45 years of NOMAS

NOMAS has been advocating inter-sectional pro-feminism since 1975.

The National Organization for Men Against Sexism is an activist organization of men and women supporting positive changes for men. NOMAS advocates a perspective that is pro-feminist, gay affirmative, anti-racist, dedicated to enhancing men’s lives, and committed to justice on a broad range of social issues including class, age, religion, and physical abilities. We affirm that working to make this nation’s ideals of equality substantive is the finest expression of what it means to be men.

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45 YEARS OF NOMAS

Welcome to our online home! The National Organization for Men Against Sexism is an activist organization of men and women supporting positive changes for men. NOMAS advocates a perspective that is pro-feminist, gay affirmative, anti-racist, dedicated to enhancing men’s lives, and committed to justice on a broad range of social issues including class, age, religion, and physical abilities.
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Featured Articles & Initiatives

Press Release: Hawaii Please Support the Safe Child Act

Mar 25, 2017

From NOMAS, the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, Child Custody Task Force and its Chair, Barry Goldstein. There is an important piece of legislation in the Hawaiian State House: HB 697, the Safe Child Act, is sponsored by Vice Speaker Mizuno [HB 697...

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Position Statement Against Anger Management as a Response to Men’s Violence Against Women

NOMAS (National Organization for Men Against Sexism), strongly opposes the use of “Anger Management” or Anger Management Programs as a criminal/civil disposition or means in which to deal with violence against an intimate partner. Over the last thirty-plus years of...
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The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women

The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women by Barry Goldstein. A man in one of the batterer classes I teach couldn’t wait to bring up the Duke Lacrosse and Tawana Brawley cases to counter research that women rarely make false reports of rape or abuse.  While many men in...
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Think It’s #NotAllMen? These 4 Facts Prove You’re Just Plain Wrong

by Melissa A. Fabello and Aaminah Khan, Originally published on Everyday Feminism, October 10, 2016 Dear Well-Meaning Men Who Believe Themselves to Be Safe, Thereby Legitimizing the “Not All Men” Argument, Let’s start here, even though this should go without saying:...
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Male Privilege Checklist

In 1990, Wellesley College professor Peggy McIntosh wrote an essay called “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. McIntosh observes that whites in the U.S. are “taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring...
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Male Power and Control: Accountability Wheels

Male Power and Control: Accountability Wheels
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Epilogue: NOMAS Accountability and the Forging Justice Conference, Detroit, 2013

In 2013, NOMAS co-sponsored a conference with Haven in Detroit. The opening keynote presentation included a position on prostitution that seriously conflicts with NOMAS’s stance. Subsequently, NOMAS was charged with unethical decisions and behavior. The controversy...
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NOMAS Empowerment and Accountability Process

NOMAS EMPOWERMENT and ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS Phyllis B. Frank and Wayne Morris History: When I walked into a NOMAS meeting along with other men and women, I picked up an attitude of arrogance and superiority from one of the white men.  This is not an unusual...
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NOMAS Policy Positions on Issues of Prostitution

NOMAS National Task Group on Sex Trafficking, Pornography, & The Commercial Sex Industry Robert Brannon Ph.D., Chair    A. Our Culture’s Mythology of Prostitution    There is a common, popular stereotype, sometimes termed “the happy hooker,” of a woman...
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NOMAS Process Guidelines (from the NOMAS By-Laws)

8.5  NOMAS Process Guidelines 8.5.1 Interrupting Speakers    It is almost always inappropriate and disrespectful to interrupt a person who has not finished speaking.  We agree to be especially careful not to begin speaking until the previous speaker has finished....
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NOMAS Position on Prostitution and Sex Trafficking

  Moshe Rozdzial and The National Council of NOMAS The National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) has, since its inception, advocated an "abolitionist" position, strongly opposing the life-destroying use of women and children - by men - in sex...
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The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women

The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women by Barry Goldstein. A man in one of the batterer classes I teach couldn’t wait to bring up the Duke Lacrosse and Tawana Brawley cases to counter research that women rarely make false reports of rape or abuse.  While many men in...
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Confronting the Commercial Sex Industry: Many Losses, a Few Bright Spots

Dr. Robert Brannon* The NOMAS National Task Group on Sex-Trafficking, Pornography, & the Commercial Sex Industry attempts to monitor events in this wide range of issues. The National Task Group is Chaired by Dr. Robert Brannon, with the involvement of other NOMAS...
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Intersectional Dominance-White, Straight, Christian, Patriarchy-Won the Election!

By Moshe Rozdzial, PhD* Many explanations have been proposed, in the weeks since the presidential election, for Trump’s win, and, to one degree or another, most have some validity. One explanation – working class economic insecurity - seems unsupported. The economy is...
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DONALD TRUMP AND THE SEX INDUSTRY

DONALD TRUMP AND THE SEX INDUSTRY Robert Brannon National Organization for Men Against Sexism SEXUALITY IS A CENTRAL, life-enhancing, and important part of our lives, but its commercial exploitation for profits has had many negative consequences, for individuals, and...
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What is Fair for Children of Abusive Men?

by Jack C. Straton, Ph.D.   I want to express my deep gratitude to Ellen Pence, Madeline Dupre, Jim Soderberg and the others from the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project for giving me this opportunity to speak with you. The State of Minnesota should be...
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How Stopping Abuse Saves Billions

The Quincy Solution Provides Enormous Benefits to Businesses By Barry Goldstein   The business community took an active role in the discussion and politics of the Affordable Care Act.  They did so because of the potential for the law to have huge financial...
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Serious Health Consequences to Children Witnessing Domestic Violence

by Barry Goldstein New Research Requires Changes in Custody Court Practices Starting with the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study in 1998 medical researchers have established the enormous and long term harm to children from being exposed to traumatic events...
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Why the Official Rejection of PAS Matters

by Barry Goldstein   There have been a lot of stories recently about the release of the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) which contains all of the officially recognized mental health diagnoses. The “fathers’ rights” groups that were...
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Custody Courts Need to Expand Sources of Information in DV Cases

by Barry Goldstein   A few years ago, the Canadian Institute of Health hired me to help review grant proposals about gender, violence and health. I participated in a meeting in Ottawa with a few dozen researchers and representatives of organizations that use this...
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When 50-50 Is Not Fair: The Case Against Couple Counseling When Men Abuse Women

Phyllis B. Frank and Gail Kadison Golden   Social workers in a variety of settings are frequently called on to counsel couples who seek help with aspects of their lives that range from assistance with child rearing to communication, sexual, and other relationship...
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Press Release: Hawaii Please Support the Safe Child Act

From NOMAS, the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, Child Custody Task Force and its Chair, Barry Goldstein. There is an important piece of legislation in the Hawaiian State House: HB 697, the Safe Child Act, is sponsored by Vice Speaker Mizuno [HB 697...
Read More

Why Family Courts Cannot Protect Children: ACE vs. PAS

Why Family Courts Cannot Protect Children: ACE vs. PAS By Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody. The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Studies are medical research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can be used to reduce cancer,...
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Stop Legalizing Incest: The Failure of the Court System to Protect Children

Stop Legalizing Incest By Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody. District Attorney Bill Delahunt put together a group of best practices from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s that dramatically reduced domestic violence, particularly homicides.  Bill...
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The Safe Child Act: The Best Interests of a Child in a Rational World

The Best Interests of a Child in a Rational World Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody. IT IS THE POLICY OF THIS STATE THAT PROVIDING A SAFE, HEALTHY, STABLE AND NON-VIOLENT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE CHILD SHALL BE THE COURT’S PARAMOUNT CONSIDERATION. As far...
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What Does Domestic Violence Have to do with Shared Parenting?

What Does Domestic Violence Have to do with Shared Parenting? Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody. Domestic violence became a public issue at a time when virtually no scientific research was available.  This led to the implementation of many practices...
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Parental Alienation Syndrome: The Hoax that Hurts Children

Parental Alienation Syndrome: The Hoax that Hurts Children Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody Richard Gardner did not rely on any research to concoct his theory of Parental Alienation Syndrome.  Instead it came from his personal experiences, beliefs...
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Practices that Risk Children Baked into Court Procedures: 20 Routine Practices that Endanger Children

Practices that Risk Children Baked into Court Procedures: 20 Routine Practices that Endanger Children Barry Goldstein, NOMAS Child Custody Task Group Protective mothers are angry that custody courts so often place their children in danger.  Many believe that only...
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What is Fair for Children of Abusive Men?

by Jack C. Straton, Ph.D.   I want to express my deep gratitude to Ellen Pence, Madeline Dupre, Jim Soderberg and the others from the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project for giving me this opportunity to speak with you. The State of Minnesota should be...
Read More

How Stopping Abuse Saves Billions

The Quincy Solution Provides Enormous Benefits to Businesses By Barry Goldstein   The business community took an active role in the discussion and politics of the Affordable Care Act.  They did so because of the potential for the law to have huge financial...
Read More

Serious Health Consequences to Children Witnessing Domestic Violence

by Barry Goldstein New Research Requires Changes in Custody Court Practices Starting with the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study in 1998 medical researchers have established the enormous and long term harm to children from being exposed to traumatic events...
Read More

On Fatherhood and Feminism, Writing for the Web

On Fatherhood and Feminism, Writing for the Web - ARIEL CHESLER 7/29/16: 41st Annual NOMAS CONFERENCE I have been asked to speak about fatherhood and feminism today, a topic I think about often. For example, here are some random questions: 1) Why do some people think...
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The History and Odyssey of Pro-Feminist American Fathers

by Doug Gertner Ever wonder where fathers fit in the history of Pro-Feminist American Families?   According to Dr. Joseph Pleck, the Victorian father was “Moral Overseer” of his family, the one who taught them right from wrong, good from bad, and to fear God....
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Thousands of Miles, Months at a Time: The Amazing Story of Two Men’s Dreams of Fatherhood

Excerpt: “Sometimes fatherhood means having vision; it’s about doing those hard things that set an example and build character in young men. The dads knew sooner or later the boys would wonder about their roots. They were sure to have questions about their birth...
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The Daddy Balance

By Doug Gertner Like a walk on a high wire or an advanced yoga pose, the challenge of balancing our work and family life keeps most fathers on our toes. During my regular workshops with soon-to-be first-time fathers, their top concern is time management after their...
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Father Facts: The Importance of Being an Active Dad

by Doug Gertner Fathers matter, we are aware of that, but we may not know exactly what a male presence brings to children and families. Stop for just a moment and ask yourself “what’s most important about being (or having) an active dad in the picture?” You can...
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Want To Be A Good Dad? Support Mom And Avoid Father’s Rights Groups

By Trish Wilson Reprinted with permission of the author Over the past decade, fatherhood has been all the rage and dads are naturally the talk of pundits on Father’s Day. So let’s say you’re a divorcing dad and you’re having trouble coping. You look for help on the...
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ALICE PAUL AWARDS FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE WORKED TO CONFRONT MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Committee on Feminist Movement History: National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) reprinted with permission from: Brannon, Robert (2017) "Alice Paul Awards for Women Who Have Worked to Confront Men's Violence Against Women,"Dignity: Journal on Sexual...
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The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women

The Painful Cost of Disbelieving Women by Barry Goldstein. A man in one of the batterer classes I teach couldn’t wait to bring up the Duke Lacrosse and Tawana Brawley cases to counter research that women rarely make false reports of rape or abuse.  While many men in...
Read More

Think It’s #NotAllMen? These 4 Facts Prove You’re Just Plain Wrong

by Melissa A. Fabello and Aaminah Khan, Originally published on Everyday Feminism, October 10, 2016 Dear Well-Meaning Men Who Believe Themselves to Be Safe, Thereby Legitimizing the “Not All Men” Argument, Let’s start here, even though this should go without saying:...
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Against Patriarchy: Tools for Men to Further Feminist Revolution*

Against Patriarchy: Tools for Men to Further Feminist Revolution* By Chris Crass For all of us who are men who believe in social justice, who want healthy and beautiful lives for our loved ones, and who are working for positive change in the world, let us commit or...
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Mansplaining, explained: ‘Just ask an expert. Who is not a lady’

Author Rebecca Solnit admits that even penning a book titled 'Men Explain Things to Me' doesn't stop some men Jessica Valenti theguardian.com, Friday 6 June 2014   Rebecca Solnit is a prolific author (she's working now on her sixteenth and seventeenth books),...
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NOMAS Says ‘Happy Birthday’ to Dr. Phyllis Chesler

I have always admired Phyllis Chesler as one of the earliest founding mothers of second-wave feminism.   She has also been the embodiment of a special role which I admire, and have always aspired to: a feminist social scientist.  Her work over the past forty years has...
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NOMAS Opposes Amnesty International’s Policy on Decriminalization of Prostitution/Sex Trafficking

Press Release                                                                                              August 18, 201 On August 11, 2015, Amnesty International (AI) turned its back on Feminism by voting to adopt policy supporting decriminalizing prostitution (also...
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Roles of Men with Feminism and Feminist Theory

by Brian Klocke Can Men do Feminist Theory? There are perhaps as many definitions of feminism and feminist theory as there are people who declare that they are feminists. Ben Agger (1998) states that the major achievement of feminist theory is to make the politics of...
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The Politics of Accountability

by Jonathan Cohen Accountability has become a watchword in the movement to end domestic violence. It is almost impossible to be involved in any work related to ending domestic violence without hearing the word accountability bandied about. But while some might glaze...
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Understanding Patriarchy and Men’s Power

By Joseph Pleck, PhD Printed with permission MEN'S POWER WITH OTHER MEN In recent years, we have come to understand that relations between men and women are governed by a sexual politics that exists outside individual men's and women's needs and choices.  It has taken...
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NOMAS Position Statement on Spirituality

NOMAS recognizes that deeply held social beliefs in equality and justice are often grounded in an understanding of the world that might include theological statements, whether the instinct takes expression though tikkun olam or the Southern Christian Leadership...
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