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International Women's Day Message from Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz, Senior Field Organizer, National Organization for Women

Freedom to Marry
March 8, 2006

March is Women's History month—a time to celebrate all things feminist and womanist. Women have shaped every movement for social and economic justice—from the Suffragist to the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements. Yet, there is so much women's herstory that has been erased, invisibilized and written out of our history books.

For example, did you know that:

In 1947 Edith Eyde wrote for, edited and published the first lesbian publication, Vice Versa. The magazine was distributed for free and ran for almost a year and a half.

In 1974 the Cambahee River Collective—a powerful group of Black feminists and womanists—held its first historic meeting.

In 1984 This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, edited by Chicana feminist activists and writers Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaluda, was published and had a major impact in reframing the feminist movement.

These are just a few examples of the contributions women have made to shaping activism, scholarship and our society as a whole. They are also examples of how some feminists have organized, agitated and acted as truth tellers at the intersection of all forms of oppression.

This is precisely why marriage equality is a feminist issue and why it is NOW's issue.

In 1995 NOW became one of the first progressive organizations to affirm the choice of marriage as a fundamental right that should not be denied to same-sex couples. Since that time, NOW has been one of the organizations at the forefront of the struggle for marriage equality. Our message is that marriage equality is not only a feminist issue but also a constitutionally protected right under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. NOW has taken this position because we believe that until all women are free to make their own choices and exercise their rights, none of us are free to do so. This stand is one of the hallmarks of the women's movement.

Feminists can have a significant impact on the struggle for marriage equality because we have decades of victories and struggles that inform our commitment to justice. As feminists we understand the importance of choice because we have struggled for decades for our reproductive justice. We understand constitutional equality because we have fought for women to have equal protection under the constitution for decades—and we still do not have a signed, sealed and delivered Equal Rights Amendment. We also understand fairness and justice because as women we have faced centuries of inequality, oppression and injustice throughout the globe. Marriage equality is our fight because it encompasses all of the issues we are passionately committed to as feminists.

So, during Women's History Month and beyond, join the fight for marriage equality. It is the feminist thing to do!

— Special to Freedom to Marry from Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz,
Senior Field Organizer,
National Organization for Women