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ALERT: Listen to WV NOW President, Dr. Christina M. Vogt on West Virginia Public Radio this past Women's Equality Day. Her interview along with Ms. Martinez-Toney of the West Virginia Women's Commission and Bonnie Brown, head of the Women's Caucus in the West Virginia Legislature, point out that despite progress, women have a long way to go.

Fact Sheet: Women Deserve Equal Pay Learn more about equal pay by reading NOW's updated fact sheet. WV has one of the largest pay gaps in the nation! It is 68 cents for women to one dollar for men. Nationally, it is 78 cents on the dollar for women. After almost 50 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, this is outrageous.

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For the Gloria Steinem event hosted by West Virginia Free October 20, 2009 in Charleston WV. Gloria was one of the founding members of NOW and the founder of Ms. Magazine. She has exemplified the meaning of the label, Feminist.

LATEST NEWS!

Violence Against Women in the United States: Statistics Despite the fact that advocacy groups like NOW have worked for three decades to halt the epidemic of gender-based violence and sexual assault, the numbers are still shocking. Needless to say, the bad economy has made the violence worse.

Shame and Outrage: The radical right is targeting the McCain states of which West Virginia is one. We must not forget that WV is really a Hillary State and it is high time we stand up for democracy -- not the whims of a few vocal extremists. We expect these extremists back in the next legislative session in force! We must get prepared.

For the latest in Legal Activity >>>

Read notes from the Kutil Case in the Supreme Court of Appeals. Having recently been at the hearing in Charleston, Jeremiah Dys and his organization are spreading its philosophy of hatred and discrimination once again! Victory! The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled 5-0 in favor of the Kutil family.

In August,a hearing was held on the Equal Marriage Ban to the State Constitution. Although having a compelling argument, a proponent of the bill, Jeremy Dys, was told that in some cases, the State must decide on civil rights. Delegate Carrie Webster stated that we might still have racial segregation if the government had not intervened. If passed, this might be a landmark Supreme Court case in WV. Steven Skinner of Fairness WV did a remarkable job during his testimony to convince the panel of the fact that this amendment to ban Equal Marriage in the WV State Constitution is completely uncalled for.

For the latest in News and Press >>>

Read the National NOW Times and check out all the hard work NOW is doing at the national level.
West Virginia NOW For the Record: No Moore-Capito

NO Moore Capito: You're not paying attention to West Virginians needs . After voting against legislation that would help women and families, now you are voting against single-payer health insurance. Ms. Moore-Capito, this would leave several West Virginians without health care coverage! It's time to join the rest of the nation in progressive politics.
This is 2009, and West Virginia had no fewer than 40 bills in the State Legislature that attempt to restrict abortion. Recently, the radical right killed KS abortion provider, Dr. Tiller. Besides that, there are at least 10 Great Reasons to support West Virginia NOW. We have been working for women's equality for over 45 years, and we are not stopping NOW!

For the latest in Legislative Activity >>>

UPDATE: SB 238 passed the Senate in WV. It is a bill for extending employment and housing protections by adding age and sexual orientation to the WV Human Rights Act. It did not pass in the WV House of Delegates because it was never released from committee. Call your delegate and tell her or him to pass it next year!

UPDATE: HB 3159 The right-wing, having lost at the national level and having no voice in the House or Senate in Washington, has targeted McCain states to spread its conservative agenda. In spite of this, the WV Legislature did not pass a bill which would limit Medicaid funding and restrict a poor women's right to choose. Way to go once again Progressive WV!

FIGHT THE RADICAL RIGHT

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WV NOW co-hosted a women's event at the 2009 Pride Week. WV NOW President, Dr. Christina M. Vogt, gave a speech at the PRIDE dinner highlighting NOW's 40 years of activism for the LGBT community. For the first time in years, the NOW banner was in the parade on June 7th on behalf of all our sisters! Ms. Starr, PRIDE Queen, carried the NOW signs for Lesbian Rights and Equal Marriage. Ms.Vogt handed out 50 such signs for the PRIDE Parade -- including Fight the Radical Right.