Virginia National Organization for Women -

Be Energized & Inspired! Come to the National NOW Conference

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:15:35 -0700

The National NOW Conference is being held July 18-20 in Bethesda, Maryland, close enough for many Virginians to drive to ( even at $4 a gallon it's less $$$ than flying - and you can carpool).

State Officers Elected for 2008-10

Wed, 28 May 2008 21:59:31 -0700

Our state/regional conference May 17 was informative, fun, and inspiring. More than 70 people attended from the Mid Atlantic Region (which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) – ranging from those who had never been to a conference to those who had been to many.

Virginia NOW held elections and all of our officer positions are filled. This is the roster: Marj Signer, president; Alicia Daly, executive vice president/secretary; Amanda Raman, treasurer; Diana Egozcue, legislative vice-president; Ashley Bromme, action vice-president; Denise Dahl, vice-president of diversity and development (membership); Lee Perkins, vice-president of publications; Tarina Keene, vice-president for fundraising; and Katherine (Kat) Ely, media vice-president. We held our first meeting May 18.

Gerry Connolly’s Use of NOW Logo Misleading to Voters

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:57:36 -0700

Washington Post story. Information: Marj Signer, 202-341-5559 or Katherine Ely, 202-306-5415
Statement of Marj Signer, Virginia NOW President
April 22, 2008--Candidate Gerry Connolly’s use of NOW’s logo in a new mailing - which states that Connolly has “always stood with women” - is disrespectful to Virginians who have fought for women’s rights and misleading to voters. Virginia NOW members who have fought for the ERA and abortion rights for more than 30 years have no recollection of Connolly being publicly engaged in the women’s rights movement in Northern Virginia. We are deeply concerned that voters will think Connolly has the national NOW PAC’s endorsement, which he does not.

Hillary: Our President, Ourselves

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:57:23 -0800

The National NOW PAC endorsed Hillary Clinton as the candidate most qualified to lead. This is some of what feminist pioneer Robin Morgan had to say about Clinton in her essay Goodbye to All That #2. It's a must-read.

VA NOW Condemns Chris Matthews’ Misogynistic Comments

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:52:46 -0800

The Virginia National Organization for Women (VaNOW) today released the following statement on MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews’ recent comments about Sen. Hillary Clinton:

"Chris Matthews' demeaning rhetoric toward women in public life and in particular toward Sen. Hillary Clinton is poisonous to democracy and is discouraging to young women who aspire to hold public office. While our country is making significant progress in the number of highly qualified women running for office, misogynistic speech infects news coverage of the important issues they raise and of the candidates. This is not partisan. Democrats and Republicans of good will should tell Chris Matthews: ‘Shape up or we’ll turn you off,’” said Marj Signer, President of the Virginia National Organization for Women.

VA NOW Praises Gov. Kaine’s Commitment to Healthcare

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:47:29 -0800

Richmond, VA -- Today (12/17/07), the Virginia National Organization for Women (VaNOW) praised Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s proposed state budget for its commitment to expanding health care for thousands more Virginia women and children.

“The Governor’s budget would implement the important recommendations of his Health Reform Commission to bring needed health care to women who right now cannot afford health screenings for breast and cervical cancer, hard-working women in low-paying jobs who cannot afford adequate prenatal care and care for their babies, and all people who work for small businesses that cannot afford employee health insurance. If this funding is sustained through the budgetary process, it will mean that thousands more Virginia women and children will have access to needed health care,” said Marj Signer, VaNOW president.

Numerous budget items are consistent with VaNOW priorities, including increases or new funding for:

Our Legislative Priorities for 2008

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:32:46 -0800

In October, Virginia NOW’s legislative task force surveyed our membership about their legislative and policy priorities. We had 162 online responses and 6 emailed or snail-mailed responses.

PAC Picked Winners

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:48:03 -0700

The VaNOW Political Action Committee had a successful campaign season. Three of the four candidates that were endorsed for the Virginia Senate won: George Barker of Fairfax, Ralph Northam of Norfolk, and John Miller of Hampton Roads. Janet Oleszek of Fairfax, who lost by 92 votes to the most anti-choice member of the state Senate, Ken Cuccinelli, is having a recount.

Our $2.3 Billion Child Support Problem

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:14:57 -0800

Passing legislation to strengthen child support enforcement and update support guidelines is a VaNOW priority. In the vast majority of cases, child support is a woman’s issue; 88% of custodial parents in Virginia are women. In Virginia, the Division of Child Support Enforcement http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/dcse.html handles 363,000 cases, with 484,000 children. These children represent almost one-quarter of Virginia’s child population. The size of the child support problem is enormous: $2.3 billion is due in past child support.