901808X}} p. 105</ref>
-The '''[[Government]] of the [[United States of America]]''' is [[separation of powers|separated]] by the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] into [[U.S. Congress|legislative]], executive and [[U.S. judicial system|judicial branch]]es: [[U.S. Congress|Congress]], the [[President of the United States of America|office of President]] and subordinates, and the federal courts, the highest of which is the [[Supreme Court of the United States of America|Supreme Court]]. The two chambers of Congress, the [[House of Representatives]] and the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]], are directly elected by U.S. citizens, who also vote for [[U.S. Electoral College| electors]] who in turn choose the President and Vice-President. The House and Senate respectively choose the President and Vice-President if this Electoral College does not produce nominees.
+In 1971, NOW passed a resolution declaring "that a woman's right to her own person includes the right to define and express her own sexuality and to choose her own lifestyle", as well as a conference resolution stating that forcing lesbian mothers to stay in marriages or to live a secret existence in an effort to keep their children was unjust.<ref name="autogenerated2">[http://now.org/resource/now-leading-the-fight/ Leading the Fight | National Organization for Women] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029080637/http://now.org/resource/now-leading-the-fight/ |date=2014-10-29 }}. NOW. Retrieved on 2014-07-25.</ref> That year, NOW also committed to offering legal and moral support in a test case involving child custody rights of lesbian mothers.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> In 1973, the NOW Task Force on Sexuality and Lesbianism was established.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> Del Martin was the first open lesbian elected to NOW, and [[Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon]] were the first lesbian couple to join NOW.
-==Federalism==
+=== Activism ===
-There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are not strictly hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are subordinate to the Federal government only in some matters but not in others. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction]], but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.
-==Legislative branch==
+==== Anti-discrimination ====
-{{main|House of Representatives|U.S. Senate}}
+NOW also helped women get equal access to public places. For example, the [[Oak Room (Plaza Hotel)|Oak Room]] held men-only lunches on weekdays until 1969, when Friedan and other members of NOW staged a protest.<ref name=Times2>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/opinion/opinionspecial/16gathje.html |title=What Would Eloise Say? |first=Curtis |last=Gathje |date=January 16, 2005 |work=New York Times |access-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109023014/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/opinion/opinionspecial/16gathje.html |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> As well, women were not allowed in [[McSorley's Old Ale House]]'s until August 10, 1970, after NOW attorneys [[Faith Seidenberg]] and [[Karen DeCrow]] filed a discrimination case against the bar in District Court and won.<ref>''Seidenberg v. McSorleys' Old Ale House''</ref> The two entered McSorley's in 1969 and were refused service, which was the basis for their lawsuit for discrimination. The case decision made the front page of ''[[The New York Times]]'' on June 26, 1970.<ref name=nytfront>{{cite news |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/06/26/issue.html|title=Judge Tells Mcsorley's to Open All-Male Saloon to All Women|last=Charlton|first=Linda|work=New York Times|date=26 June 1970}}</ref> The suit, ''Seidenberg v. McSorleys' Old Ale House'' (1970, United States District Court, S. D. New York), established that, as a public place, the bar could not violate the [[Equal Protection Clause]] of the [[United States Constitution]].<ref name=case>{{cite court|litigants = Seidenberg v. McSorley's Old Ale House|vol = 317 F.Supp. 593 (1970)|reporter =|opinion =|pinpoint =|court = United States District Court, S. D. New York|date = 25 June 1970|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6726314378399524141&q=seidenberg+v.+mcsorleys%27&hl=en&as_sdt=2006&as_vis=1}}</ref> The bar was then forced to admit women, but it did so "kicking and screaming".<ref name=admit>{{cite news |title=McSorley's Admits Women Under a New City Law |first=Grace |last=Lichtenstein |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/11/archives/mcsorleys-admits-women-under-a-new-city-law-mcsorleys-is-forced-to.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 11, 1970 |access-date=March 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112121130/http://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/11/archives/mcsorleys-admits-women-under-a-new-city-law-mcsorleys-is-forced-to.html |archive-date=2017-01-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> With the ruling allowing women to be served, the bathroom became unisex. But it was not until sixteen years later that a ladies room was installed.<ref>[http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/tour_02.html "Tour"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103160139/http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/tour_02.html |date=2014-11-03 }} from McSorley's website</ref>
-The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the Congress. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population.
-==Executive branch==
-[[Image:Georgewbush.jpg|right|thumb|Former President [[George W. Bush]] in 2007.|250px]]
-{{main|President of the United States of America}}
-As [[head of state]], the President appoints members of the executive, subject to Senate scrutiny, and [[judge]]s to the Supreme Court. The current head of state and head of government is {{headofstate|United States of America}}, serving a four-year term.
-==Judicial branch==
+[[Carole De Saram]], who joined NOW in 1970 and was later president of the New York chapter, led a demonstration in 1972 to protest discriminatory banking policies. She encouraged women to withdraw savings from a Citibank branch in protest of their practices, causing a branch to close.<ref>{{cite book |last=Love |first=Barbara J. |title=Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kpNarH7t9CkC&pg=PA112 |date=2006 |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |location=Chicago, Illinois |isbn=978-0-252-03189-2 |page=112}}</ref> NOW led numerous similar protests, and in 1974, their actions led directly to the passage of the [[Equal Credit Opportunity Act]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gelb |first1=Joyce |last2=Palley |first2=Marian Lief |title=Women and Interest Group Politics: A Comparative Analysis of Federal Decision-Making |journal=[[The Journal of Politics]] |date=May 1979 |volume=41 |issue=2 |page=364 |doi=10.2307/2129770 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago, Illinois |issn=0022-3816|jstor=2129770 |s2cid=154473992 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Divall |first=Colin |title=Cultural Histories of Sociabilities, Spaces and Mobilities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnFECgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32|year=2015|publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1-317-31726-5 |page=32}}</ref>
-{{seealso|U.S. judicial system}}
-The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determine the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and make determinations of due process, but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact (except in certain narrow categories of cases such as lawsuits between States).
-It is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.
+==== Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ====
+Advocacy of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] was also an important issue to NOW. The amendment had three primary objectives, which were:<ref>{{cite web|title=Equal Rights Amendment|url=http://www.now.org/issues/economic/eratext.html|publisher=National Organization for Women|access-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008003552/http://www.now.org/issues/economic/eratext.html|archive-date=8 October 2013}}</ref><blockquote>Section 1. Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.
-==See also==
+Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
-*[[Politics of the United States of America]]
-*[[United States Constitution]]
+Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.</blockquote>Efforts were proven successful when Congress passed the amendment in 1972. However, simply passing the amendment in the two houses of Congress did not mean the work was finished. NOW had to direct the efforts of getting the amendment ratified in at least three-fourths of the states (38 out of the 50 states).
-*[[House of Representatives]]
-*[[U.S. Senate]]
+In response to opposing states denying the ratification of the amendment, NOW encouraged members to participate in marches and economic boycotts. "Dozens of organizations supported the ERA and the boycott, including the [[League of Women Voters]], the [[YWCA]] of the U.S., the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]], the [[United Auto Workers]] (UAW), the [[National Education Association]] (NEA), and the [[Democratic National Committee]] (DNC)."
-*[[President of the United States of America]]
-*[[Vice President of the United States of America]]
+As strong as the support was, it was to no avail to the opposition from various groups. These groups included select religious collectives, business and insurance interests, and most visibly was the STOP-ERA campaign led by antifeminist [[Phyllis Schlafly]]. Schlafly argued on the premise that creating equality in the work force or anywhere else would hinder the laws that are instilled for the mere protection of these women. The safety of women was a higher priority than ensuring there is equality in financial and social scenarios. The predicament over the Equal Rights Amendment was not a fight between men and women who abhor men, but rather two groups of women advocating different perspectives on the nature of their lives. The rivalry was sparked in speeches, such as that of Schlafly who began her dialogue by thanking her husband for allowing her to participate in such an activity.<ref>{{cite web |title=57c. The Equal Rights Amendment |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/57c.asp |publisher=Ushistory.org |access-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910050803/http://www.ushistory.org/us/57c.asp |archive-date=10 September 2013 }}</ref>
-*[[Speaker of the House of Representatives]]
-*[[Supreme Court of the United States]]
+Even though the efforts did not prove to be enough to have the amendment ratified, the organization remains active in lobbying legislatures and media outlets on feminist issues.
-*[[Law of the United States]]
-*[[United States of America]]
+==== Abortion ====
-*[[21st United States Congress]]
+Abortion being an individual woman's choice has come into the forefront since the Supreme Court case of ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' in 1973. The decision of the court was that it ultimately was the woman's choice in reproduction. However, according to the National Organization for Women, decisions following the 1973 landmark case had substantially limited this right, which culminated in their response to encourage the [[Freedom of Choice Act]]. The controversy over the landmark case ruling was initiated in the two cases, ''[[Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood]]'' and ''[[Gonzales v. Carhart]]''. These two cases consequently banned abortion methods after 12 weeks of pregnancy.<ref name="prochoiceamerica1">{{cite web|title=Freedom of Choice Acts|url=http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/what-is-choice/fast-facts/foca.html|publisher=NARAL Pro-Choice America|access-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021214925/http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/what-is-choice/fast-facts/foca.html|archive-date=2013-10-21|url-status=live}}</ref>
+''Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood'' and ''Gonzales v. Carhart'' both dealt with the question of whether the 2003 [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]] was unconstitutional for violating the [[Due Process Clause]] of the Fifth Amendment expressed in the ''Roe v. Wade'' case. This act ultimately meant that the concept of partial-birth abortion as defined in the Act as any abortion in which the death of the fetus occurs when "the entire fetal head [...] or [...] any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother" is banned. The Supreme Court ultimately decided 5–4 that it was not unconstitutional and did not hinder a woman's right to an abortion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood|url=https://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2006/2006_05_1382|publisher=The Oyez Project|access-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021212711/http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2006/2006_05_1382|archive-date=2013-10-21|url-status=live}}</ref>
+National Organization for Women claimed it was a disregard to a basic principle stemming from ''Roe v. Wade'', which was to only have legislative restriction on abortion be justified with the intention of protecting women's health. Hence, the support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which primary purpose was to safeguard a woman's access to abortions even if the ''Roe v. Wade'' ruling is further disregarded. As of 2013, there are seven states that have made the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) state law. FOCA will consequently supersede any other law prohibiting abortion in those seven states. They are: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, Wisconsin, Maine, and Washington. In addition, Maryland, Nevada, and Washington were the only three states to adhere via ballot initiative.<ref name="prochoiceamerica1"/>
+Succeeding in the enactment of FOCA would ultimately mean fulfilment of three goals for the National Organization for Women. First, asserting a woman's reproductive right. Second, disseminate information to the public audience about threats posed in the two court cases mentioned above. Third, through the dissemination of information to the public, this in return would mobilize efforts to support female rights in multiple areas that will be presented in the future.<ref>{{cite web|title=Freedom of Choice Act would Guarantee Roe Protections in U.S. Statutes|url=http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/070430foca.html|publisher=National Organization for Women|date=April 30, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807012823/http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/070430foca.html|archive-date=August 7, 2007}}</ref>
+=== Women's Strike for Equality ===
+On August 26, 1970, the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Nineteenth Amendment]] which granted women the right to vote, NOW officially sponsored the Women’s Strike for Equality, a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights. Approximately 10,000<ref name="auto2">{{Cite news|last=Charlton|first=Linda|date=1970-08-27|title=Women March Down Fifth in Equality Drive|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/27/archives/women-march-down-fifth-in-equality-drive-women-march-down-fifth.html|access-date=2021-05-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> women took to the streets of New York City’s [[Fifth Avenue]] for the strike and about 50,000 participants, mostly women, in total all throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gourley|first=Catherine|title=Ms. and the Material Girl: Perceptions of Women from the 1970s to the 1990s|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|year=2008|publication-place=Minneapolis, MN|pages=5–20}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> [[Time (magazine)|Time]] described the event as “easily the largest women’s rights rally since the suffrage protests”.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite magazine|title=The Day Women Went on Strike|url=https://time.com/4008060/women-strike-equality-1970/|access-date=2021-05-29|magazine=Time|language=en}}</ref> The organizers of the strike approved three main goals: [[Abortion|free abortion]] care, 24/7 [[Child care|childcare centers]], and [[equal opportunity]] in jobs and education.<ref name="auto4"/> Other goals included passage of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]], [[political representation]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-03-10|title=The 1970 Women's March for Equality in NYC|url=https://behindthescenes.nyhistory.org/march-for-equality-in-nyc/|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Behind The Scenes|language=en-US}}</ref> and no [[Compulsory sterilization|forced sterilization]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=How the Strike for Equality Relaunched the Struggle for Women's Liberation in the US|url=https://jacobinmag.com/2020/11/womens-strike-equality-liberation-betty-friedan|access-date=2021-05-29|website=jacobinmag.com|language=en-US}}</ref> Public reaction and media coverage were mixed. Many spectators called the demonstrators anti-feminine, "ridiculous exhibitionists,” “a band of wild lesbians”, or [[Communism|Communists]],<ref>{{Cite web|last1=J. D.|first1=Hofstra University|last2=B. A.|first2=English and Print Journalism|title=Why the Women's Strike for Equality in 1970 Was Important|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/the-womens-strike-for-equality-3528989|access-date=2021-05-29|website=ThoughtCo|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fosburgh|first=Lacey|date=1970-08-26|title=Traditional Groups Prefer to Ignore Women's Lib|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/26/archives/traditional-groups-prefer-to-ignore-womens-lib.html|access-date=2021-05-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but the event was generally uninterrupted.<ref name="auto2"/> The strike was a major success. Weeks after the event, NOW’s membership rose by 50 percent, and a [[CBS News]] poll found that four out of five people had heard or read about women’s liberation.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Doherty|first=Maggie|date=2020-08-26|title=Feminist Factions United and Filled the Streets for This Historic March|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/us/womens-strike-for-equality.html|access-date=2021-05-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
+==Core issues==
+NOW campaigns for constitutional equality,<ref name="auto1"/> economic justice,<ref name="auto5"/> [[reproductive rights]],<ref name="auto6"/> [[LGBT rights|LGBTQIA+ rights]]<ref name="lgbtrights"/> and [[racial justice]],<ref name="auto"/> and against [[violence against women]].<ref name="auto3"/>
+===Constitutional equality===
+NOW supports the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] and works to give women explicit protections in the United States Constitution.<ref name="auto1"/>
+===Economic justice===
+NOW advocates for economic justice.<ref name="auto5"/>
+===Reproductive rights===
+NOW supports safe and legal [[abortion]], affordable [[birth control]] and other [[contraception]], and reproductive health education.<ref name="auto6"/>
+===Ending violence against women===
+NOW works to end [[violence against women]].<ref name="auto3"/>
+===Racial justice===
+NOW has been involved in the civil rights struggle since the 1966 and advocates for equal opportunities for women of color in all areas of society, such as employment, education & health care.<ref name="auto"/>
+===LGBTQIA+ rights===
+NOW supports [[LGBT rights|LGBTQIA+ rights]] as one of its core issues.<ref name=lgbtrights /> NOW president [[Terry O'Neill (feminist)|Terry O'Neill]] has said the struggle against [[transphobia]] is a feminist issue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Transphobia Is a Feminist Issue |date=8 September 2014 |url=https://now.org/blog/why-transphobia-is-a-feminist-issue/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref> NOW has affirmed that "trans women are women, trans girls are girls."<ref>{{cite web |title=NOW Celebrates International Transgender Day of Visibility |date=31 March 2021 |url=https://now.org/media-center/press-release/now-celebrates-transgender-day-of-visibility/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref> In a further statement NOW said that "trans women are women. They deserve equal opportunity, health care, a safe community & workplace, and they deserve to play sports. They have a right to have their identity respected without conforming to perceived sex and gender identity standards. We stand with you."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/nationalnow/status/1392515410679930881|title= Trans women are women |publisher=National Organization for Women |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512162240/https://twitter.com/NationalNOW/status/1392515410679930881 |archive-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> NOW has said that "'debate' about trans girls and women in school sports spreads transphobia and bigotry through the false lens of 'fairness'" that amounts to a hate campaign.<ref>{{cite web |title="Debate" about Trans Girls and Women in School Sports Spreads Transphobia and Bigotry Through the False Lens of "Fairness" |date=5 May 2022 |url=https://now.org/blog/debate-about-trans-girls-and-women-in-school-sports-spreads-transphobia-and-bigotry-through-the-false-lens-of-fairness/ |publisher=NOW |access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref> NOW has further said that "waging a hate campaign against trans people is not feminist."<ref>{{cite web |title=Even if Bigots Insist it is, Waging a Hate Campaign Against Trans People is Not Feminist |url=https://now.org/blog/even-if-bigots-insist-it-is-waging-a-hate-campaign-against-trans-people-is-not-feminist/ |publisher=[[National Organization for Women]] |date=25 July 2023}}</ref>
+==Goals==
+[[Betty Friedan]] and [[Pauli Murray]] wrote the organization's Statement of Purpose<ref name="msu.edu"/> in 1966. The statement described the purpose of NOW as "to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men." The six core issues that NOW addresses are abortion and reproductive health services access, violence against women, constitutional equality, promoting diversity/ending racism, lesbian rights, and economic justice, with these issues having various sub-issues. The organization goes about creating these changes through laborious lobbying, rallies, marches, and conferences. NOW focuses on a variety of issues deploying multiple strategies, causing it to be an organization in which a comprehensive goal is envisaged and performed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Key Issues |url=http://www.now.org/issues/ |publisher=National Organization for Women |access-date=2009-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910123838/http://www.now.org/issues/ |archive-date=2009-09-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
+Priorities mentioned above were pursued to ultimately secure constitutional amendments guaranteeing these rights. Even though discrimination on the basis of sex was illegal, the federal government was not taking an active role in enforcing the constitutional amendments and the new policies.<ref name="Schneir 1994 95"/> NOW sought to apply pressure to employers, local governments, and the federal government to uphold anti-discrimination policies. Through litigation, political pressure, and physical marches, NOW members held an authoritative stance leading to recognition in court cases, such as ''[[National Organization for Women v. Scheidler|NOW v. Scheidler]]'' and ''Weeks v. Southern Bell''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tripp|first=Jennifer|title=National Organization for Women|url=http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper200.html|access-date=29 October 2013|publisher=Grand Valley State University|work=Learning To Give|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012004900/http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper200.html|archive-date=2013-10-12|url-status=live}}</ref>
+''NOW v. Scheidler'' revolved around the issue of racketeering to gain support for anti-abortion groups. NOW was suing the groups for utilization of violence and the threat of violence for garnering support. The violence varied from physical barriers into entrances of abortion clinic to arson and bombings of those clinics. The plaintiff accused the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN) of unethically seizing the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies and argued that this right needed to be defended. The case was a success in terms of the class action suit "brought against terrorists by those they had terrorized".<ref>[http://heinonline.org/HOL/LuceneSearch?terms=%2262%20Alb.%20L.%20Rev.%20%20967%22&collection=journals&searchtype=advanced&submit=Go&sections=any&sections=external&other_cols=yes&cited_by=true&sortby=cited_by 62 Alb. L. Rev. 967 (1998–1999) NOW v. Scheidler: Protecting Women's Access to Reproductive Health Services] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503134926/http://heinonline.org/HOL/LuceneSearch?terms=%2262%20Alb.%20L.%20Rev.%20%20967%22&collection=journals&searchtype=advanced&submit=Go&sections=any&sections=external&other_cols=yes&cited_by=true&sortby=cited_by |date=2015-05-03 }}; Clayton, Fay; Love, Sara N.</ref>
+However the case was dismissed based on the mere definition of racketeering because racketeering must have an economic inclination, and there was no evidence to prove PLAN had this financial intention. This does not mean it was not a significant case. It brought light and recognition to National Organization for Women and its goals. If anything, it galvanized the organization to strengthen its tactics.<ref>Oyez Project: [http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper200.html NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (NOW) v. SCHEIDLER] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012004900/http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper200.html |date=2013-10-12 }}</ref>
+''Weeks v. Southern Bell'' had the same effect, but this is an example where those galvanized efforts proved beneficial. This concerned discriminatory practices against women in the workplace. [[Lorena Weeks]], employee of Southern Bell, claimed she was being discriminated against via exclusion to higher paying positions within the company. Sylvia Roberts acted as her attorney, supporting Week's grievances with the accusation of the company's violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII is enabled to "protect individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of race and color, as well as national origin, sex, and religion". With this premise, Weeks, with the aid of Sylvia Roberts, succeeded in 1969 after making an appeal. The trial not only served as the triumph of National Organization for Women, but brought to life legislation made to the intentions of organizations, such as NOW.<ref>[http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL263LWSB-ead.xml;query=;brand=default Lorena Weeks Files related to Weeks v. Southern Bell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118193737/http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead%2FRBRL263LWSB-ead.xml%3Bquery%3D%3Bbrand%3Ddefault |date=2016-01-18 }}, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.</ref>
+==Organizational media==
+NOW published a national newsletter, ''Do It NOW'', beginning in 1970, edited by [[Muriel Fox]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Love|first=Barbara J. |title=Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kpNarH7t9CkC&pg=PA154|year=2006|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Urbana, Illinois|isbn=978-0-252-03189-2|page=154}}</ref> From 1977, the journal has been known as the ''National NOW Times'' ({{ISSN|0149-4740}}).<ref>{{cite book |title=National NOW times : official journal of the National Organization for Women (NOW) |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/520213 |website=searchworks.stanford.edu |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822161507/https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/520213 |archive-date=22 August 2018 |location=Stanford, California |date=2006}}</ref>
+==Presidents==
+The following women have led the National Organization for Women:<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrating Our Presidents|url=http://www.now.org/history/past_presidents.html|publisher=National Organization for Women|access-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121153357/http://www.now.org/history/past_presidents.html|archive-date=21 January 2010}}</ref>
+*[[Betty Friedan]], 1966–1970
+*[[Aileen Hernandez]], 1970–1971
+*[[Wilma Scott Heide]], 1971–1974
+*[[Karen DeCrow]], 1974–1977
+*[[Eleanor Smeal]], 1977–1982
+*[[Judy Goldsmith]], 1982–1985
+*[[Eleanor Smeal]], 1985–1987
+*[[Molly Yard]], 1987–1991
+*[[Patricia Ireland]], 1991–2001
+*[[Kim Gandy]], 2001–2009
+*[[Terry O'Neill (feminist)|Terry O'Neill]], 2009–2017
+*[[Toni Van Pelt]], 2017–2020
+*[[Christian Nunes]], 2020–present
+==Criticism==
+NOW has been criticized by various [[anti-abortion]], [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]], and [[fathers' rights movement|fathers' rights]] groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pncqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4576,2703172|title=NOW Seeking Abortion Summit|last=Cimons|first=Marlene|date=8 February 1979|work=The Pittsburgh Press|access-date=28 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=23wkAAAAIBAJ&pg=1850,6833582&dq=national-organization-for-women+father%27s+rights&hl=en|title=Women wary of man's bid to crash panel|last=Susman|first=Carolyn|date=30 July 1986|work=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=28 October 2013}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e6VOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3552,2671261&dq=national-organization-for-women+conservatives&hl=en|title=Conservatives urge Reagan to deny 'leftists' grants|date=8 April 1982|work=Lakeland Ledger|access-date=28 October 2013}}</ref> During the 1990s, NOW was criticized by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' for having a [[double standard]] when it refused to support [[Paula Jones]] in her sexual harassment suit against former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] President [[Bill Clinton]], while calling for the resignation of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politician [[Bob Packwood]], who was accused of similar assault by 10 women.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/23/news/mn-42260|title=NOW Won't Back Paula Jones, Cites Her Backers|last=Jackson|first=Robert|date=23 April 1998|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029222633/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/23/news/mn-42260|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=live}}</ref> The Jones suit was later dismissed by U.S. District Judge [[Susan Webber Wright]], ruling that Mrs. Jones' allegations, even if true, would not qualify as a case of sexual harassment. Jones appealed but later dropped her suit after reaching a settlement out of court for $850,000.  Judge Webber Wright later held President Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky in the Paula Jones lawsuit, marking the first time that a sitting president has been sanctioned for disobeying a court order.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/13/clinton.usa1|title=Clinton pays Paula Jones $850,000|date=13 January 1999|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-11-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201045516/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/13/clinton.usa1|archive-date=2017-12-01|url-status=live}}</ref>
+NOW is regarded as one of the main [[liberal feminism|liberal feminist]] organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for [[gender equality]] within the existing political system.<ref name=Dolan>{{cite book |last1=Dolan |first1=Jill |title=The Feminist Spectator as Critic |date=1991 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=9780472081608 |page=4}}</ref> NOW has been criticized for not supporting [[anti-abortion]] feminists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2008/11/10/feminists-can-be-pro-life/|title=Feminists can be pro-life|last=Seager|first=Ilana|date=10 November 2008|publisher=Yale Daily News|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029214704/http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2008/11/10/feminists-can-be-pro-life/|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/meet-the-bold-new-feminists/|title=Meet the Bold 'New Feminists'|last=Browder|first=Sue Ellen|date=1 August 2013|publisher=National Catholic Register|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029221520/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/meet-the-bold-new-feminists/|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=live}}</ref> Some members, such as LA NOW chapter president [[Tammy Bruce]] left NOW, saying they oppose putting liberal and partisan policy positions above equality for all women. Tammy Bruce has attacked NOW for not doing enough to advocate for international women's rights, but instead attacking the [[George W. Bush]] [[White House]] for their conservative positions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.feministing.com/archives/009415.html |title=Feministing's Top Ten Anti-Feminist Videos! - Feministing |access-date=2009-11-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080828222719/http://www.feministing.com/archives/009415.html |archive-date=2008-08-28 }}</ref> Accusations of putting politics above feminism began in 1982, the year the [[Equal Rights Amendment|ERA]] was defeated, when NOW, under President [[Judy Goldsmith]], fiercely opposed [[Reaganomics]] and endorsed the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[Frank Lautenberg|opponent]] of Republican feminist Congresswoman [[Millicent Fenwick]] due to Fenwick's support of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s economic agenda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=2732|title=Views of NOW – The National Organization for Women|date=11 October 1982|publisher=NBC Today Show|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203346/http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=2732|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/28/us/the-rising-force-of-women-s-pacs.html|title=THE RISING FORCE OF WOMEN'S PACS|last=Salmans|first=Sandra|date=28 June 1984|work=The New York Times|page=22|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113214319/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/28/us/the-rising-force-of-women-s-pacs.html|archive-date=2013-11-13|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Neal |first=Steve |date=29 November 1985 |title=Can't The Women Play This Game? |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-11-29-8503220695-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=28 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210617/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-11-29/news/8503220695_1_aurelia-pucinski-state-ticket-republican-women |archive-date=2013-10-29}}</ref>
+Additionally, Deborah Watkins, who was once the President of the Dallas Chapter of NOW, left NOW in 2003 to found, in the same year, the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the [[National Coalition for Men]], stating she grew tired of what she considered "hypocrisy" and "male bashing" at NOW.<ref>[http://www.ncfm.org/?page_id=138 History of the National Coalition for Men] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104223950/http://www.ncfm.org/?page_id=138 |date=2010-01-04 }} "Both the Los Angeles, California and Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas chapters were approved in 2003. Dallas/Ft. Worth was founded by Deborah Watkins, the former President of the Dallas chapter of the National Organization of Women who had grown tired of what she considered hypocrisy and male bashing by NOW."</ref>
+NOW was criticised by Fox News' [[Megyn Kelly]] in 2014 for by putting [[Little Sisters of the Poor]] on their 'Dirty 100" list'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/07/08/little-sisters-poor-named-now%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98dirty-100%E2%80%99-list|title=Little Sisters of the Poor Named on NOW's 'Dirty 100' List?!|date=8 July 2014|publisher=Fox News|access-date=9 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712010340/http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/07/08/little-sisters-poor-named-now%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98dirty-100%E2%80%99-list|archive-date=2014-07-12|url-status=live}}</ref>
+==External links==
+* [http://www.now.org/ National Organization for Women (NOW)] official website
+* [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0149-4740 National NOW Times] on [[WorldCat]]
+=== Records ===
+* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utsa/00034/utsa-00034.html A Guide to the San Antonio Chapter of the National Organization for Women Records], [[University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries)]] Special Collections.
+* [https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/8/resources/6151 Additional Records of the National Organization for Women, 1970–2011]. [https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library Schlesinger Library], Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
+* [http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv45971/op=fstyle.aspx?t=k&q=WAULatourellElaine4587.xml Elaine Latourell Papers]. 1970–1977. 8.42 cubic feet (9 boxes). At the [http://lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/laws Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections]. Contains records from Latourell's service as a leader of the National Organization for Women between 1970 and 1980.
+* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utsa/00173/utsa-00173.html Inventory of the Texas Chapter of the National Organization for Women Records], [[University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries)]] Special Collections.
+* [https://scua2.sdsu.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=52&q=now National Organization for Women (NOW), San Diego Chapter Records, 1964–1984] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219044501/https://scua2.sdsu.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections%2Ffindingaid&id=52&q=now |date=2018-12-19 }}, [[San Diego State University]] Special Collections.
+* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt567nd7s5/ National Organization for Women, San Jose/South Bay Chapter Records], [[San Jose State University]] Special Collections.
+* [https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/764 National Organization for Women. Springfield (Mass.) Chapter], at Smith College.
+* [http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00300 Records, 1959–2002 (inclusive), 1966–1998 (bulk)]. [http://radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library Schlesinger Library], Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
+* [https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/1605 National Organization for Women, Maryland Chapter records] at the [[University of Maryland Libraries|University of Maryland libraries]]
+* [https://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/finding-aids/D417 National Organization for Women, Rochester chapter records], Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, [[University of Rochester]]
+==Attribution==
+{{WPAttribution}}
+==Footnotes==
+<small>
+<references>
+</references>
+</small>