Press Releases

No Capes, No Masks, No Boundaries: Feminist Super-Women Unite! 2008 National NOW Conference Lands in D.C. Area, July 18-20

Released on July 11, 2008

Borrowing inspiration from the rise of powerful women in politics, this year the National Organization for Women’s national conference is honoring the super woman in all of us. Our theme this year – “No Capes, No Masks, No Boundaries: Feminist Super-Women Unite!” — celebrates the breakthroughs that women are making: our power, our progress, and the strength that women exhibit every day in the face of adversity. We need not be superhuman heroes who fly or dodge bullets — our pride, passion and resilience make us extraordinary.

NOW’s Intrepid Awards Gala to Honor Phenomenal Women on July 17

Released on July 10, 2008

Since 2003, the National Organization for Women and the NOW Foundation has saluted resolutely courageous, fearless and bold women from a variety of fields at our annual Intrepid Awards Gala. This year we will be honoring five amazing women on July 17 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.: One Year Later and NOT a Happy Anniversary, Congressional Solution Still Not in Sight

Released on May 29, 2008

How long do working women have to wait? And how many will be short-changed before Congress restores their ability to seek redress for pay discrimination?

It has been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court upended years of court precedent and effectively gutted a civil rights statute that gave victims of paycheck discrimination the right to sue their employers. In the decision, a 5-4 majority of the Court said that Lilly Ledbetter should have made her claim within 180 days of the company’s first offense — her first discriminatory paycheck — nearly 20 years earlier.

California Supreme Court Rules Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional, NOW Says Equal Treatment is Overdue

Released on May 15, 2008

California made history again today. In a 4-3 vote, the state’s highest court ruled that gay and lesbian couples should be granted legal rights to marriage. “The California Supreme Court did what was right, and that is to give everyone – regardless of sexual orientation – the fundamental right to civil marriage,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “This decision will allow thousands and thousands of committed couples to be legally married in the highest populated state in our country.”

House Passes Bill to Honor Woman Suffragist Leader Alice Paul with the Congressional Gold Medal

Released on May 15, 2008

Today the House of Representatives recognized Alice Paul for her role in winning women’s suffrage by passing legislation to award her the Congressional Gold Medal. Paul was one of the leading figures responsible for the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote and penned the early version of the Equal Rights Amendment that would enshrine women in the Constitution. This long overdue honor recognizes Alice Paul as one of the great women in history for her work to promote women’s rights, freedom and equality.