Here’s a look at the life of writer and activist Gloria Steinem.
Personal
Birth date: March 25, 1934
Birth place: Toledo, Ohio
Birth name: Gloria Marie Steinem
Father: Leo Steinem, an antique dealer
Mother: Ruth (Nuneviller) Steinem
Marriage: David Bale (2000-2003, his death)
Education: Smith College, B.A., 1956
Other Facts
Steinem’s paternal grandmother, Pauline Perlmutter Steinem, was the president of the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association.
Did not spend a full year in school until age 12.
Timeline
1956-1958 – Lives in India on a Chester Bowles Fellowship.
1960 – Moves to New York and begins working at Help! magazine.
September 1, 1962 – One of her first feature articles is published by Esquire magazine.
1963 – Works undercover as a “Bunny” at the Playboy Club in New York and then writes an exposé about the poor pay and working conditions.
1968 – Helps found New York magazine, and begins writing features and political columns including, “The City Politic.”
1969 – Begins writing and speaking about feminism after attending a meeting held by a women’s movement group that addressed the issue of abortion.
May 6, 1970 – Testifies before the United States Senate in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
1971 – Co-founds the National Women’s Political Caucus, which works to increase the number of women in the political field.
1972 – Co-founds Ms. Magazine, the first feminist magazine, and the first to be created and operated entirely by women.
1973 – Co-founds the Ms. Foundation for Women.
November 18-21, 1977 – Organizes and attends the National Women’s conference in Texas. The conference is the first to be backed by the US government, and its purpose was proposing recommendations for widespread gender equality.
1983 – Steinem’s collection of essays “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” is published.
1992 – Steinem’s book “Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem” is published.
1992 – Co-founds Choice USA (now URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity), along with Julie Burton and Kristina Kiehl.
April 22, 1993 – Celebrates the first “Take Our Daughters To Work Day,” an educational program created by the Ms. Foundation to give girls a voice and presence in the workplace.
1993 – Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
January 12, 1993 – Co-produces the movie for television “Better off Dead” an examination of the parallels between abortion and the death penalty.
1996 – Creates the Women and AIDS Fund with the Ms. Foundation to support women living with HIV/AIDS.
2005 – Co-founds the Women’s Media Center with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan.
2006 – Steinem’s book “Doing Sixty & Seventy” is published.
August 15, 2011 – The HBO documentary, “Gloria: In Her Own Words,” airs.
2013 – Steinem is a subject in the PBS documentary, “Makers,” a project that aims to record the stories of women who “made America.”
November 20, 2013 – Is awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Barack Obama.
October 19, 2015 – Pens an op-ed in The Guardian declaring her support for 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
October 27, 2015 – Her memoir, “My Life on the Road,” is published.
February 5, 2016 – Steinem makes a controversial comment on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” saying young women are supporting Senator Bernie Sanders in the presidential race because “the boys are with Bernie.” She later apologizes and claims her comment was misinterpreted.
May 10, 2016 – Steinem’s television show “WOMAN” premieres on VICELAND.
October 18, 2018 – The Off-Broadway production, “Gloria: A Life,” officially opens at the Daryl Roth Theatre.
October 29, 2019 – Steinem’s book “The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!” is published.
June 15, 2020 – Steinem and S. Mona Sinha co-write a New York Times letter to the editor opposing the elimination of civil rights protections for transgender healthcare.
September 30, 2020 – ”The Glorias,” a film is based on Steinem’s memoir “My Life on the Road,” premieres.