The first priority in the legislative platform for both BPW/USA and BPW/MI is passage of the ERA.  It was fun to see the ERA front and center in the finale of the TV show, Commander in Chief.  If this is not a show you have caught, it is a political drama like West Wing but the main character is the first woman president of the United States.  Last week the President saw an opportunity to pick up the missing three states to ratify the ERA.  There were discussions regarding the relevance of the ERA and the problem of pay equity.  It will be interesting to see if there is increased interest in the ERA now that it has been raised on TV.  The show certainly provided some quick and painless education on the issue in a light that was very favorable to the ERA. 

            During the show, the word feminist was thrown around and defended. What does the word feminist mean to you?  Webster’s Dictionary defines a feminist as “supporting feminism”.  Not very helpful.  Feminism is defined as “Of or relating to or advocating equal rights for women”.  With that definition, it is hard to argue that there is no longer a need for us all to be feminists. 

            I will be working to keep you up to date on the legislative activity at both the state and the national level.  The most interest activity last week was the Senate eliminating a prohibition on separate schools for boys and girls.  The House is expected to take up similar legislation in the next few weeks.  Gov. Granholm’s spokeswomen was quoted in the Jackson Citizen Patriot as saying the Governor supports single gender schools in some circumstances.  If you hear anything of interest, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email.                      

Susan Dehncke

Vice President of Legislation