Please join our NOW chapter at 7:00 pm on Wednesday July 12th for a sure-to-be-fascinating presentation by Donald M. Bell on the history of NOMAS – the National Organization for Men Against Sexism.
Please click here to register …
The organization’s slogan says it all: “Pro-feminist, LGBTQ+ affirmative, anti-racist, anti-classist, enhancing men’s lives.” The photo above is of a NOMAS chapter.
From their website: “NOMAS recognized early on that all oppressions (the ‘isms’) are linked. Fighting against a single oppression (e.g., sexism) without recognizing that it is intertwined with all other oppressions (e.g., racism, classism, heterosexism) will not move us toward the creation of a just society. Thus we believe that it is essential to pursue justice on a broad range of social issues—to work toward ending all of the ‘isms.’”
Donald was there at the founding in 1981 of what became NOMAS. Don (he, him, his) identifies as a 73 year old single, cisgender, profeminist, gay or SGL (Same Gender Loving) man of African, Indigenous, and Scots-Irish roots. Don is a third-generation native-born Chicagoan, Southsider, and lifelong White Sox fan. He is a retired professional in Higher Education Administration/Student Affairs; certified in HIV/AIDS counseling, health education, and outreach; and IDCFS Social Worker. He has become a recognized resource in the area of aging, in general, and LGBT+ aging in particular. He often presents on those and related intersectional social justice issues.
He is a founding member of the National Leadership Council of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS), the nation’s oldest profeminist men’s organization. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Village Chicago, the largest urban village in the national Village-to-Village Aging Network. He also sits on the Boards of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus and One Roof Chicago, the developers of a proposed intergenerational LGBT-riendly residence for the South Side of Chicago. And finally, he was recently appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to chair the newly established Illinois Commission on LGBTQ+ Aging.
Don is a resident of Town Hall Apartments, Chicago’s first and the nation’s fourth LGBT-friendly senior residence. And in his spare time, he continues to be the proud father of two adult sons, and seven grandchildren. Life is full!
Read more about NOMAS here.
Listen to Don’s story here.
Please click here to register …