For Immediate Release:	December 13, 2002
For More Information:	Emilie Karrick, Feminist Majority, 703-522-2214 Rebecca Menso, National Council of Women's Organizations, 202-393-7122
Sponsor Organization:	National Council of Women's Organizations/Feminist Majority
In a comment made earlier this week on the issue of sex discrimination at the Augusta National Golf Club, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said he believed President Bush does not count sex discrimination like race discrimination in considering memberships held by potential cabinet members.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 13, 2002 - In a comment made earlier this week on the issue of sex discrimination at the Augusta National Golf Club, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said he believed President Bush does not count sex discrimination like race discrimination in considering memberships held by potential cabinet members. The National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) is asking President Bush to clarify his stance on sex discrimination after Fleischer's remarks, in the wake of Treasury Secretary nominee John Snow's resignation from Augusta, a club that bars women. The following is an excerpt from a Dec. 10 White House briefing during which Fleischer was questioned about the situation: Q: Yesterday you talked about that (sex discrimination) was not a disqualifying matter in terms of the Augusta Golf Club. Would it make a difference if Augusta Country Club disqualified or didn't allow people on racial or ethnic basis? Would that be different for a Cabinet Secretary? FLEISCHER: Do you have something specific in mind here? No, I think that would be a very different category for the president. "President Bush has publicly denounced Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) for what have been perceived as racist comments. However, when it comes to sexism, Ari Fleischer has stated that the president has different standards," said Martha Burk, NCWO Chair. "Is it the Bush administration's belief that sex discrimination is okay but race discrimination is not?" The remarks came at the same time NCWO learned that the Bush Administration has cut the percentage of women in the White House Fellows program from 50% female last year to just one in thirteen now. "Are we seeing a pattern of the White House minimizing efforts to fight sex discrimination?" said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority and NCWO board member. "The Bush administration is also currently pursuing a course that is threatening to Title IX and women's athletic opportunities. The Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which was appointed by Bush, could change federal regulations currently requiring proportionality in school athletics for boys and girls to permanent inequality. The commission is considering changes that would allow significantly fewer athletic opportunities for women and girls." "The NCWO calls on President Bush to condemn sex discrimination in the same way he has condemned race discrimination in the Lott discussion," added Burk. "To do less is an insult to the values Americans we hold dear." ....................... The National Council of Women's Organizations is the nation's oldest and largest coalition of women's groups, with 160 organizational members collectively representing over seven million women.