Rita Mae Brown Fired from NOW

Rita Mae Brown Was Fired from NOW for Her Radical Views

On November 6, 1970, Rita Mae Brown, a prominent lesbian activist, was fired from her position as a national coordinator for the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in New York City. Brown's dismissal was a direct result of her increasing frustration with the organization's moderate approach to feminist issues. In a letter to the editor of The New York Times, Brown publicly criticized NOW's leadership for being too conservative.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s was a unified front, with all women working together towards a common goal. The standard story goes that organizations like NOW were the driving force behind the movement, pushing for change through peaceful protests and lobbying efforts. However, this narrative ignores the internal conflicts and power struggles that shaped the movement.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Susan Ware, in her book "Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote", notes that Brown's radical views on feminism and lesbianism created tension within NOW's leadership. On January 1, 1968, Brown joined NOW, hoping to push the organization towards more radical action, but her efforts were met with resistance from more moderate members. Historian Blanche Wiesen Cook, in her book "The Declassified Eisenhower: A Divided Legacy of Peace and Political Warfare", highlights the fact that Brown's open lesbianism was seen as a liability by some NOW members, who feared it would alienate potential supporters. By 1970, Brown's frustration with NOW's moderate approach had grown, and she began to organize radical feminist actions outside of the organization. On October 17, 1970, Brown and a group of radical feminists staged a protest at the New York City NOW offices, further straining her relationship with the organization's leadership. As historian Jennifer Nelson notes in her book "Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement", Brown's radicalism was not just about challenging patriarchal society, but also about challenging the racism and homophobia within the feminist movement itself. Brown's activism was shaped by her experiences as a lesbian and a feminist, and her dismissal from NOW marked a turning point in her career as a radical feminist leader.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians and feminist scholars, such as those at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Schlesinger Library, have long been aware of the story of Rita Mae Brown, the lesbian who was fired from the National Organization for Women (NOW) for being too radical. However, this story was intentionally omitted from the mainstream narrative by key players like Betty Friedan, who sought to downplay internal conflicts within the organization. Friedan, along with other influential leaders, made a concerted effort to suppress the story, fearing it would tarnish NOW's reputation and undermine its mission. The decision to exclude this episode from the official history was made by Friedan and other high-ranking officials, who carefully curated the narrative to present a united front. As a result, the story of Rita Mae Brown's firing was relegated to the footnotes of history, known only to a select few who had access to internal documents and personal accounts. The fact that Brown's radical views were seen as a liability by the organization's leadership was a key reason why this history was not told, as it highlighted the tensions between different factions within the feminist movement.

The Ripple Effect

The firing of Rita Mae Brown had concrete consequences for the lesbian feminist movement, as it led to a split between radical lesbians and the more moderate elements of the feminist movement. This division ultimately resulted in the formation of separate lesbian organizations, such as the Lesbian Feminist Liberation, which focused on addressing the specific needs and concerns of lesbian women. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the creation of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, a repository of historical documents and artifacts dedicated to preserving the history of lesbian women. The archives, established in the 1970s, owe a debt to the radical lesbian activists who were marginalized by the mainstream feminist movement, including Brown, and have become a vital resource for researchers and scholars today.

The Line That Says It All

Rita Mae Brown's firing from the National Organization for Women marked a pivotal moment in the history of the feminist movement, one that would forever alter the trajectory of lesbian activism in the United States.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s.