• TABLE OF CONTENTS
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 Conflict mars Florida IWD...
 Radical ravings
 Woman assert yourself !
 International Women's Day














Group Title: WomaNews : Gainesville's Feminist Newspaper.
Title: WomaNews : Gainesville's Feminist Newspaper. August 1977.
ALL ISSUES CITATION THUMBNAILS ZOOMABLE PAGE IMAGE
Full Citation
STANDARD VIEW MARC VIEW
Permanent Link: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00076708/00028
 Material Information
Title: WomaNews : Gainesville's Feminist Newspaper. August 1977.
Uniform Title: WomaNews : Gainesville's Feminist Newspaper
Physical Description: Newspaper
Language: English
Publisher: Women Unlimited, Inc
Publication Date: August 1977
 Subjects
Spatial Coverage: United States -- Florida -- Alachua -- Gainesville
Coordinates: 29.665245 x -82.336097 ( Place of Publication )
 Record Information
Bibliographic ID: UF00076708
Volume ID: VID00028
Source Institution: University of Florida
Rights Management: All rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.
Resource Identifier: oclc - 37184255

Table of Contents
    Conflict mars Florida IWD conference
        Cover
    Radical ravings
        Page 2
    Woman assert yourself !
        Page 3
    International Women's Day
        Page 4
Full Text




Abortion Decision A Miscarriage of Justice


Kat Powell
The United States Supreme
Court decided, on June 20, that a
federal and state cutoff of Medicaid
funds for abortion is constitution-
al.
This decision is a reversal from
previous Supreme Court rulings of
the rights of women. In 1973 the
court decided in Roe v. Wade that
a woman's right to choose to abort
is "fundamental," and is protected
from any governmental intrustion,
unless there can be shown
"compelling state interest."
In another decision, Doe v.
Bolton, the court held that any


state interest during the first
trimester of pregnancy was
insufficient to justify state
interference with the right to
abortion.
Medicaid funds will still be used
for free medical services to poor
women who wish to bear a child.
By denying these services to poor
women who wish to exercise their
right to abortion, it as argued
before the court that this would
violate both the woman's right to
make her choice unhindered by
Government, and the equal
protection clause of the
Constitution.


The court disagreed, declaring
that states may "make a value
judgment favoring childbirth over
abortion, and .. implement that
judgment by the allocation of
public funds."
Justice Thurgood Marshall, the
only black member in the
Supreme Court's history,
dissented from the majority's
decision, along with Justices
Harry A. Blackmun, who wrote
the 1973 rulings, and William J.
Brennan.

Annually, there are approximat-


ely one million abortions
performed in the United States,
close to a third are through the
Medicaid program. Of the poor
women who obtain abortions
through Medicaid, nearly one-
third are nonwhite.

Justice Marshall said the court's
decision would "brutally coerce
poor women to bear children who
society will scorn for every day of
their lives." He argued for the poor
woman's "chance of escaping the
cycle of poverty," and her chance
to "control the direction of her
own life .."


Marshall fears that "under
extraordinary pressure from well-
financed and carefully orchestra-
ted lobbying campaigns," public
officials .will approve more
restrictions on women's freedom
of choice.


It is now up to the legislators
whether or not to provide funds
for poor women who want
abortions. Massachusetts, Illinois,
Michigan and Wisconsin are on
the verge of joining the 15 other
states that have already banned
their abortion programs.




In September our 8 page issue
will focus on aspects of Women in
business. Deadline for submission
will be August. 17.


Conflict Mars Florida IWD Conference


Jule M. Wilson 40 delegates. Caucuses held late at Rights Amendment was the focal Houston in November. But since
The Florida Women's Confer- night strengthened their bond and point of a two-hour session held they were not voted on in the final
eke lon Observance ofe together they learned strategy Saturday afternoon that resulted session, the delegates will not be
International Woman's Decade through the help of more politically in a stalemate since no vote count permitted to vote on them
held July 13 5 in Orlando ended astute women such as: Edna Saffy, could be taken ard participants nationally. The final election count
with thJuy 15 in Olanf 40 dele d Alyce McAdam,. Diana Cuppy, seemed to be equally divided on says 13 anti-ERA and 27 pro-
S tthe n-w en of Floidas in Mary Ann Sherman and Polly the issue. ERA women elected to the
,~me of-Fldrn u d S av ight there-wasa Florida slate.
l NatinlConfrenc The3- a aua fe learning. rrce ri ia-our o rwfre.....
,National pCo re-cipiate cui those women not aware of the and needs. At this time a minister, conference was for "every woman
c nferenrome boprecipat ansa processes involved in the Reverend Book, attracted much
ns from bh te ri ad fr historically male dominated attention. He approached the
male" i atsd was gd political arena. A group of microphone as if it were a pulpit -
hmanepura _e .. resolutions were worked on to be gesturing wildly and bringing anti- A I '
.-rhe process egan Friday night s to their eetwith OS
with dele..gate.n ..nations. It w presented in strategic workshops ERA forces to their feet with his O i
with del-egate nominations. I was o
on Saturday. The workshops set motions.
ee w the stage for submitting Sunday morning at the last
-essenifally two, factions anti-
en pro-A forces. The ant- A resolutions that would be voted on plenary session, pro- ERA forces
and pro-ERA sfoese anti-ERA in a general session Sunday wore black armbands to mourn Robin P. Wagener
faction wascomposed of men and morning. Thirty-three resolutions the death of Alice Paul, a
rwome frod nt various church were submitted at the end of suffragette who helped draft the Three women havebened staff
groups and anti-feminists and Saturday's sessions. These first ERA amendment in 1923. to new Women Unlimited staff
abortion opponents. Terms such s on ee first ERA amendment in 1923. positions established with funds
as"pro-life" and "pro-family" were contained proposals concerning She died in a New Jersey nursing granted by the Department of
utilized to attract support nd issues related to the ERA home last week. The session was La
attention. The pro ERA abortion, lesbian rights, minority supposed to report on the
attention p The pro-ERA om women's rights, day care for resolutions elected in Saturdays The Steering Committee, after
comprised a sphere of women working parents, and the workshops, make remarks, then month spent considering ten
including The League of Women displaced homemaker. vote on their passage. Since there applicants, hired Stephanie
Voters, Feminists Health Groups, During the workshop Saturday was not aquorum(only 1,310were Weissinger as Executive
Women's Political Coordinator of the Center,
Women's Po l Caucus, voting took place for the 40 present of the 2,700 registered), Coor r f the Cente
National Organization for Rosalee Miller as Business
WmNational Orgsanization for delegates. The process was poorly none of the resolutions could Rosalee Mller as Busiess
Women,RadicalLesbians,Business organized as reflected in the 4 to 6 come before the session so the Manaer of WomanStore, and
and Professional Women, and Jamie Kahn as Communications
and Professil Wo and hour wait. This in itself kept many chairperson adjourned the e a as
Women s Studies Group and wh from participating. Also, due to the meeting at 10:40 a.m. As it stands Specialist.
varsity Falty Wmen, w long wait in voting lines, presently, all the resolutions The grant provides salaries for
met to form the Feminist g g -" one year for these women who
met to-form the Feminist ,attendance at the workshops and decided on in the Florida one year for these women who
Coalition. Given the one hour workshops n hold the only paid positions at the
proposed time for additional sessions was curtailed. The Equal workshops will be taken to Center. Their work will enable
proposed time for additional Center. Their work will enable
nomination to the original slate of Women Unlimited to fulfill grant
40, 23 new nominees were added. project objectives of reaching
It was here that one could view more Gainesville women with
politics in action. Tactics to obtain services and activities, and
the the microphone spots, developing the potential for the
monopolize time and gain employment of women.
attention were utilized by both 4 Linda Bassham, WomanStore
factions. The dissident group of 9 Chairperson, stated that, in her
anti-ERA forces were able to add opinion, "The major significance of
only 13 persons from their these position is that women are
coalition. They protested being paid a living wage for
vehemently to Chairperson Gwen I performing important, meaningful
Cherry, (D-Miami) and were work which benefits us all rather
advised that the one hour limit was than trying to perform the same
within federal guidelines. The -- work on a volunteer basis."
mention of federal guidelines The Executive Coordinator,
resulted in a telegram to President after a period of familiarization
Carter asking him to investigate with the Center, will organize the
the proceedings. Photo by Abby Walters records and files of Women
The Feminist Coalition decided Unlimited and begin, planning
to solidly back most of the original Betsy McGrady grabs the mike at IWD Conferehce. programs and expanding Center

-`:, -.::~ -i ~ ~ -k-~i-; --: f.~ .


of Florida" to discuss, explore, and
celebrate womanhood." In reality,
it was a long arduous battle over
the central issue of the ERA with
both sides claiming victory in the
end. Some views expressed by
women as they left included "the
need to organized and for
rd I Mt niaII~~U~


"IWD" continued-page 4


ions Filled


Rosalee Miller, Business
Manager
activities. Another major part.of
her work will be to research future-
grant possibilities and other
financial help for the Center.
Rosalee Miller, former Director
of the Center, is optimistic about
plans to establish a WomanStore
mailorder business. As Business
Manager, her first task is to
,improve the financial base of the
Store before she begins the
process of cataloging books for
mail order. Rosahe believes this is
a very important step because she
"would like to make the resources
of WomanStore available to
women in the Southeast who,
except for a mailorder catalog,
would otherwise be unable to
acquire them."

"WU Positions" cont. page 3


"Gainesville's Feminist Newspaper"








Published by Women Unlimited, Inc.

VOLUME III, NUMBER 5 GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA AUGUST 1977


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I "II M ANMS, AUGUST 1977


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SLetters to the Editor
earEditor, 2
L Can a conference, whose
structure inevitably leads to the
spectacle of one woman grabbing
the microphone to shout at other
women, "You're not even capable
of thinking for yourselves," have
any redeeming value, social or
otherwise, for the women's
movement?
Or is the government-
sponsored conference the latest
strategy (replacing the infiltrator
and/or provocateur) for
undermining 'undesirable' political
movements?
If one were to design a vehicle
for magnifying the differences
within a political movement, I o
suspect an effective format would c
be as follows: v
1. Appoint a powerful organizing h
committee heavily weighted in v
one or another direction (it E
doesn't matter which one, anti- fi
ERA and anti-abortion people u
would have done as well).


WORKSHOPS
Sexuality
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Yoga
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Menstruation


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2. Unelected bodies will then
define the goals of the
conference as acceptance or
rejection of a pre-determined
slate of delegates and set of
resolutions. This will assure
that energy will be diverted
from examining issues to
mindless support or attack.
3. Utilize floor rules to keep the
pre-selected conference goals
intact. Stalling tactics leave
much unstructured time
inevitably used for emotional
sloganeering instead of
exploring areas of commonali-
tv.
Even then there could be
opportunities for negative unity;
complaining about inadequate
oting facilities which meant a five-
hour lineup and virtual inability of
others to also attend workshops.
lut the focus was on competition
or the designated prizes. One
wonders if winning delegates to a
"Letters" cont. paqe 4


VACKER 1 tOP rtc.


"In the name of Jee-zus Christ,
step on this bus and join us in
defending the Christian home
against the devil's forces!"
This appeared to be the theme
of the Far Right as they set out to
make themselves seen and heard
at the Florida International
Women's Year conference in
Orlando. And they were seen and
heard.
We'll, I'll tell you something: it
was a place for women, but
certainly not for men or children.
Most of the men who were there
were members of the Extreme
Right, were not mature, and did
not know how to behave. A large,
300-pound man tried to jumpon a
black woman and it took several
policemen to subdue him. And
with God as my witness, that man
was a .pastor for a Church of
Christ (yes, I did say Christ, as in
Jesus!) It was crazy. There were
people running around wearing
orange emblems, knocking dowh
ERA banners, and imagine my
surprise when I saw one of the Far
Right women run up to a feminist
and strike her!
At one point I remember asking
the Gainesville delegation to
conduct a seance for Emily Post,
but we couldn't get a quorum.
Politically, the IWY Conference
raised more issues than it solved.
Look, if you will, at the Reverend
John Book, the portly leader
mentioned earlier, who organized
80-100 Maitland, Florida women
and brought .them to--the.
,. r. -. .


care, abortion, another r men'
issues, Mr. Book is head of agroup-
called NEVER .-"Never Ever
Vote Equal Rights." He attacks
pro-women forces physically by
pushing them with his abundant
stomach, and uses verbal violence
as well.
Gainesville ERA-Coalition
leader Dianna Cuppy was present
when Mr. Book attacked Senator
Lori Wilson after an ERA
workshop. "You mother must
have been a dog to have" a
daughter like you," he announced
over a microphone to hundreds of
surprised onlookers. At the
Saturday night Speak-Out, Book
denounced the conference as a
"rally of demagogues promoting
lesbianism."
What's amazing is that this man
is using religion for the purposes of
political organizing. Let us side-
step the issue of using the name of
the Deity in a destructive and
sacrilegious manner. Let us deal
with how we as American


By Sallie Ann Harrison
taxpayers are being taken for a
ride.
Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair
for years has protested the fact
that churches are tax exempt, and
that church property is tax
exempt. Well, if you don't mind me
saying so, I thought she was a little
"far out." That was before I
realized that the Catholic Church
was taking money out of the
collection plate and putting it into a
campaign to overturn our
Supreme Court decision on
abortion. And if I had a dime for
every dollar the Catholics,
Mormons, and Southern Baptists
had spent on defeating the ERA,
High Hefner would be hanging
around my back door asking for
hand-outs. Yes, no doubt about it
the taxpayers are being taken,
while the right-wing goes around
to churches asking folks to block
legislation in the name of Christ.
Consider this: Phyllis Schafly's
Eagle Forum features not only
regular anti-woman propaganda,
but in addition long pitches on why
we should keep the Panama
Canal' The John Birch Society


(renamed the Conservative
Caucus). which is on sleeping
terms with the Anti-Women's
Movement, is comprised of large
numbers of retired military men.
And if there's a doubt as to where
the military stands on women's
rights, ask General Westmoreland
about how he feels about having
women enrolled at West Point..
I must confess that in the midst
of writing this column, I decided
that things couldn't really be so
berserk, and that I was taking this
prospect of a growing right wing
conspiracy entirely too seriously.
So I went downstairs and picked
up the newspaper, only to be
greeted by a letter on the editorial
page denouncing "the communist
way of doing things" at the
conference and deploring the
"liberals" who got the majority of-
the delegates. (This letter was
written by Sharon Polk, Pres. of
Women for Responsible
Legislation, Gainesville Chapter,
to the Gainesville Sun.
So what does all this mean,
anyway? Well, I sure don't have
"Ravings," cont. page 4


"' '* "'- .

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Steering Committee Chairperson
Diana Ormond
Advertising Manager
Kat Powell


378-2780


Staff Facilitator
Ellyn Cowels
Production Manager
SJanis Mara


Photographers Abby Walters, Dawn Onesty
Columnist Sallie Ann Harrison
News Editor Sylvia Lehnen
Staff Marcia Belcher,
Robin Wagener,
Sylvia Lehnen, Fran Towk,
Jamie Kahn.
Circulation Idania Alvarez, Helen Zipperer,
Laura Winefordner
Production Donna Burnell, Kyrla Lowe,
Robin Wagener, Susan Brown
Opinions expressed in WomaNews are solely of the
author and not necessarily those of the Steering
Committee of Women Unlimited of the Staff of
WomaNews.
WomaNews is a publication of Women Unlimited, Inc.,
12 N.W. 8th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601.
Subscriptions are $3.50 per year.


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AUGUST 1977, WOMANEWS, PAGE 3


Woman, Assert Yourself!


Sylvia Lehnen
Self effacing behavior has
become a way of life for many
women. Society labeled the
behavior 'feminine' and has given
reinforcement by heaping social
approval on those who acted
"sweet" and "ladylike." A nice little
girl doesn't get dirty, she doesn't
talk back, and she doesn't hurt
other people's feelings. She'll be
loved and cuddled for being a
"good girl."
When the young girl grows up
she'll be praised for being
agreeable and gracious if she
avoids a scene by not challenging a
view she disagrees with. If a man
acts in that manner, he's accused
of being wishy-washy a
milquetoast. As a woman, giving
up her plans in order to do a
favor for someone will earn
approval for being helpful and
considerate; the same behavior in


a man will earn him derision for
being a pushover.
This double standard naturally
limits women's ability to express
their wants and needs. It inhibits
men in "different ways, but that's
another story. Now, women
are starting to speak-up
for themselves, and Assertiveness
Training groups have become a
popular and effective vehicle for
learning to do so well. Essentially,
the training teaches women how
to spill the beans without making a
mess.
Assertiveness Training groups
usually begin by defining assertive
and non-assertive behavior.
Assertive behavior attempts to
communicate feelings, wants and
needs directly and honestly. It is
not to be confused with aggressive
behavior, with which the emphasis
is on dominating and coercing
others. Non-assertive behavior


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attempts to avoid conflicts, to
deny or hide personal feelings, and
to achieve goals indirectly through
manipulation.
To illustrate the differences
between these behaviors, begin by
imagining a woman who has been
kept waiting by a friend who offers
no excuse and/or apology when
she or he finally arrives. In
response to this situation, the non-
assertive woman would deny her
feelings of annoyance, or try to
communicate them indirectly,
perhaps by acting irritable or
withdrawn; the assertive woman
would express her feelings
directly, by saying something like
"I've been wanting to see you, but
I've gotten annoyed by waiting so
long;" and an aggressive woman
might respond with: "You're
always late How can you be so
rude and selfish?"
One of the characteristics of
assertive behavior is that the
assertive person takes responsibi-
lity for her feelings, using phrases
like "I feel hurt," and "I want." The
aggressive person, on the other
hand, uses phrases that accuse
and humiliate such as "you are
selfish," "you act stupid." Of
course, aggressive behavior only
results in hostility and defensive-
ness that makes communication
impossible. The non-assertive
woman will act similarly when
frustrations have built up and she
"explodes." But since she usually
feels guilty about it, she rarely
succeeds in communicating in this
way.
Other preliminary Assertive-
ness Training discussions focus on
individual rights. "You'd be
surpnsed how many women never


S Jamie Kahn,
Communications Specialist

"WU Positions" from page 1
Communications Specialist,
Jamie Kahn, said "I feel confident
in the position I have taken on."
She will continue to work with
WomaNews and seek ways to
increase circulation of the paper.
Her duties include assessing
interest in and helping launch
Artemis Press which will publish


Dawn Onesty

Stephanie Weissinger,
Executive Coordinator


materials of particular interest to
women. As to personal goals, she
added, "I want to open lines of
communication between Women
Unlimited and the community."
Although these women will be
doing a great deal to facilitate the
Center, volunteer work is still
asked of members as the main
ingredient of Center success.


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PAGE 4,.WOMANEWS, AUGUST 1977


"Ravings" cont. from page 2

the answers. At IWY in Orlando,
the scene was reminiscent of the
1968 Democratic Convention in
Chicago. The screaming, chanting
demonstrators disrupting the
business on the floor, were not the
familiar faces of yesteryear and the
New Left. There was no Rennie
Davis, Abby Hoffman or Jerry
Rubin, but rather Shirley
Spellerberg, Barbara Hambleton,
and John Book in their stead. It's
all crazy, and none of it makes
much sense.


But I'm sure of one thing:
America's moving in a new
direction, and there has been
Affirmative Action even in the
circles of the far-right politics.
When two out of three right-wing
demonstrators are women, that
could be loosely interpreted as
progress. I wish, in retrospect, that
the Total Women could have been
more ladylike. All that screaming,
yelling, and carrying on in public
makes us all seem so downright
unfeminine. Let us pray for
Marabelle Morgan. She must be
taking it hard.


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Tempers rise and fists clench at IWD Conference.
"IWD" continued from page 1


and national levels to work on
common goals." One woman,
distressed over the fact that there
was little time to openly discuss
and express views, needs and
feelings as a woman, commented
that possibly "another woman's
conference financed and
supported by women instead of
the Federal government would
provide that opportunity."
The goals set down by the
conference committee are: to aid




"Assert!"Continued from page 3
Recognized, must less insisted, on
their rights," said Nancy Renthop,
an Assertiveness Training
counselor. Discussions of
individual rights usually cover
such topics as the right to be
treated with respect, to have and
express your own feelings and:
opinions, to be listened to and'"
taken seriously, and the right to
set you own priorities; also the
right to make mistakes, the right to
choose not to assert yourself, to
get what you pay for, and to ask
information from professionals.
One right that many women find
difficult to exercise is the right to
say "no" without feeling guilty, and
another important right discussed
is the right to ask for what you
want, knowing others have the
right to refuse.
These discussions on the nature
of assertive behavior should lead
to an understanding of where and
when assertive behavior is most
difficult for each individual. While
one woman might have no
problems with expressing her
needs to co-workers, she may be
unable to do so with her husband.
Or, a woman who can communi-
cate effectively with friends and
lovers may wilt when she gets the
bureaucratic runaround. Once a
woman has isolated which persons
and situations cause her the most
anxiety, various exercises and
techniques are introduced by the


in improving the situation of
women in Florida; to assess the
role of women in economic,
political, social, and cultural life of
Florida; to identify the barriers to
women's full participation in
Florida life; to recognize women's
contributions to the development
of Florida; and to report the
concerns of Florida women to the
National Conference on the
observance of Women's Decade.
It was apparent that these goals


group counselor to reduce anxiety
and to teach the woman to assert
herself generally and in difficult
situations.
One technique is to examine
various irrational beliefs. One
commonly held belief is the notion
that if "I" refuse to do something
for someone or express negative
feelings, that person will no longer -
like (love) "Me." For those raised
to think that being liked is the most
important thing in life, this is .a
powerful block to assertiveness.
For a woman to realize that she
herself prefers being dealt with
directly and assertively is
reassuring. And once a woman
does assert herself, and finds that
otherswon't like her any less, but
may actually respect her more,
she's well on her way to becoming
a more self-confident and self-
sufficient person.
Relaxation training is a
technique usually included as well.
Based on the well known
behavioral theory that anxiety and
relaxation can't exist together,
women are asked to imagine a
threatening situation while in a
relaxed state, and to visualize
handling it assertively and
effectively. These exercises will
reduce anxiety when the actual
situation occurs.
Role playing is another
extensively used exercise. Mock
situations are arranged where a
woman, with other members of


fPoto bv Abby Walters


will not be fully realized owing to
time and energy wasted in the
dispute between anti-ERA and
pro- ERA factions.'

The association of the ERA with
other issues such as abortion,
homosexuality, lesbianism, etc.,
supercharged the Convention
with an emotionality that made
rational solution and compromise
of even minor issues an
impossibility.


the A.T. group,takes turnsplaying
herself and the -people-she- finds-
intimidating. This gives her a
chance to practice the verbal tools
she's learned and to get feedback
on how she comes across. Some
groups also use video equipment
to give the women chance to see
themselves as others see them.
-1In Gainesy-jeB classes are
av V ,
Santa Fe, and various private
.counselors. For those interested
in more detailed information on
Assertiveness Training, the New
Assertive Woman and When I
Say No I Feel Guilty are
suggested reading.


"Letters"continued from page
powerless convention and
resolutions for a dusty published
report is worth risking further
distancing between women. Sure
we learned more militancy and
strategies for combat, but it may
be dysfunctional to practice on
each other.
I am not suggesting that all
women are potentially 'in the
movement.' But it may be that we
have been maneuvered into a
weaker position when we need to
broaden our base. Next time, let's
tell the government to put their
$5,000,000 into upgrading
women's salaries and class-action
suits!

Nancy Breeze


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