Marie Equi
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Marie Equi (April 7, 1872 – July 13, 1952) was an early
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...
in the American West devoted to providing care to working-class and poor patients. She regularly provided
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
information and
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
s at a time when both were illegal. She became a political activist and advocated civic and economic reforms, including
women's right to vote Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
and an eight-hour workday. After being clubbed by a policeman in a 1913 workers' strike, Equi aligned herself with
anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state w ...
and the radical labor movement. Equi was a
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
in a relationship with Harriet Frances Speckart (1883 – May 15, 1927) for more than a decade. The two women adopted an infant and raised the child in an early example of
same-sex parenting Same-sex parenting is parenting of children by Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples generally consisting of Gay men, gay, lesbian, or bisexual people who are often in civil partnerships, domestic partnerships, civil unions, or same-sex marria ...
in the United States. For her radical politics and same-sex relations, Equi battled discrimination and harassment. In 1918, Equi was convicted under the Sedition Act for speaking against U.S. involvement in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. She was sentenced to a three-year term at
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...
.


Early years

Equi was the daughter of John Equi, an Italian immigrant, and Sarah Mullins, an Irish immigrant. She was born the fifth child and fifth daughter in a large working-class family in
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, the former whaling capital of the world that became a
textile manufacturing Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
powerhouse during Equi's early years. She attended
New Bedford High School New Bedford High School (NBHS) is a public high school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. It is located at 230 Hathaway Boulevard in the West End and was established in 1827 (though the current building was built in 1972). It also serve ...
for one year before dropping out to work in a textile mill to support herself. In 1892 Equi escaped a grim future in the mills and joined her high school girlfriend, Bessie Holcomb, on an
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...
along the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
.


A lesbian woman

In the late 19th century, little was known or publicly discussed about same-sex affairs between women. Instead, in some spheres of society in the United States, people recognized "romantic friendships" among women. Wealthy and professional women at the time undertook what were called "
Boston Marriage A "Boston marriage" was, historically, the cohabitation of two women who were independent of financial support from a man. The term is said to have been in use in New England in the late 19th–early 20th century. Some of these relationships were ...
s." These associations entailed varying degrees of emotional and affectionate intimacy between two women and, often, sexual activity as well. Marie Equi once remarked that as a young woman, she had spurned the interests of a young man, and she expressed little interest in a heterosexual pairing or marriage. Equi's lengthy relationship with Bessie Holcomb, from 1892 until 1901, was dissimilar from the Boston Marriages adopted by upper-class women due to Equi's working-class background. Equi lived much of her adult life with other women but was never a separatist. She treated male patients in her medical practice and worked closely with men in many of her political activities. She undertook the longest lesbian relationship of her life in 1905 after meeting a younger woman, Harriet Speckart, the niece of
Olympia Brewing Company The Olympia Brewing Company was a brewery which operated at the Olympia Brewery in Tumwater, Washington. Founded in 1896 by Leopold Friederich Schmidt, it was bought by G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1983. Through a series of consolidations, it ...
founder Leopold Schmidt. Speckart's family was vehemently opposed to the two women's relationship, and Speckart battled in the courts for years with her mother and brother to receive her rightful inheritance. After ten years of sharing a life, Equi and Speckart adopted an infant girl, Mary, because Speckart wanted to raise a child. As an adult, Mary recalled that she had called Speckart "ma" and Equi "da" since everyone called Equi "Doc." In later years, the two women separated but remained close until Speckart died in 1927. Equi also became involved with other prominent, professional women. When birth control advocate
Margaret Sanger Margaret Sanger ( Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instr ...
lectured in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
in 1916, Equi became smitten with her. She later wrote letters to Sanger that referred to sexual intimacy between them during Sanger's earlier visit. Archivist Judith Schwartz has described Equi's letters to Sanger as "love letters." Equi's intimate relationships with Holcomb in the 1890s and with Speckart in the early 1900s established her as the first publicly known lesbian on the U.S. West Coast.


Homesteading and medical study

Equi and Holcomb lived a quiet life as close companions in a small house on several rocky acres outside the small city of The Dalles. On July 21, 1893, a local newspaper, ''The Dalles Times-Mountaineer'', reported the sensational ruckus earlier that day that drew crowds of merchants and shoppers to the town center. Equi paced back and forth in front of the office of the Reverend Orson D. Taylor, a land developer and also the superintendent of the Wasco Independent Academy. Taylor had reneged on paying Holcomb her full salary for teaching at the institution. Frustrated over the mistreatment of her companion, Equi horsewhipped Taylor when he tried to escape from his office. Many people in The Dalles regarded Taylor as a crook who peddled fraudulent land deals, and they applauded Equi's assault. They later held a raffle for the whip and gave the proceeds to the two women. The event became the public's first exposure to Equi's bold defense of justice. In 1897, the pair moved to
San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, where Equi began studying medicine. She completed two years of coursework, first at the Physicians & Surgeons Medical College and then at the University of California Medical Department. She relocated to Portland, Oregon – without Bessie Holcomb – and completed her studies at the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
Medical Department in 1903.


Medical care and social activism

Marie Equi became one of the first 60 women to become a physician in Oregon. She established a general medicine practice in Portland in 1905, emphasizing the health concerns of women and children. Her role as a physician became widely known to the public once she volunteered to join a group of doctors and nurses who provided medical care to people stricken during the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...
and fire. That disaster was the largest natural calamity, with the most deaths, occurring for nearly one hundred years. Equi's courageous volunteer work was hailed by California's governor, San Francisco's mayor, and the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
, which awarded her a medal and a commendation. At some point between 1905 and 1915, Equi began to provide abortions and did so without regard for social class or status. She often charged wealthy women more for the procedure to help cover the costs of poor patients. Although city and state authorities frequently tried to halt the practice of abortion with prosecutions, Equi never faced legal consequences for her services. Unlike several of her colleagues, she retained her general medical practice and did not focus on abortion alone. Equi was an active member of Portland's Birth Control League and helped disseminate information about
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
when such activity was illegal. When
Margaret Sanger Margaret Sanger ( Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instr ...
visited Portland in 1916, the authorities arrested her, Equi, and other women and men who distributed Sanger's ''
Family Limitation ''Family Limitation'' is a pamphlet written by American family planning activist, educator, writer, and nurse Margaret Sanger that was published in 1914. It was one of the first guides to birth control published in the United States. The 16-page ...
'' booklet. The judge found them guilty, ordered fines for the men (and then suspended them) and no fees for the women. Equi continued to be an advocate for birth control. During the
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...
(from 1895 to 1920), Oregon adopted civic and political reforms that became a model for the nation, including the initiative and referendum process, recall of elected officials, and direct election of U.S. Senators. Equi worked in several campaigns to secure women's right to vote in Oregon and celebrated victory in 1912 when women gained suffrage in the state.


Radical politics

In 1913, Equi visited the site of a strike by cannery workers in east Portland at the Oregon Packing Company. The workers, primarily women, protested poor working conditions, uncertain work hours, and a wage of only five to eight cents an hour. Once socialists and members of the
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
(IWW) joined the strike in support of the women, the struggle expanded to include the
right to free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
. Equi joined the protest and became one of its leaders, partly due to her professional stature as a physician. After days of
picketing Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pi ...
, the police stormed the strikers. Equi was clubbed by an officer after she became enraged that the police had dragged away a 30-year-old pregnant woman. After several more days, the strike ended in unsatisfactory terms for the women workers. For Equi, the
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
she witnessed had radicalized her, and she turned away from her earlier advocacy of Progressive reforms. Equi became influential in Portland's unemployment crisis in 1913-1914. She regularly marched with jobless men, demanded better working conditions for them, and engaged in the IWW's free speech fights and support for lumber workers in the region's forests. She declared herself a Radical Socialist and anarchist and aligned herself with the IWW.


Opposition to World War I and punishment

During the increasingly contentious times leading to the U.S. entering World War I, Equi objected to the nation's war preparedness campaigns. She believed the war efforts represented a grab for profits by capitalists and an imperialistic adventure for the government. Massive preparedness parades were held in all major U.S. cities in 1915 and 1916. Portland entered a phase of hyper-nationalism, and Equi became more of a political outsider than before. She protested a pre-war campaign in downtown Portland and unfurled a banner reading "Prepare to die, workingmen,
JP Morgan & Co J.P. Morgan & Co. is an American financial institution specialized in investment banking, asset management and private banking founded by financier J. P. Morgan in 1871. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company is now a subsidi ...
. want preparedness for profit." Others attacked her in the march, and a fight ensued, leading to her arrest. Equi continued to protest once the US entered the war in 1917. The US government believed that Equi was a dangerous threat to national security and charged and convicted her of sedition under the newly revised
Espionage Act The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code ( ...
. Equi attempted appeals to the higher courts, but her arguments were rejected.
President Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only Democrat to serve as president during the Progressive Era when Republicans dominated the pres ...
commuted her three-year sentence to one year and a day at the last minute before her imprisonment. Equi served her time in
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...
in northern California, beginning her term on October 19, 1920, as inmate number 34110. She was forty-eight years old. She shared the women's quarters with thirty-one other inmates, many of them serving sentences for homicide, theft, and performing abortions. Equi was the only "political" among them. Equi's health suffered while in prison with flare-ups of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
that she had contracted in childhood. She maintained her morale as best she could with the moral support from many visitors and letter writers. She sought early release through a pardon or parole, but the US Attorney General apparently blocked any leniency for her. Equi left San Quentin on August 9, 1921, with a reduced sentence due to good behavior. She had served nearly ten months.


Later years

Americans tried to forget the war years in the 1920s, but they nevertheless were swept into a heightened fear of radicals, labor unionists, and communists that became known as the "
Red Scare A Red Scare is a form of moral panic provoked by fear of the rise of left-wing ideologies in a society, especially communism and socialism. Historically, red scares have led to mass political persecution, scapegoating, and the ousting of thos ...
." Equi re-entered public life with her political comrades imprisoned or greatly restricted from protest activity. Equi returned to her medical practice. Between 1926 and 1936, Equi invited the IWW leader
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 – September 5, 1964) was an American labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Libe ...
to live with her and help care for Equi's daughter. Flynn suffered serious health problems, including exhaustion from overwork and depression from political setbacks. Equi, Flynn, and Equi's daughter lived at 1423 SW Hall in Portland's Westside neighborhood—Gander Ridge of Goose Hollow at 1423 SW Hall. In 1930, Equi suffered a heart attack, sold her medical practice, and asked Flynn to assist her for several more years. Finally, Flynn retreated to the East and resumed her work. She became a national leader of the
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
. Equi led a quiet life following Flynn's departure and then her daughter's elopement. Radical and labor leaders continued to revere her for her courage and compassion; several visited her at her house. In 1950, Equi fractured her hip in a fall and spent a year at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland and then at a nursing home outside Portland near the town of Gresham. She died at Fairlawn Hospital on July 13, 1952, at 80. Her obituaries ran in newspapers nationwide, including those in Portland, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. Equi's activist friend Julia Ruuttila described her as "a woman of passion and conviction (and) a real friend of the have-nots of this world." She is buried alongside Harriet Speckart at Wilhelm's Portland Memorial, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. In August 2019, Equi was one of the honorees inducted in the
Rainbow Honor Walk The Rainbow Honor Walk (RHW) is a walk of fame installation in San Francisco, California to honor notable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals from around the world "who left a lasting mark on society." Its bronze ...
, a
walk of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood noting
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
people who have "made significant contributions in their fields."


See also

* Elizabeth Gurley Flynn § Personal life * Doc Marie's, an LGBT-friendly bar in Portland, Oregon, named after Equi * History of lesbianism in the United States *
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
*
List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
Espionage Act of 1917 The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code ( ...
*
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...


References


Bibliography

Journal Articles * * * * * Helquist, Michael (Summer, 2016). "Lewd, Obscene, and Indecent: The 1916 Portland Edition of ''Family Limitation''," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'', 117:2. *Soden, Kris and Michael Helquist, (Summer, 2016). "History Comic: Adventures in Family Limitation," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'', 117:2. *Helquist, Michael (Summer, 2017). "Resistance, Dissent, and Punishment in WWI Oregon, ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'', 118:2. Books * * * * * * Online Resources * *
OHSU History of Medicine Lecture: KAJ Mackenzie, Marie Equi, and the Oregon Doctor Train: Portland's response to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake'
y Michael Helquist. *Michael Helquist.
WWI Sedition Project: Resistance, Dissent, and Punishment in WWI Oregon
"


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Equi, Marie 1872 births 1952 deaths 19th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century anarchists Activists from Portland, Oregon American anarchists American anti-war activists American feminists American lesbians American pacifists American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American primary care physicians American women physicians Anarcha-feminists Industrial Workers of the World members LGBTQ people from Massachusetts LGBTQ people from Oregon People from The Dalles, Oregon People from New Bedford, Massachusetts People convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 Physicians from Portland, Oregon