Exhibit Entry Information Title: Woman vs Woman Name(s): McKayla Howerton and Alexa Delgado Division: Junior (Junior/Senior) Individual/ Group Group: Number of Student Composed Words on 497 words Exhibit: (Optional) Link to Any Audio or Video [Type Here] on Exhibit (no more than 3 minutes total): Picture of Entire Exhibit Thesis Statement Thesis Statement After decades of participation in the Feminist Movement, members of the lesbian community were asked to “step back” out of public view in 1970. As a result, the Lavender Menace organized in protest, forcing the National Organization for Women (NOW) to rethink their position. Within a year, members of the lesbian community had formed numerous consciousness-raising organizations to promote women’s issues and were no longer asked to hide in the shadows. Today, women of all walks of life continue to rally against the barriers of gender equality. Picture of Left Panel Picture & Text on Left Panel: Top Early Feminism “Feminism, really, is the social awakening of the women of all the world.” Charlotte Perkins Gilman The First Wave: 1848-1920 First-wave feminism refers to the first sustained political movement dedicated to achieving political equality for women: the suffragettes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation because in the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.” Lucretia Mott Equal Rights Amendment “There is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” Alice Paul, author of the ERA Following the passage of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, Alice Paul introduced the first Equal Rights Amendment in 1923. The amendment stated, “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” The ERA was introduced in every session of Congress from 1923 until it passed in 1972. Picture & Text on Left Panel: Bottom The Second Wave: 1960-1980 Second Wave feminism focused on issues of discrimination and equality. Their slogan was, “The Personal is Political.” They wanted women to see that their personal life was linked with political restrictions on women’s rights. “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.” Margaret Sanger Betty Friedan used the term Feminine Mystique to describe the assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity and child rearing alone. The National Organization for Women is an American feminist organization founded by Betty Friedan in 1966. “NOW’s purpose is to take action and promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.” Picture of Center Panel Picture & Text on Center Panel: Top 1 of 2 Lavender Menace In 1969, Betty Friedan, the president of NOW, used the term Lavender Menace to describe the threat that lesbianism posed to NOW and the women’s movement. Thesis Statement After decades of participation in the Feminist Movement, members of the lesbian community were asked to “step back” out of public view in 1970. As a result, the Lavender Menace organized in protest, forcing the National Organization for Women (NOW) to rethink their position. Within a year, members of the lesbian community had formed numerous consciousness-raising organizations to promote women’s issues and were no longer asked to hide in the shadows. Today, women of all walks of life continue to rally against the barriers of gender equality. On May 1, 1970, the Second Congress to Unite Women, sponsored by NOW, was held in New York City. Radical feminists protested the exclusion of lesbian rights issues from the agenda. Picture & Text on Center Panel: Top 2 of 2 “In May of 1970, Brown and others, calling themselves the Radicalesbians, dyed two dozen shirts lavender and silkscreened the words “Lavender Menace” across them. Then Griffo and another activist showed up at the Second Congress to Unite Women. They pretended to have been sent by NOW to check on the light board in the auditorium. Once inside, they shut off the lights, plunging the auditorium, which held about 400 women, into total darkness. When the lights came back on, 17 women in Lavender Menace t-shirts had taken the stage.” Nina Renata Aron Picture & Text on Center Panel: Bottom 1 of 2 “We took seats all around the conference, and when the lights went back on-like Superman, we removed our blouses and stood up wearing our Lavender menace t-shirts.” Ellen Shumsky “Yes, yes, sisters! I’m tired of being in the closet because of the women’s movement.” Karla Jay “Who wants to join us?” Rita Mae Brown Opposition “The equal rights amendment will take away the right of a wife to be supported by her husband in a home provided by her husband and the right to have her husband support her minor children. There are only three groups that stand to profit by passage of this amendment—the prostitutes, the homosexuals, and the lesbians.” Phyllis Schlafly “Feeling pressure from anti-feminists, Betty Friedan said lesbians would be a detriment to the cause, and she asked them to take a step back.” Laine Kaplan-Levenson, New Orleans Public Radio Picture & Text on Center Panel: Bottom 2 of 2 “Lesbian is a label invented by the Man to throw at any woman who dares to be his equal, who dares to challenge his prerogatives (including that of all women as part of the exchange medium among men), who dares to assert the primacy of her own needs.” The Woman-Identified Woman Radicalesbians Within that year, NOW adopted a resolution recognizing lesbian rights as “a legitimate concern of feminism.” “Consciousness-Raising is a significant part . to winning and guaranteeing radical changes for women in society . Through shared experiences and greater understanding, one discovers new necessity for action.” Kathie Sarachild Picture of Right Panel Picture & Text on Right Panel: Top The Legacy The Third-Fourth Wave: 1991-Present Confusion surrounds the defining factors of these waves, but they seem to focus on how race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual-orientation and gender intertwine to define feminism. In 2006, Tarana Burke, founded the “Me Too” movement, which is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about sexual harassment, abuse and assault in society. “Learn to be yourself, be proud of who you are and be encouraging to each other . Learn to be who you want to be and to find your way.” Edie Daly “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Audre Lorde “I think the Lavender Menace awakened the feminist movement in an important way. Feminists realized they could not ignore the plight of lesbians, or anyone who is a part of the LGBTQ community.” Dr. Sunu Kodumthara, Southwestern Oklahoma State University Picture & Text on Right Panel: Bottom 1 of 2 “[The Lavender Menace] allowed women to speak truth to power and to present their true self. Not only to the society at large but to themselves.” Toni Van Pelt, NOW President Conclusion The Lavender Menace awakened the feminist movement in a significant way. Feminists realized they could not ignore the situation of lesbians or any individual who is a part of the LGBTQ community. For years, the Feminist Movement mostly represented white, working-class women. “Insignificant” women had to fight their way into the movement and make their voices heard and represented. The Lavender Menace woke women up to this disparity and encouraged new movements that have an important impact in today's fight for equality for groups of people around the world. Picture & Text on Right Panel: Bottom 2 of 2 “Barriers that Face the Feminist Movement: · Gender Wage Gap · Psychological Stigmas · Reproductive Healthcare · Anti-feminist Women” Terry O’Neill, NOW President 2009-2017 Map of the U.S. showing the states that have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (1973-2018), including Virginia who ratified it in January of 2020. “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Audre Lorde Items on Table Items on table include primary source books: ● The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan ● Tales of The Lavender Menace by Karla Jay ● Feminist Fantasies by Phyllis Schlafly Feminist Movement and LGBTQ protest signs made by McKayla Howerton Woman vs Woman McKayla Howerton Alexa Delgado Junior Division Group Exhibit Student Composed: 497 words Process Paper: 490 words Process Paper We chose the Lavender Menace because it is not a well-known topic and more people need to know about the once small group and its impact on today's equality. The Lavender Menace broke barriers in sexual orientation discrimination in the Feminist Movement. After decades of participation in the Feminist Movement, members of the lesbian community were asked to “step back” out of public view in 1970. As a result, the Lavender Menace organized in protest, forcing the National Organization for Women (NOW) to rethink their position. Within a year, members of the lesbian community formed numerous consciousness-raising organizations to promote women’s issues and were no longer asked to hide in the shadows. Today, women of all walks of life continue to rally against the barriers of gender equality. We began our research in October in our school library and with access to internet sources. We read numerous secondary sources about feminism, the Equal Rights Amendment, the 2nd Congress to Unite Women and lesbian issues.