Famed Feminist Gloria Steinem Dies at 92

Was she a liberator of women, a radical who left women worse off or a CIA agent?
Famed Feminist Gloria Steinem Dies at 92
Above: Gloria Steinem in her New York City apartment on Nov. 2, 1990. Image credit: Barbara Alper/Getty Images

The Spin


Left narrative

Gloria Steinem's legacy is a masterclass in turning personal injustice into lasting social change. Dismissed as just another "pretty girl" by the male literary establishment, she channeled that contempt into decades of fearless writing and activism that reshaped what American women could demand from the world. The feminist movement got a sharper, more humane voice because of her refusal to stay quiet.

Right narrative

Steinem spent decades glamorizing a political agenda that left millions of women worse off, disguising radical ideology in aviator glasses and magazine covers. Co-founding Ms. was never really about expanding choices, but rather shaming women who wanted marriage and children into believing they were settling. The happiness gaps and birth rate collapses that followed are exactly what she intended.

Cynical narrative

Most mainstream obituaries won't acknowledge that Steinem worked for the CIA, let alone that she admitted to it. In the 1950s, as she talked about openly, the CIA funded the early days of her activist career as a social weapon against the Soviet Union. Whether you liked her messaging or not, it was likely paid for by American tax dollars and orchestrated by one of the most nefarious government agencies of the 20th century.


The Controversies



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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.13.0