09/03/2026
Holding space today as we process the passing of Gloria Steinem.
It hits in a very specific way because I literally just finished teaching my students about her role in the history of s*x positivity and bodily autonomy. Sitting in front of a classroom of young folks, tracing the lineage of how we got to talk openly about pleasure, consent, and reproductive freedom, her impact can't be denied.
As a Black woman who has spent over two decades in s*xual health education, my relationship with feminism has always been complex. We know the history wasn’t always built with us in mind, and we’ve had to do the work to expand, critique, and demand more; hello womanism! But Gloria was someone who listened, evolved, and consistently used her platform to align with Black women activists like Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Florynce Kennedy, and Shirley Chisholm. She understood early on that bodily autonomy isn't a single-issue struggle—it’s tied to racial justice and basic human dignity.
When we talk about s*x positivity today, we owe a debt to the foundation she helped lay: the radical idea that a woman’s body belongs entirely to her. That our desires, choices, and health are ours to define, free from shame or control.
Rest in power, Gloria.
