No one thought it could happen but, in retrospect, there were some clear indications. The first was the ruling from HEW, put out by O. J. Squibb, a lower-echelon bureaucrat, that mother-daughter and father-son social events were sexist. As a result, all public school functions must now have the same number of each sex in attendance. Ladies’ Day at the ball park fell next, and Playboy magazine was forced to change its name to Playperson. O. J. Squibb advanced in rank and power because of his burning zeal to rid American life of all sexist symbols.
In the course of his many studies of the schools, Squibb found one persistent symbol of sexism. At first he was reluctant to challenge it but, with the help of the ACLU, the courts all over the country were soon flooded with cases, while a tandem effort for restrictive legislation was begun in the House by Elizabeth Holtzman and in the Senate by George McGovern.
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