Marie Equi was a doctor, an open lesbian, an abortion provider, a suffragist and an outspoken labor activist in early twentieth century Oregon. She was called “one of the most dangerous anarchists” in the country and went to prison for her opposition to World War I.
Why is Equi so much less known than her friends and comrades Margaret Sanger and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn? Homophobia, suggests Michael Helquist, whose new book is Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions.