 Ti @-@ Grace Atkinson , the New York chapter president of the National Organization for Women ( NOW ) , described Solanas as " the first outstanding champion of women 's rights " and as " a ' heroine ' of the feminist movement " , and " smuggled [ her manifesto ] ... out of the mental hospital where Solanas was confined . " According to Betty Friedan , the NOW board repudiated Atkinson . Atkinson left NOW and started another feminist organization . According to Friedan , " the media continued to treat Ti @-@ Grace as a leader of the women 's movement , despite its repudiation of her . " 
