MARY DALY, BOSTON COLLEGE, AND THE RADICAL RIGHT

Radical feminist, theologian, and philosopher Mary Daly holds seven degrees, three of them doctorates. She has tought at Jesuit Boston College (BC) since 1966 and since the beginning has been attacked been attacked by the university in attempts to discredit her. In 1968-69, Daly was given a terminal, one-year contract to teach theology in the College of Arts and Sciences, still all male at that time. When 1500 male students protested for four months, the university promoted her to associate professor and granted her tenure the following September.

When the University first admitted women to its College of Arts and Sciences in 1970, Daly first taught men and women together, but soon realized that for the women enrolled in her courses, an all-woman classroom experience was a much more enriching experience. She taught men separately in independent studies, and the administration tentatively retreated.

In 1998 Duane Naquin, a senior without the prerequisites, tried to enroll in Daly's Introduction to Feminist Ethics course. When Daly explained her policy of teaching male students separately, he disappeared. Naquin, a Young Republican, then gained the backing of the Washington, DC-based law firm, the Center for Individual Rights(CIR).

A year and a half ago, the CIR had struck down affirmative action programs at the Universities of Michigan and Texas and declared radical feminism their target for 1998-99.

BC bypassed Daly and negociated directly with the CIR during the fall semester, and when Daly learned of the threatened lawsuit, she took a leave of absence for the spring. On January 18 the University gave Daly an ultimatum -- admit Naquin or resign. Three weeks later Daly signed her annual contract renewal offered by the university and by the president. BC now claims that Daly made an "oral agreement" to resign; she denies the accusation.

In the spring of 1999, without due process, BC announced that Prof. Daly had retired and removed her name and courses from all pre-registration materials and the course catalogue. Daly and her attorney, Gretchen Van Ness, have filed suit against BC and are now preparing for trial on claims of breach of contract violation of tenure rights, and academic freedom.

To help support her legal defense, Daly spoke following an October 10 concert of Women With Wings at the Curling Club, Route 3, Belfast, Maine. She also read from her latest work, Quintessence... Realizing the Archaic Future, A Radical Feminist Manifesto, now in paperback published by Beacon Press. In addition, her attorney, Gretchen Van Ness, Esq. spoke about Daly's ongoing legal battle with Boston College.

The event was sponsored by Women With Wings and by the Mary Daly Defense Fund, a non-profit group established to raise awareness, support, and money for Daly's legal defense. Tapes of the event are available.

To help write to:

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• Mary Daly Defense Fund Homepage
• Women With Wings