Feminist icon Gloria Steinem dies aged 92

Cofounder of Ms Magazine was a strong advocate for women’s rights throughout her life.

Gloria Steinem speaks at the Women's March in Washington, DC, US, January 21, 2017 [File: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters]

Gloria Steinem, the author and activist who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the women’s movement in the United States and a fierce advocate for feminist causes throughout her life, has died at the age of 92.

With her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem, a cofounder of Ms Magazine, was a hugely recognisable presence wherever she went.

And she went everywhere: much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centres, at rallies and marches.

She died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to her foundation’s social media pages.

“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the posts said. “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour.”

Steinem enjoyed writing and spending time in the community in recent years, the posts said. She also hosted talking circles for hundreds of people in her home.

“You can’t do it on the phone or on the web,” she told The Associated Press news agency in a 2015 interview.

“You have to be there with all five senses. It should be obvious that people can’t empathise with each other unless we’re in the same room.”

Steinem began her career as a journalist, notably one who reported, in 1963, on degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire, an undercover assignment she later came to regret.

She credits a meeting six years later, where women spoke out boldly in favour of abortion rights, with changing her career path.

“That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me,” Steinem, who had undergone a secret illegal abortion herself at age 22, told the AP in an email in 2022, reflecting on the reversal of Roe v Wade.

“Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we’re not living in a democracy.”

Though she soon became a known activist, those who watched Steinem denounce discrimination for so many years likely never suspected that she’d had to overcome a deep fear of public speaking. She would have simply stuck to writing, she said, if only editors at the time had been willing to let her write about the women’s movement.

Time hardly slowed Steinem down; well into her 80s she was travelling the globe and speaking out on issues of importance to her. These included everything from genital mutilation to Korean reconciliation, but it was equality for women that took precedence.

《Ms》杂志的联合创始人一生都是女性权利的坚定倡导者。

2017年1月21日，格洛丽亚·斯泰纳姆在美国华盛顿特区举行的女性大游行上发表讲话。[图片：香农·斯台普顿/路透社]

美国作家兼活动家格洛丽亚·斯泰纳姆去世，享年 92 岁。她是美国妇女运动中最引人注目的象征和最有力的声音之一，也是她一生中坚定的女权主义事业倡导者。

斯坦纳姆是《Ms》杂志的联合创始人，她标志性的挑染中分长发和一副大大的飞行员眼镜，无论走到哪里，她都极具辨识度。

她四处奔走：她作为倡导者的大部分时间都在路上度过，在大学校园和社区中心、集会和游行中发表演讲。

据其基金会的社交媒体页面显示，她于周三在纽约市的家中去世。

“格洛丽亚最大的天赋在于她善于倾听，让别人感到被关注和被理解，”帖子中写道。“她的言语、行动和榜样鼓励人们展现真实的自我。格洛丽亚始终保持着独立自主的精神，充满好奇心和幽默感。”

帖子中提到，斯坦纳姆近年来喜欢写作和参与社区活动。她还在家中举办过数百人参加的座谈会。

“你不可能通过电话或网络做到这一点，”她在 2015 年接受美联社采访时说道。

“你必须调动五官去感受。显而易见，除非身处同一空间，否则人们无法彼此产生共鸣。”

斯坦纳姆的职业生涯始于记者，值得一提的是，她在 1963 年报道了休·海夫纳的《花花公子》帝国中令人作呕的状况，这是一项她后来后悔的卧底任务。

她认为六年后的一次会议改变了她的职业道路，会上女性们大胆地表达了对堕胎权的支持。

“那次公开表态是我投身社会活动的开端，”斯坦纳姆在2022年的一封电子邮件中告诉美联社，她本人曾在22岁时秘密进行过非法堕胎，当时她正在反思罗诉韦德案的推翻。

“要么我们对自身身体的控制权是平等的，不分性别或种族；要么我们就不是生活在民主社会中。”

尽管她很快成为一位知名的活动家，但多年来一直关注斯坦纳姆谴责歧视的人们，可能从未想到她曾克服过对公开演讲的深深恐惧。她说，如果当时的编辑愿意让她撰写关于妇女运动的文章，她原本会一直坚持写作。

岁月似乎并未放慢斯坦纳姆的脚步；即使到了八十多岁高龄，她依然周游世界，就她所关注的议题发表意见。这些议题涵盖了从女性割礼到朝鲜半岛和解等方方面面，但女性平等始终是她最为关注的。