Reasons for Feminist Writing:

S end a message, shape opinion
A action inspiring, motivate people to do something
R ecruit new members or people to our POV
A wareness development, make people aware of what is happening

M ove people to action; inspire them to get involved
A nnounce actions
N otify public about the actions of politicians
A dvertiser pleasure/displeasure. Let them know why you will buy / not buy their      products

N etworking and synergizing with other organizations showing  support for their actions
O pine, present the women’s POV 
W omens rights, keep issues involving women in public’s mind

Feminist Writing Basics

• Have a plan
• Focus: What do you want to achieve. What exactly do you want to communicate? What are the specific objectives?
• Know your audience.
• Shape your message. They way to write a LTE may be different than the way you write to legislators, companies, advertisers.
  • Create / Use talking points
  • Have supported reference, if required. For example, if you use a statistic, state where you found the statistics. If you quote someone, state where/by whom. According to …
  • Whenever possible use the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, Why
• Evaluate the letter. Check spelling. If writing a LTE, check word count.
• Writing styles:
  • Inverted Pyramid
    • Opening statement: tell the reader what the main point is e.g. who is doing what and how it effects women
    • If you are writing about an action that NOW is doing, mention that. Get a quote from a NOW leader e.g. President or spokesperson.
    • Provide detail to support the main statement
    • End memorably! Make a lasting impression. If it fits, use a quote or call to action, e.g., call your senator. Tell them what they can do to make a difference.
  • Associated Press (AP) Style
    • Spell out numbers under 10; use figures for 10 and above, unless the number is the first word of a sentence.
    • Dates:
      • Abbreviate Dates if followed by a numeric date. On Jan. 2 …
      • Spell out months when they stand alone
      • A full date should appear as On Jan. 2, 2007, use to commas to separate the day from the year and abbreviate the month. Do not use ordinals (Jan. 22nd). Only include the full date when referring to the past or the future
    • States: Do not use postal style abbreviations:
      • Yes: Sarasota Florid
      • No: Sarasota FL
    • Formal Titles: capitalize the title only if it appears before a name: President Bush; otherwise, use lower case
    • Newspaper and magazine names. Use capitalizations but not bold or italics. Newsweek, the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
    • Parentheses. Use sparingly. Put the period on the outside if the material inside is not a sentence (such as this fragment).
    • Percentages: use the word
      • Yes:  90 percent
      • No: 90%
    • Quotes: End punctuation should appear within the quote.
    • Seasons: lower case
  • NOW style
    • Abortion rights: Use the following terms instead of pro-choice: reproductive rights, reproductive freedom, reproductive justice.
    • Citizen: refrain from use. Instead say people in the U.S. Why? Because NOW is working for the rights of everyone in the country, not just the citizens
    • Disability: use instead of handicap or physically and/or mentally challenged. Never use cripple or lame.
    • LGBT not GLBT. Spell out Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender. It is the preferred acronym among feminist groups
    • Low-income, Low Wage: say women working in low-wage jobs. Do not use poor.
    • NOW activist: use activist instead of member when uses as NOW activists are organizing…
    • People of Color, Women of Color: these terms are preferred over minority.
    • Sex-neutral terms: Use member of Congress instead of congressman; use chair instead of chairman or chairwomen
    • United States: use United States or U.S. instead of America.
    • Violence: refer to domestic violence, sexual assault and rape SURVIVORS, not “victims”. Use victim if someone is murdered. Never say “forcible rape”; the definition of rape is that is it forced.

Discrimination on the basis of sex in the workplace is a violation of the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

The above statutes’ broad prohibitions against sex discrimination specifically cover:

Disparate treatment based upon one’s sex - In general, this means treating one employee better or differently in the terms and conditions of their employment cause of their sex. This includes pay, promotions, or other benefits being given to a worker of one sex while denying the same benefits to a worker of the opposite sex because of their gender.

Sexual Harassment - This includes practices ranging from direct requests for sexual favors to workplace conditions that create a hostile environment for persons of either gender, including same sex harassment. (The “hostile environment” standard also applies to harassment on the bases of race, color, national origin, religion, age, and disability.)

Pregnancy Based Discrimination - Pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions must be treated in the same way as other temporary illnesses or conditions.

The Equal Pay Act (EPA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the payment of wages or benefits, where men and women perform work of similar skill, effort, and responsibility for the same employer under similar working conditions.
Note that:

Employers may not reduce wages of either sex to equalize pay between men and women.

A violation of the EPA may occur where a different wage was/is paid to a person who worked in the same job before or after an employee of the opposite sex.

A violation may also occur where a labor union causes the employer to violate the law.

An employee or an applicant for employment may file a complaint when:

• The alleged discriminatory act occurred within the past 300 days, if filing with the EEOC under the federal law, 365 days if filing under the Florida Civil Rights Act or local ordinances.
• An employer or potential employer has 15 or more employees

For information, assistance, or tofile a complaint, contact:

Your County’s Office of Equal Opportunity

You can find this under “Office of Equal Opportunity” in the county government pages of your phone book.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
One Biscayne Tower
2 South Biscayne Blvd, Suite 2700
Miami, FL 33131
Phone: (305) 536-4491
Fax: (305) 536-4011
http://www.eeoc.gov/

Florida Commission on Human Relations
2009 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4857
Phone: (850) 488-7082
Fax: (850) 488-5291
http://fchr.state.fl.us/

Author: Frederick Ford, FL NOW member, employment discrimination attorney.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a violation of the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment can take various forms and may involve various participants. Generally, sexual harassment is the imposition of an unwanted condition on a person’s employment because of that person’s sex. You may have been sexually harassed if you have been subjected to one or more of the following types of behavior:

• Unwelcome sexual advances and you are forced to choose between suffering an employment detriment and submitting to sexual demands.
• Hostile conduct has been directed towards you because of your sex.
• The workplace is a sexually intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Even if you are not the target of sexually offensive conduct, did the conduct unreasonably interfere with your work performance?
• Unwelcome sexual advances are made by a non-employee in the course of conduct of ordinary business.

Who are the Players?

• Supervisors
• Co-Workers
• Non-employees (vendors, customers, service persons, etc.)
• Males or Females (”members of the same sex, or the opposite “sex”)

What should Employers do?

1. Develop a policy against sexual harassment. Distribute and post the policy so that all employees are aware of its existence.
2. Develop a grievance procedure where employees can file confidential complaints without first having to consult with an immediate supervisor or co-worker who may be the subject of the complaint.
3. Immediately investigate all allegations of sexual harassment. Take immediate corrective action where sexual harassment is determined to have occurred.

What should Employees do?

1. Clearly communicate that you find the conduct offensive and unwelcome.
2. Record the date, time, place and other relevant information regarding each incident of sexual harassment.
3. Retain copies of all pertinent documentation that may be used as evidence of sexual harassment.
4. Note the names and telephone numbers of any persons who may have personal knowledge of the incident and may be a potential witness.

Relief and Penalties for Harassment

Victims of sexual harassment may be entitled to lost wages, back pay, reinstatement, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and other forms of compensation and relief.

Persons found to have participated in sexually harassing conduct may be discharged, demoted or otherwise disciplined by the employer. In some instances, individuals may be held personally responsible and required to pay financial compensation to the victim of the sexual harassment.

For information, assistance, or to file a complaint, contact:

Your County’s Office of Equal Opportunity

You can find this under “Office of Equal Opportunity” in the county government pages of your phone book.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

One Biscayne Tower
2 South Biscayne Blvd, Suite 2700
Miami, FL 33131
Phone: (305) 536-4491
Fax: (305) 536-4011
http://www.eeoc.gov/

Florida Commission on Human Relations

2009 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4857
Phone: (850) 488-7082
Fax: (850) 488-5291
http://fchr.state.fl.us/

Author: Frederick Ford, FL NOW member, employment discrimination attorney.