Her work inspired the modern feminist movement. 'Disproportionately, African American women invented feminism, and if you call it a white movement, you've eradicated … hundreds and hundreds of people who I learned from, who were my teachers,' Steinem told Girls Leadership in 2017. In recent years, she's become a vocal advocate of an intersectional feminist approach, arguing that the feminist movement must be inclusive of all races, classes, and sexual identities.
Steinem later clarified that her remarks came at a time when little was known about the transgender experience, and said in 2013 that transgender lives 'should be celebrated, not questioned.' Steinem has not been without her controversies: She faced widespread criticism from the LGBTQ community in the late 1970s for her disapproval of famed tennis player Renee Richards' sex reassignment surgery. A self-described radical feminist, Steinem helped launched 'Ms.' magazine in the 1970s - the first feminist focused publication at the time. Gloria Steinem is a journalist and social activist.Ī social activist and journalist, Gloria Steinem was a prominent leader in the feminist movement during the 1960s and 1970s, and continues to play a vital role in the feminist fight today.
