Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Today Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos announced sweeping changes to Title IX that would eliminate from schools at all levels nearly all responsibilities to protect students from sexual harassment and violence. The proposed changes would take our education system back decades to a time when there was very little recourse for students to report harassment or assault and obtain needed support. Very often victims – mostly young women – – just dropped out of school.

Coming from a conservative administration which has shown great tolerance for sexual harassment and assault, it probably should not surprise us. From the start, Secretary DeVos embraced the recommendations of groups representing formerly accused persons wanting to overturn guidelines adopted under the Obama Administration. DeVos virtually ignored survivors’ stories and it appears she did not take seriously input from college, university and school administrators about the success of their programs to better protect students, keep them in school and make campuses safer.

Along with staff and interns from NOW, I spoke out against the proposed rule change recently, citing how dangerous the changes would be for survivors. We told Department of Education officials that the changes would tip the scales in favor of alleged perpetrators and lead to higher rates of sexual harassment and violence. We know that sexual violence affects one in five girls ages 14-18, one in five college women, one in ten college men and one in four transgender and gender non-conforming students. The proposed changes, if adopted, will expand the epidemic even further.

The single most damaging provision is the limitation to responding only to complaints that happen on campus. It is estimated that 87 percent of college students now live off campus; so that vast majority of victims of harassment and assault would have little protection. Their only recourse would be to report incidents to law enforcement authorities and there is a long history of these types of complaints being ignored.

Other harmful changes include a restrictive definition of sexual harassment that would require students to endure severe harassment before the school has to respond; allowing schools to adopt a criminal standard of evidence in deciding cases when Title IX is a civil rights law and a lower standard of evidence is more appropriate; setting up a situation for unbalanced investigations where schools are required to start with the presumption that the named perpetrator is not responsible (thus the victims are not to be believed); allowing alleged perpetrators to directly question their accusers causing more trauma; and, permitting religious exemptions for schools to avoid compliance with Title IX protections placing at serious risk LGBTQIA students, pregnant and parenting students (some are unmarried), and student who need access to birth control and abortion care.

If these harmful changes are adopted – which we expect may be the case even though thousands of students, parents, and activists will protest – we will have to turn to lawmakers in the next Congress to restore Title IX’s proven protections so critical to keep students safe and in school.

Contact

press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — The National Organization for Women (NOW) is proud to endorse Nancy Pelosi to reclaim her position as Speaker of the House. The first woman in U.S. history to ascend to this position richly deserves to return.

Republicans have long demonized Nancy Pelosi, ostensibly for her progressive politics, but the name of their game has always been misogyny and ageism. They used the same tactics against Hillary Clinton. They tried it in district after district during the 2018 elections—but this year, they mostly failed.

Democrats in Congress must not buy into this completely false and utterly transparent narrative. Opponents of progressive government would castigate any Democratic Speaker with the same name-calling and vicious personal attacks. Nancy Pelosi is a target because she’s a strong, progressive Democrat—and because she’s a woman.

Republicans fear Congressional leadership that puts the priorities of everyday Americans above corporations, that protects women’s rights, voting rights and the right to quality, affordable health care. And they fear a strong woman leading that fight most of all. They know what Nancy Pelosi can do. They saw her shepherd the Affordable Care Act into law. They saw her stand up to Donald Trump. They know she’ll be an enormously effective Speaker who will expose their mean-spirited, dangerous agenda.

During the campaign, many Democratic candidates were put on the defensive by these attacks, and some tempered their support for Nancy Pelosi in response. Now that they’ve won, they should reconsider their positions and realize that what the House needs most is experienced leadership, progressive values, and skilled legislative strategies. Nancy Pelosi is overwhelmingly the only choice for Speaker.

Contact

NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt, Sonia Ossorio, president of NOW-New York. Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, and Shaunna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet:

Thousands of people have signed on to a petition launched by the Feminist Majority, the National Organization for Women, the National Organization for Women of New York, and UltraViolet demanding that former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman donate the millions of dollars from his now defunct re-election campaign to organizations that support survivors and seek to end intimate partner and sexual violence.

“Eric Schneiderman was charged with protecting survivors and vulnerable people. Instead, he perpetuated the epidemic of violence against women, hurting those closest to him and undermining the public’s confidence in one of the most important legal positions in our country,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “If he intends to make amends, the least he can do is ensure that his campaign contributions actually go to an organization that will defend the survivors he failed.”

“Schneiderman can and must do more than just offer remorse for the abuse he inflicted on his partners. He needs to step up and put his money where his mouth is,” said Toni Van Pelt, president of the National Organization for Women. “Survivors of sexual violence need more than words. They need support and legislation that protects them, instead of their abusers.”

“Mr. Schneiderman used his office as a weapon to exert political and law enforcement power on his victims,” said Sonia Ossorio, president of the National Organization for Women of New York. “These survivors have done a great public service in bravely taking him on and he should do the right thing and donate his defunct campaign funds to organizations that support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Women deserve more than an apology.”

“If former NY Attorney General and domestic abuser Eric Schneiderman is serious about accepting ‘full responsibility’ for his abuse of women, he needs to back that up with action and donate the millions of campaign contributions he continues to hoard to intimate partner violence prevention and support groups,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet. “Anything less proves that Schneiderman’s claims of contrition are just self-serving empty words.”

Schneiderman was forced to resign in disgrace in May 2018 after four women with whom he had previously been in relationships accused him of repeated physical abuse described as hitting, choking, and slapping. After initially insisting that the physical abuse had been “consensual,” Schneiderman has since accepted “full responsibility.” The Nassau County District Attorney has said that while she believes the women, legal impediments, such as statutes of limitations, preclude her from moving forward with a criminal prosecution at this time.

Feminist Majority Contact: Erin Gistaro – erin@feministmajority.org – 703.522.2214

National NOW Contact: Dee Donavanik – press@now.org – 202.695.8229

New York NOW Contact: Rose Levy – rose@pacepublicrelations.com – 202.262.1635

UltraViolet Contact: Brett Abrams – brett@unbendablemedia.com – 516.841.1105