Gloria Steinem, a pioneering feminist journalist and activist who co-founded Ms. magazine and became a leading voice for gender equality in America, has died. She was 92.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, on March 25, 1934, Steinem experienced a challenging childhood that delayed her full-time education until she was 12. After completing university in the late 1950s, she traveled to India on a research scholarship. During a two-year stay, she worked alongside village women organizing non-violent protests against government policies, an experience that ignited her passion for grassroots activism.
Steinem moved to New York City in the early 1960s to begin her career as a freelance writer. Her breakthrough came with an investigative exposé on the working conditions of Playboy Bunnies. She later became a columnist for New York Magazine and established Ms. magazine in 1972.
Although she famously remained unmarried for many years, Steinem wed South African-born entrepreneur and environmentalist David Bale, father of actor Christian Bale, in 2000. Bale passed away three years later from brain lymphoma. When asked about her shift in perspective regarding marriage, Steinem remarked, “I didn’t change. Marriage changed.”
In 2013, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Following the news of her death, her foundation stated that she “continued working for equality until the very end,” highlighting her gift for listening and empowering others to be their true selves.
The foundation noted that Steinem spent her final years engaging with her community through “Talking Circles” at her home, a tradition that will persist. A forthcoming book titled An Unexpected Life is among the legacies she leaves behind.
Tributes poured in from prominent figures on Thursday. Meghan Markle celebrated Steinem as a friend and mentor, sharing photos and recalling how Steinem welcomed her family, offered counsel during difficult times, and gifted her a bracelet inscribed with the phrase “we are linked, not ranked.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Steinem as one of the key architects of women’s equality. Speaking on CBS Mornings, Clinton emphasized Steinem’s enduring optimism, calling it a moral choice she made daily throughout her activism.
A true trailblazer. Her work reshaped how we view gender equality. So sad to see her go, but her legacy lives on.
Wait, she married David Bale? I always thought she was staunchly against marriage as an institution. Did her views really shift?
The quote about Marriage changing, not her, is brilliant. Such grace in the face of personal loss and public scrutiny.