Dulles NOW
Breaks Away 
For Immediate Release, Dulles NOW Chapter
February 26, 1998

Dismayed by the long silence of the NOW National Leadership on the matter of  Sexual Harassment Law under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964 as its consequences unfold at the White House; surprised at the misleading  public statements made by them on the issue, the Dulles Area Chapter of  NOW
voted tonight to:

1. Call for the immediate resignation of the National Officers and of the National Board.

2. Disassociate itself from the main office until such changes have taken place and become a dissent Chapter.

The original intent of NOW was to stand for the rights of all women  in all facets of society in a non-partisan manner, a creed we adhere to. Given NOW's vociferous stand against Supreme Court Justice Thomas,  Senator Packwood, the United States Armed Forces and others, the  apparent sharp departure of the National Leadership from past conduct  has led to accusations of double-standard and hypocrisy all across the  United States. As such, we believe that the national Officers and the  National Board Members have damaged the credibility of NOW to the degree that it may not be able to recover from it;. We cannot, in conscience,  be party to this.

As we wait the resolution of the White House legal tangles, and without  passing judgment on the cases, we sincerely wish President Clinton well. These are profoundly painful issues for those in our Chapter who voted  for him, but we shall nevertheless continue to advise women of the  democratic ways by which they can express their political support. It  has taken over 25 years of struggle on the part of thousands of women  for the creation of sexual harassment laws. Out of respect for the  sacrifices of those who stood up without legal protection and who  suffered the destruction that went with it, we Dulles NOW feminists  cannot allow the trampling of these rights by our own leadership.