First general meeting! Welcome to spring 2012!

Interested in getting more involved with women's rights and gender equality? Want to learn more about what our group is up to this semester? Come to our first general meeting on Wednesday, February 1st! Start off the month with a piping hot serving of feminism! Also hear about our plans for the new semester, and feel free to bring your own suggestions!



Meeting will be at 61 Evans, 7-8 PM.

Volunteering at the Women's Shelter this Wednesday 9/21

Hey everyone!

This week we are planning to help Berkeley Food and Housing Project's North County Women's Shelter off on Dwight this Wednesday, September 21 at 5 pm. We will be meeting up outside our usual meeting space at 104 Barrows and start heading over at 5:15 pm. Email now.berkeley@gmail.com if you are interested.

Upcoming Fall 2011 Meetings and Events

Hey folks!

Thanks for those who came to our awesome first meeting!

As a reminder, our meetings are every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 7-8 pm in 104 Barrows. Here is a schedule of our meetings, which are subject to change:

-9/28: Feminism 101

-10/12: Body Image Discussion

-10/26: Rape culture/Consent discussion

-11/9: Masculinity Discussion

-11/30: Last meeting

Here is also a list of events we have planned for this semester (also subject to change):

-Volunteering at North County Women's Shelter (Throughout the semester, first date will be this Wednesday 9/21, more info to come)

-Love Your Body Day (10/19)

-Maternal Mortality Event with Amnesty at Berkeley (10/20)

-Dwight Way Women's Shelter Event with V-Day (Oct/Nov, stay tuned)

-Hollaback (11/3)

If you want to help out with any of the events mentioned above, feel free to contact us at now.berkeley@gmail.com and we would gladly receive your assistance.

We also have some officer positions available, so keep your eyes out for when we send the email with more information.

Fall 2011: Welcome Back!

Hey folks!

With a new year of school, Berkeley NOW is back for more feminism!

Catch us tabling during Calapalooza this Thursday, August 25th from 4:30-7 pm. At 7 pm, head on over to the Unit 3 All Purpose Room where we will also be tabling at Queer a la Mode, a mixer where one can socialize and learn about the various LGBTQIA-oriented groups on campus.

Stay tuned for more, as we are currently updating our various internet sites.

Stop Anti-Choice Efforts to Eliminate Family Planning Funding

From Change.org:

Anti-choice representatives in Congress have introduced legislation that would eliminate funding for Title X, the nation's family planning program. This bill would cut off funding that provides women with birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and more.

Title X provides care that saves lives — and anti-choice politicians want to end it entirely.

Help protect Planned Parenthood and the women, men, and teens who rely on the organization's hundreds of health centers by contacting your representative and telling him or her to vote "NO" on any attempt to cut off family planning funding.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Sign Petition for the "14-Year-Old Girl Raped in Bathroom After Being Used as Bait"

I'm feeling some kind of déjà vu here: haven't I used a headline like this before? Oh right: "Teen Raped After Being Used by School as 'Bait.'" Nope, it's not the same teenager. It's not the same school. But is it the same act of idiocy and disregard for the well-being of female students? Yep, there's that.

In the previous case, a student at Upper St. Claire High School reported that she and another girl were raped by a boy at the school. According to her lawsuit against the school, the principal got it into his head that consensual sex was occurring on school grounds and wanted to catch the frisky students in the act, so he kept the girls at school as bait with policemen following them. The police lost track of the gals and decided they must have gone home. Two girls reported that, actually, they were raped in the stairwell. Again.

Now, according to another "bait" lawsuit (pdf) filed at the end of September, Hill v. Madison County School Bd., teachers and administrators knew that one of their students had been sexually harassing and propositioning girls at Sparkman Middle School in Alabama. However, no action had been taken against him by the school. So one teacher decided on the same tactic as Upper St. Claire's principal: girl-as-bait. The teacher coerced 14-year-old B.H.J., an African-American student who had reported being repeatedly sexually harassed, into meeting her tormentor in a bathroom, assuring her that they would "catch him." But nobody followed B.H.J. into the bathroom, and nobody stopped her from being raped; the teacher simply went back to her classroom and waited. B.H.J. is reported as being severely traumatized and in an almost completely non-communicative state.

Take Action NOW!

Tell Senators NOW: Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell Military Policy Tell Your Senator To... After taking action, please support our work! Call and send an email message to your senators urging them to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), the discriminatory restriction that has pushed more than 14,000 lesbians and gay men out of the military. The Senate is poised to vote early this week on whether to proceed with a Defense Authorization bill that contains a provision repealing DADT, which already passed in the House. Sen. John McCain (D-Ariz.) has threatened to filibuster the entire bill in order to block the repeal, and we need 60 votes to stop him. Use NOW's sample message, or write one of your own, calling for the Senate to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. Because the vote could happen very soon, it would be helpful to put a call into your senators' offices immediately. The Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121 or find your senators' office numbers below. Take Action NOW! BACKGROUND: The Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy -- which demands the discharge of any "out" lesbian, gay or bisexual service member from the U.S. military -- is a discriminatory restriction that undermines the readiness of our troops, destabilizes unit morale, and jeopardizes our national security. It must be repealed now! In addition to discriminating against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, DADT disproportionately affects women and people of color. Service Women's Action Network reports that while women make up 15 percent of the armed forces, they account for 34 percent of total discharges. Moreover, DADT is used against women in the practice known as "lesbian bating." Military women are intimidated into unwanted sexual intercourse, and if they refuse, they are threatened with being outed as lesbians. The policy also negatively impacts racial minorities who represent 29.4 percent of active duty service members, yet make up 45 percent of discharged personnel under DADT. These unnecessary discharges not only cost military highly qualified personnel but also cost millions in taxpayer dollars. Since its enactment, DADT is estimated to have lost the military between $290 million to more than a half a billion dollars. It takes time and money to find and train new personnel -- estimated replacement costs can range between $22,000 to $43,000 per person. Such measures are wasteful and contradict the views of a majority of the public. A Washington Post poll earlier this year shows that 75 percent of Americans believe that lesbians and gay men should be allowed to openly serve in the military. Our country and our service members cannot afford to wait any longer for President Obama to act on his promise to lift DADT. The bottom line is that DADT is a discriminatory, outdated, costly, and overall failed policy that has no place in the contemporary world. Act now and ask your senators to show their support for all our troops by repealing DADT as soon as possible. Furthermore, consideration of a policy to reinstate lesbian and gay men who have been pushed out of service under DADT should be adopted. Take Action NOW!

Cuntail Fall 2010

This semester's cuntail had an awesome turnout! It took place at Hoyt Co-Op rooftop and it had a beautiful view and beautiful people.

Check out some pictures!

Facebook Pictures

Minutes for September 8th

Just a note - we are back for the semester on Wednesdays from 6-7 in 106 Wheeler! Hope to see you there!

September 8th, 2010

First Meeting

I. Check-ins! <3

II. Introduction to Feminism

Brief discussion: what do you think feminism is?

History & aims of BNOW

III. What we do...

General weekly meetings, safe space, contribute your ideas

CRs, intimate, networking & connecting with people

Events, such as Pink & Green, Art & Feminism, Gratitude Banquet, I Heart Consensual Sex, Love Your Body

IV. Upcoming campaigns

I Heart Consensual Sex

Love Your Body

Safe Cosmetics and Radical Homemaking

V. Cunttail! Friday, September 10th; 9-12

Semi-formal mixer, byob, respectful place

Email now.berkeley@gmail.com for location

VI. Icebreakers

Two truths & a lie in small groups

Human knot in big group

Welcome to the new semester at BNOW!

BNOW is a feminist space and activist group that welcomes people of all identities.  We are a mix of activism, cuddling, and happiness.  We identify as pro-choice and engage in no shaming. We have an open door policy, welcoming you whenever you feel the need to use this space. 

BNOW was founded in 1969 by Sociology PhD candidate Marijean Suelzle.  This comes just three years after NOW became a national organization. BNOW has been active in one way or another for 41 years! You’re about to become part of a group with some deep history.  While NOW has done amazing things for women by being in the forefront of second wave feminism and women’s rights, it also has a not-so-nice history that needs to be acknowledged.  NOW, and by extension feminism, has had a history of non-inclusivity, especially when it came to women of color and the queer community.  The movement was mainly represented by heterosexual white middle class women who had the time and resources to do the kind of work that was needed. And while this is still the case with many of these mainstream organizations, we have been trying to change that!  By embracing the term feminism, by making ourselves visible as young women, men, people of color, queer, etc, we begin to change dynamics and reputations that may follow feminism.

We are so excited to welcome you to the fabulous BNOW! We have some really great things planned for you all to be a part of. Primarily we have three main campaigns: I Heart Consensual Sex, Love Your Body Day, and Radical Homemaking/Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

·       I Heart Consensual Sex: Seeks to talk about what consensual sex is and prevent rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.  We use a sex positive approach to open the discussion about rape, instead of pushing away potential conversations.  We also in no way engage in victim-blaming or slut shaming.  If these are terms you are not familiar with, please do ask us!

·       Love Your Body Day: This happens every year and is sponsored by NOW.  This year it will occur on Oct 21 and we are so excited.  It is a day to celebrate all types of bodies.  We love them, we appreciate them, and we tell the media and unrealistic expectations of beauty to just shut it.

·       Radical Homemaking/Safe Cosmetics: As you may or may not be aware, the FDA does not regulate cosmetics.  That means that companies can put anything they want in their products.   Many of these ingredients are known toxins that are banned in other countries.  Through this campaign we wish to raise awareness and offer alternatives to these toxic products. 

Along with these events we have Consciousness Raising nights, fun and informative weekly meetings, and many other things that may come up through out the semester.

Keep Track of BNOW:
                  blogbnow.blogspot.com
                  twitter.com/berknow
                  now.berkeley@gmail.com
                  Facebook: The Fantastic Berkeley NOW

In solidarity, 

BNOW officers