News of ERA Death Premature

Much has been written lately about the "death" of the Equal Rights Amendment on June 30. The failure on the part of pro-ERA forces to gain sup. port in various state legislatures has been blamed on various scape. .goats-the members of NOW who put too much energy and money into a los. ing cause to the exclusion of other women's issues; the supporters who did not put enough money and energy into the ERA fight; the "strident feminists" who damaged, their own cause by fasting and chaining themselves to fences. The scarcity of discussion about the powerful forces financing the opposition to equal rights for women has also been noteworthy.

The non-ratification of ERA has been claimed as a victory by those reac tionary members of our society whose ideal of the "good old days" rests. squarely on the notion of woman as household servant. The victory for the Eagle Forum is Pyrrhic, however: Phyllis Schlafly is one of the best examples of what the women's movement has done to free women and give them new options in their lives. As Schlafly gloated, her words were recorded by women reporters, women

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photographers, women editors-even Phyllis must have been aware of the irony of the situation. And as Schlafly resumes her career as an attorney, she will meet more and more women who have followed her example rather than the convictions to which she pays lip service.

Thus the ten years of struggle to ratify the ERA have not been in vain. During those years, women have rediscovered their power as individuals and as a united force, a power which has lain nearly dormant since the suffragist movement. Further, and as important, society has become aware of, if not yet willing to rectify, the terrible inequities faced by women, and attitudes have changed drastically in favor of equality in all segments of life: all surveys showed that the majority of Americans favor ERA. These are real gains, and are now so deep-rooted that no temporary setbacks will reverse them.

The ERA was re-introduced into Congress on July 14, and will probably pass after the November elections, when dissatisfaction with Reagan's policies will translate into more liberal members being elected to Congress. The struggle to get the necessary 38 states to ratify it will begin again, and women may have to revise our tactics. The opposition will also gather in force. But whatever the eventual fate of the ERA, the principle it embodies--equality of rights-will continue to revolutionize American society.

Anti-Rape Reward Fund

In a brutal incident on the near West Side in early June, two women were accosted in a parking lot: one was shot and killed; the other raped, shot and left for dead. The woman survived, however, enduring 16 hours of lying on the ground critically wounded until found by police.

Because of her association with WomenSpace, that organization has begun a fund to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and con. viction of the assailant. The money will remain in a special account until the police decide who should receive the award.

A maximum of $2,000 will be awarded. Any amount in excess will likely serve as seed money for a permanent reward fund for rape cases which WomenSpace is considering establishing along with another women's organization. If you would

LETTER

Dear What She Wants:

The brutal and senseless murder of Mary Ann Finegan and the shooting and rape of her friend on Friday night, June 4, has particularly shaken the women's community as well as the public at large. At gatherings where this particular incident has been discussed, I was enormously pleased and grateful to see so many concerned people gathered together to find constructive ways to respond not only to this immediate situation, but also, on a broader scale, to show their concern for similar crimes which go unre.

like to make a donation, please make out a check to WomenSpace Reward Fund and send it to 1258 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

A public meeting spontaneously organized by concerned women and attended by over 100 persons was held shortly after the incident. The consensus was that women should express their rage without engendering too much publicity, which could prejudice the case and violate the woman's privacy. At the same time, it was felt greater efforts should be made to fight rape and educate the community about the myths and realities of this crime.

ported, but happen daily.

Seeing people's commitment to work quietly and constructively so that positive and long-lasting results are achieved and so that the persons and families involved are not victimized a second time by the media was very gratifying. By rationally analyzing the situation and using our skills, time and organizational contacts, we can take constructive action that not only provides an outlet for our own need to act, but also respects the needs and wishes of the persons most directly involved.

-Karen Grochau

Space to Grow

One of the most exciting possibilities in the offing this summer is the plan to create a centralized space for feminist organizations. The Women's Building Fund Committee is currently negotiating to lease several rooms on the ground floor of the west wing of The Civic at the corner of Mayfield and Lee Roads in Cleveland Heights. This space will be made available to feminist organizations at an affordable cost. Currently, the organizations which plan to move into the new space are What She Wants and The Women's Growth Cooperative.

The Women's Building Fund is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established to acquire and manage space on behalf of feminist organizations on Cleveland's east side. The Fund is the product of a year's plan. ning and work in response to the strong need for centralized community space expressed at the May 1981 feminist conference.

The Fund's long-term goal is to establish a substantial endowment

A Travesty

of Justice

Last October, Stephanie Riethmiller and her roommate Patricia Thiemann, high school friends who are now lesbians, were walking home from work in Cincinnati at the usual time, 5:15 p.m. Two men approached, asking for direc tions. One sprayed Patricia with mace and pushed her, while the other pulled Stephanie into a waiting van, Stephanie's father was waiting inside. A woman named Naomi Goss drove, and the other two men, James Roe and Ray (still at large), jumped in beside Stephanie and her father. After being transferred to a car driven by her mother, Stephanie was driven 400 miles south to a secluded cottage in Cedar Bluff, Alabama.

Stephanie and her parents had not seen each other since a July 4 picnic, and according to testimony from all three, their relationship had been strained since Stephanie left home in July 1980 to share an apartment with Patricia. Both parents testified that for some time they had been following their daughter, hiring private detectives, talking to mental health profes sionals, the young women's neighbors, and finally to nationally known deprogrammer Ted Patrick in their at tempts to get back the daughter they used to know. Patrick connected them with a network of parents and families of individuals who have been deprogrammed, usually from religious cults. Through these groups the Riethmillers made contact with a "reformed lesbian" who had been deprogrammed, Naomi Goss, and paid $8000 to hire Goss, Patrick, Roe and Ray to deprogram their daughter. It was the Riethmillers' belief that Stephanie was being coerced into lèsbianism by her roommate, that she was being held captive in her apartment against her will, and that by some method Patricia Thiemann was exert.

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fund to provide the necessary financial support. For the first two or three years, however, the Building Fund Committee is asking for tax-deductible contributions from individuals committed to the concept of community space.

What this type of space can mean to an organization such as What She Wants is the opportunity for growth: political growth through mutual support and the sharing of resources with other groups; and physical growth through having an accessible space where interested women can meet and work together.

We strongly urge you to support this endeavor. As little as $5.00 per month from individual women can make it happen. To contribute money, complete the form that appears in this month's centerfold. If you have some time to give or your organization is interested in using the space, write to The Women's Building Fund, P.O., Box 18129, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118.

ing "mind control" over their daughter. During the week Stephanie was held captive for deprogramming, she was deprived of sleep and food, subjected to three deprogramming sessions per day consisting of Naomi Goss yelling at her and telling her how disgusting lesbians were, etc., and for six of the seven nights she was locked alone in a bedroom with James Roe who climbed into her bed and raped her. Stephanie referred to it as "rape" during the trial and her remark was struck off the record. Her mother claimed that she had no idea that Roe was having sex every night with her daughter. After a week, the abductors learned that the police were closing in and surrendered.

Stephanie's parents and her deprogrammers were charged with ab. duction, assault and sexual battery, but her parents were granted immunity in exchange for their testimony. Midway through the trial, which lasted from April 12-23, 1982, Judge Gilbert Bettman granted defense motions to drop sexual battery charges against Goss and Patrick and kidnapping charges against all three. After long delibera. tion, the jury found all three defendants innocent of assault, Roe innocent of sexual battery, and Patrick innocent of abduction.

The prosecuting attorney, Simon Leis, is well known for his affiliation with the Moral Majority and his loathing of homosexuals. Both gay and straight observers were heard to wonder who was in fact on trial-the defendants or the two victims. Said whole Judge Bettman, "The deprogramming situation is a very complex problem. There is a basic social conflict on what is right and wrong"..

Stephanie Riethmiller herself is once ⚫ again living with Patricia. She has also sued her parents and the deprogram. mers for $2.75 million.

-Material excerpted from Dinah Special Report, May 1, 1982.