Gloria Steinem Emphasizes that Feminism and LGBT Rights Linked

Activist, journalist and feminist Gloria Steinem has been actively campaigning for women's rights since the 1960s. Not only has she imprinted her legacy when she helped found longstanding publications like Ms. and New York Magazines, she has aided in the formation of the National Women's Political Caucus, produced films on such topics as child abuse and the death penalty and is the author of many lauded books and articles.
On Wednesday, March 7, she shared some of her career expertise on an event sponsored by Wayne State University's FOCIS initiative, or Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society, entitled Women in the Workplace. She was joined by WSU Senior Scholar Pamela Trotman Reid as moderator, and by panelists Lilia Cortina, a professor of psychology and women's studies at the University of Michigan, and by Michigan State University professor of management Georgia T. Chao. The group discussed in-depth the growing #MeToo movement, and the future of feminism.
"The future of feminism is, we're hoping democracy might happen one day, because you can't have democracy without feminism (laughs)," Steinem said in a press conference after the event. "You can't have democracy with racism, with bias of any kind, so we're striving toward a deep democracy I would say. And, in terms of the relationships between men and women, it's certainly making them much better."
When asked about the LGBTQ community upsetting the traditional boundaries of male and female roles, Steinem said that both the LGBTQ rights movement and feminism are deeply linked.
"Gender and race are invented to categorize, and they go deep because of culture, but they also are not inevitable," Steinem said. "And I think we are all striving to become unique individuals and human being without those kinds of imposed categories. If they're chosen, OK, but not if they're imposed."