Gloria Steinem, the writer and activist who became the public face of the American women’s movement and helped launch Ms. magazine, died Wednesday at her home in New York City. She was 92.
In an Instagram post, Steinem’s foundation said Steinem “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.” It added: “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.”
Steinem began her journalism career in New York in the 1970s before helping launch Ms. magazine, one of the first publications to look beyond housekeeping and the beauty industry to address women’s broader concerns. More than 50 years ago, she also helped establish the Women’s Action Alliance, a group focused on combating sexism.
Throughout the 1970s, she was among the most visible advocates for women’s reproductive rights. She welcomed the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision affirming a constitutional right to abortion, and lived to see that right overturned nearly half a century later.
Steinem’s story also made its way to the screen. In 2011, HBO premiered the documentary “Gloria: In Her Own Words,” which used photos and archival footage alongside Steinem’s own recollections to trace the women’s movement through her eyes, with Peter Kunhardt directing and Sheila Nevins producing alongside him. Her 2015 memoir, “My Life on the Road,” later formed the basis for “The Glorias,” a nontraditional biopic directed by Julie Taymor, in which four actors, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Lulu Wilson and Ryan Kiera Armstrong, each played Steinem at a different stage of her life.
