Photo: Gage Skidmore
Phyllis Schlafly, an anti-feminist and opponent of equality who worked to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, has died at the age of 92.
Schlafly was a vocal opponent of the women’s liberation movement that took hold in the United States in the 1970s, and was a key player in the defeat of the dearly-held feminist dream of an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), reported The Huffington Post. The Eagle Forum was originally known as STOP ERA, though the effort to defeat the amendment would become synonymous with Schlafly’s name.
Schlafly argued that an ERA would harm American housewives, warning that it would make it more difficult for mothers to obtain custody in divorce cases and that it would do away with alimony and child support requirements, the report continued. She also argued that it would lead to same-sex marriage and government funding for abortions, both of which she fiercely opposed, despite having a gay son.
In January, Schlafly gave her support to presidential nominee Donald Trump in an interview with Breitbart.
In response to Schlafly’s death Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force issued the following statement: “Phyllis Schlafly’s legacy will be one of trying to inflict as much damage as possible on millions of women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, people of color and families over decades. She was against some the fundamental pillars of freedom, justice and equality — from feminism to abortion to marriage equality. Her political legacy and views will not stand the test of time for what is good, kind and decent,”
