The Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for Woman (NOW), which describes itself as a multi-issue progressive feminist advocacy group, has appointed its first male officer to the team.

Meet Steve Paul, Philly NOW’s newest Vice President for Membership.

Paul, a conflicts analysts for Dechert LLP, is also a ward committee person and an active member of Young Involved Philadelphia. He brings extensive advocacy experience from organizations like the NAACP as well.

“The Executive Board is thrilled to have Steve join us,” said Nina Ahmad, president of the Philly NOW chapter. “We are impressed with his keen understanding of issues facing women and willingness to engage other allies to work on our core issues and bring about equality for all women.”

Ahmad also emphasized that Paul’s appointment better reflects NOW’s mission statement in Philly and abroad.

“His appointment allows us to underscore that NOW is a feminist organization for women and not of women.”

On his interest in joining NOW, Paul spoke to concerns about women's reproductive rights. With the possibility of an all-male Congressional Committee imposing far-reaching restrictions on abortion, he felt called to be a better advocate for the cause.

“It was a real wake-up call for me when I witnessed Dr. Julie Madsen having to explain the female anatomy to a male Idaho law maker who was voting to restrict women’s reproductive health choices,” Paul said.

NOW is the largest organization of feminist activists in the U.S., with 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia.