Gloria Steinem, Ms. Magazine founder, dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, Ms. Magazine founder, dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, the American writer, lecturer, activist, and organizer who fought for gender equality and women's civil and reproductive rights for more than five decades, has died. She was 92 years old. Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by loved ones, according to her foundation. Steinem was a trailblazing journalist and activist who devoted her life to fighting for women's rights. She challenged gender stereotypes and championed feminist ideals like equality, sisterhood, and reproductive freedom, inspiring generations of women to do the same. Her work had a profound impact on the women's rights movement, and she is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the American feminist movement. Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, Steinem grew up in a family that moved frequently, and she did not attend school regularly until about seventh grade. Her parents separated when she was 11, and she lived with and took care of her mother, who had a mental breakdown and suffered from depression. This experience had a profound impact on Steinem's views on social injustice and marriage, which she believed robbed women of choices and many of their civil rights. Steinem began her career as a journalist, penning political columns and features for New York magazine and writing for other publications such as Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. In 1963, she went undercover for 11 days as a Bunny at a Playboy Club for a exposé in Show magazine, experiencing punishing hours for low pay and sexual harassment. As she told the New Yorker in 2015, "I want to do justice to the women I meet, to tell their stories... It's making connections, and using myself to listen, because we can't empower women without listening to their stories." In the 1960s, Steinem became involved with a CIA-backed organization that sent American students to Soviet-sponsored youth festivals to promote pro-American principles. Although she later defended her interactions with the agency as innocuous, this would become a point of contention for some feminists later in her career. Steinem co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and Ms. Magazine a year later, which tackled topics such as abortion, sexism, equal pay, and domestic violence. The magazine was widely regarded as the first national magazine run by and written for women, and it boldly addressed issues that were considered off-limits at the time. As Steinem said, "The women's magazines that are around, most of which all of us who work on Ms. Have worked for, are really talking about women in their roles as wives and mothers... I think that all of us, when we read those magazines, get a sense of dishonesty." Throughout her career, Steinem demonstrated a keen grasp of the dual levers of power, working in both politics and media to advance her causes. She was a vocal advocate for reproductive freedom, driven by her own experience of having had an illegal abortion at age 22. In her 2015 memoir My Life On The Road, she dedicated her book to the English doctor who performed the procedure, saying "You must promise me two things. First, you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life... I've done the best I could with my life. This book is for you." Steinem's work has been widely recognized, and she has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. Then-President Barack Obama said when he awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom, "Because of her work, across America and around the world, more women are afforded the respect and opportunities that they deserve... She also changed how women thought about themselves." Steinem's personal life was also marked by significant events. She married for the first time at age 66 in 2000, wedding environmental activist David Bale, the father of actor Christian Bale. They met at a fundraiser for the political action committee Voters for Choice, which Steinem co-founded. The elder Bale died of brain lymphoma in 2003. As news of Steinem's passing spread, tributes poured in from women across industries, including Maxine Waters, who wrote, "Gloria Steinem, you are absolutely the most significant leader who set the women's movement on the right course in this country... You are at the forefront of the history of the women's movement, and your contributions are etched in stone to be remembered and to continue to be the inspiration for women and girls for generations to come." Steinem's death marks the end of an era, but her legacy will continue to inspire and empower women around the world. Her work will be remembered as proof of the power of dedication, hard work, and a commitment to social justice. As Julie Taymor said of Steinem in a 2017 New York Times interview, "From reluctant spokesperson to a beacon of positive change, hers is a singular journey - an American leader who can speak to us all."