The 1974 "Counter-Gridiron" event was a protest of the exclusionary membership policy of the Gridiron Club, a group of "newsmen" that refused to admit women as members until 1975.
An Elite Old Boys' Club
During the early 1970s, feminist protesters drew attention to the discriminatory membership policy of the Gridiron Club - considered the most elite club of journalists in Washington, D.C. - by holding demonstrations outside its annual gala dinner. The group Journalists for Professional Equality encouraged politicians and others who were invited to the prestigious annual event to boycott the dinner in protest of the no-female-members policy.
Our Party Is More Fun
In 1974, Journalists for Professional Equality held a "Counter-Gridiron" event on the same night as the lauded dinner. The Counter-Gridiron event had a carnival atmosphere, with music, dancing and fun booths run by public figures. The night's events included a game of "pin the tail on the male chauvinist pig." Famous figures such as Dan Rather sold kisses or were auctioned off as dance partners.
The Counter-Gridiron was held at Mount Vernon College. Mount Vernon was a women's college in Washington, D.C.; it became part of The George Washington University in 1999.
Important Attendees
Elliot Richardson, a former attorney general and Cabinet member, and then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield attended the Counter-Gridiron event, along with various senators and U.S. representatives.
One highlight of the event was Martha Mitchell, wife of Attorney General John Mitchell during President Richard Nixon's administration. She was known for making controversial phone calls to contact the press during the Watergate scandal. At the Counter-Gridiron event, she sat in a booth and offered to call anyone, anywhere for $5.
More Than One Good Cause
In addition to bringing attention to the discrimination among the elite ranks of journalists in the nation's capital, the Counter-Gridiron raised money for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a legal defense fund for journalists.