Shulamith Bath Shmuel Ben Ari Firestone (born Feuerstein; January 7, 1945 – August 28, 2012) was a Canadian-American radical feminist writer and activist. She was a prominent figure in the early development of radical feminism and

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred ...

and a founding member of three radical feminist organizations:

New York Radical Women New York Radical Women (NYRW) was an early second-wave radical feminist group that existed from 1967 to 1969. They drew nationwide media attention when they unfurled a banner inside the 1968 Miss America pageant displaying the words "Women ...

, Redstockings, and New York Radical Feminists. Within these movements, she was referred to by some as "the firebrand" and "the fireball" due to the intensity with which she advocated for feminist causes. In 1967, she spoke at the National Conference for New Politics in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In 1968, she organized a symbolic event referred to as "The Burial of Traditional Womanhood" and participated in the

Miss America protest The Miss America protest was a demonstration held at the Miss America 1969 contest on September 7, 1968, attended by about 200 feminists and civil rights advocates. The feminist protest was organized by New York Radical Women and included put ...

later that year. She protested sexual harassment at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, organized

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 ...

speakouts, and disrupted abortion legislation meetings. In 1970, Firestone published '' The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution''. Released in September of that year, the book became an influential text within

feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or Philosophy, philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's Gender role, social roles, experiences, intere ...

.Benewick, Robert and Green, Philip (1998). "Shulamith Firestone 1945–". ''The Routledge Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Political thinkers''. 2nd edition. Routledge, pp.&nbs
65–67
The ideas presented in ''The Dialectic of Sex'' later became relevant to the development of cyberfeminism and xenofeminism, with Firestone’s arguments considered precursors to discussions about technology and gender. In addition to her work as an author, Firestone contributed to and helped edit the feminist magazine ''Notes''. Following her retirement from activism, Firestone was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a condition she lived with until her death in 2012. Her final published work was ''Airless Spaces'', released in 1998. The book is a collection of short stories based on her experiences with mental illness. A documentary titled ''Shulie'' was produced that depicted Firestone during her time as a student and traced her trajectory as a feminist thinker and writer. The original documentary, which featured Firestone herself, was never released; however, a recreation of the original was later produced.

Early life and education

Firestone was born in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario, Canada on January 7, 1945.Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Tracie Ratiner. Vol. 27. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2007. p129-131. She was the second of six children and the first daughter of Kate Weiss, a German Jewish refugee who fled the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, and Sol Feuerstein, a salesman from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. Firestone's parents were

Orthodox Jews Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tr ...

. In April 1945, when Firestone was four months old, her father participated in the liberation of the

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...

in Germany. During her childhood, the family

Anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

their surname from Feuerstein to Firestone and relocated to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. Her father had adopted Orthodox Judaism as a teenager and was described by

Susan Faludi Susan Charlotte Faludi (; born April 18, 1959) is an American feminism, feminist, journalist, and author. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1991, for a report on the leveraged buyout of Safeway Stores, Inc., a report that the ...

as exercising strict control over his children. One of Firestone's sisters, Tirzah Firestone, recalled that their father directed much of his anger toward Shulamith. Shulamith frequently objected to perceived gender-based expectations within the household. For example, when instructed by her father to make her brother's bed, she was told it was "because you're a girl". Another sister, Laya Firestone Seghi, recounted instances of Sol and Shulamith threatening to kill one another. Firestone's mother was described by Tirzah Firestone as holding a "passive view of femininity" shaped by traditional ideas of Jewish womanhood. Firestone attended Washington University in St. Louis and later earned a degree in painting from the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

in 1967. While living in

, she founded her first

women's liberation The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminism, feminist intellectualism. It emerged in the late 1960s and continued till the 1980s, primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which resu ...

group, named Westside.

Activism

Radical feminism

Firestone was identified as a radical feminist due to her belief that women constitute an oppressed sex class and that women's liberation could only be achieved through the revolutionary dismantling of the global patriarchal system. She drew upon the works of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

and

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. while also critiquing them for not offering a class-independent analysis of women's oppression. Firestone expanded their theoretical framework to include the subordination of women as a distinct and foundational category of analysis. In her 1970 work ''The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution'', Firestone wrote, "Feminists have to question, not just all of Western culture, but the organization of culture itself, and further, even the organization of nature". One of the central arguments in the book was that women's oppression originated in their biological capacity for pregnancy and childbirth—a condition she argued enabled male domination. Firestone advocated for the development and use of advanced reproductive technologies to liberate women from childbirth. These views on reproduction and technology were controversial and elicited strong responses from other feminists. Her work has also been cited as a precursor to cyberfeminism. Firestone's participation in feminist groups was also characterized as radical, particularly because they addressed subjects that were rarely discussed publicly by women at the time. These included topics such as the female

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling"), sexual climax, or simply climax, is the sudden release of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by intense sexual pleasure resulting in rhythmic, involu ...

and

forced abortion Forced abortion is a form of reproductive coercion that refers to the act of compelling a woman to undergo termination of a pregnancy against her will or without explicit consent. Forced abortion may also be defined as coerced abortion, and may o ...

practices.

Westside

In 1967, at the age of 22, Firestone attended the National Conference for New Politics in Chicago, which took place from August 31 to September 1, along with approximately 2,000 other young activists. At the conference, she met Jo Freeman, and the two connected over their shared frustration regarding the lack of attention given to women's issues. Together, they submitted a resolution advocating for equitable marital and property laws and for "complete control by women of their own bodies". The resolution was deemed insufficiently important for floor discussion. Although Firestone and Freeman succeeded in having their statement added to the end of the agenda, it was not addressed during the conference. When several women, including Firestone, attempted to speak in protest, the conference director, William F. Pepper, declined to recognize them. As five women approached the podium to express their objection, Pepper reportedly patted Firestone on the head and said, "Cool down, little girl; we have more important things to talk about than women's problems". Following the conference, Firestone and Freeman organized a meeting that led to the formation of the first women's liberation group in Chicago. The group was named Westside, based on its meeting location in Freeman's apartment on the West Side of the city. A few months later, Freeman began publishing a newsletter titled ''Voice of the Women's Liberation Movement'', which was distributed nationally and internationally. The newsletter helped define and popularize the emerging women’s liberation movement. Several members of the Westside group went on to establish additional feminist organizations, including the Chicago Women's Liberation Union.

New York Radical Women

In October 1967, after helping to establish the Westside group in Chicago, Firestone moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to flee a physically abusive partner. In an unpublished work, she described incidents of abuse, including being struck with enough force to dislodge one of her teeth. After relocating to New York, Firestone co-founded the

, one of the earliest radical feminist groups of the second-wave feminist movement. Other founding members included

Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key Radical feminism, radical feminist member of the American Feminist movement, Wom ...

, Carol Hanisch, and Chude Pam Allen. The group was the first women's liberation organization established in New York City. The group authored a manifesto titled ''New York Radical Women's Principles'', which emphasized a collective rejection of historical narratives centered solely on male perspectives. The manifesto argued that women’s history had been systematically suppressed and called on those who supported feminist ideals to unite in opposition to that suppression. It also explicitly stated the group's belief that violence was not a legitimate or effective means for achieving social change. The

implemented a psychological program considered radical at the time. The program was designed to encourage women to see themselves as strong, independent, and assertive. This approach was intended to challenge societal norms that positioned women as subordinate to men and to counteract the broader cultural devaluation of women.

Redstockings, New York Radical Feminists

When the New York Radical Women began organizing

consciousness raising Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

groups, Firestone and Ellen Willis co-founded a new radical feminist organization called Redstockings. The group took its name from the Blue Stockings Society, an 18th-century women's literary group. Notable members of Redstockings included

Kathie Sarachild Kathie Sarachild (born Kathie Amatniek; July 1943) is an American writer and radical feminist. In 1968, she took the last name "Sarachild" after her mother Sara. Kathie coined the phrase "Sisterhood is Powerful" in a flier she wrote for the keyn ...

and Carol Hanisch. Redstockings promoted the importance of presenting history through female perspectives and supported the idea that women writers could serve as a force of resistance against patriarchy. The group regarded consciousness raising as a key method for examining and challenging women's oppression. Members engaged in discussions based on personal experiences—such as childhood, work, and motherhood—rather than relying solely on written texts. Through this practice, participants sought to identify shared patterns, formulate generalizations, and observe their own feelings and experiences as a means of developing political awareness. The goal of these discussions was to revise existing social narratives and promote broader social change. Redstockings did not aim to become a service or large-scale membership organization. In the Redstockings Manifesto, the group asserted the systemic and class-based nature of women’s oppression. The manifesto stated: Like the New York Radical Women, Redstockings emphasized the need to revolutionize society at a psychological level. The group encouraged women to explore their individuality and personal experiences as a means to resist male dominance. It was believed that reclaiming personal power could lead to broader societal transformation. Among the group's public actions was the publication of a journal and participation the 1968

. The Redstockings disbanded in 1970. In 1969, following her departure from Redstockings, Firestone co-founded the New York Radical Feminists with Anne Koedt.

Other actions

Firestone participated in numerous protests and political actions focused on feminist issues. In March 1969, she organized the first abortion speak-out, held at Judson Memorial Church. The event featured twelve women whom Firestone had encouraged to publicly share their personal experiences with abortion. The feminist groups that Firestone co-founded also engaged in a range of demonstrations and street performances. These actions included disrupting abortion law hearings and protesting at venues that restricted entry to women who were not accompanied by men. One notable demonstration was the "Burial of Traditional Womanhood," held in 1968 at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, where participants conducted a symbolic funeral for a dummy representing the stereotypical

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...

. Additional actions included releasing

mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

during a bridal fair, intended to disrupt the event and critique commercialized representations of marriage, and participating in public ogling of men on

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

as a means of drawing attention to the issue of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

Writing

''Notes''

Together with members of the New York Radical Feminists, Firestone contributed to the creation and editing of a feminist periodical titled ''Notes''. The publication included ''Notes from the First Year'' (June 1968), ''Notes from the Second Year'' (1970), and ''Notes from the Third Year'' (1971), the latter edited by Anne Koedt while Firestone was on leave. *Firestone, Shulamith (June 1968). ed
''Notes from the First Year''
New York: New York Radical Women. (''Duke Digital Collections'') *Firestone, Shulamith (1970a). ed
''Notes from the Second Year''
New York: New York Radical Women. (''Duke Digital Collections'') *Koedt, Anne; Firestone, Shulamith (1971). ed
''Notes from the Third Year''
New York: New York Radical Women. (''Duke Digital Collections'') The ''Notes'' series served as a platform for radical feminist thought and aimed to inform and educate readers on issues central to the feminist movement. Topics covered in the periodical included the concept of the vaginal orgasm and the influential essay " The Personal is Political". These writings played a significant role in generating discussion and advancing the development of radical feminist theory.

''The Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.A.: New View''

In 1968, Firestone published an essay titled ''The Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: A New View''. In this work, she argued that the women's rights movement possessed the potential to become revolutionary. Firestone asserted that the movement had always been inherently radical, citing 19th-century suffragists as examples of women who challenged established institutions such as the church, white male authority, and the traditional family structure. The essay sought to counter narratives that minimized the struggles faced by women and the forms of oppression they had historically resisted.

''The Dialectic of Sex''

'' The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution'' (1970) was Firestone’s first book and became a foundational text of

. The book proposed a radical feminist framework rooted in a materialist view of history based on sex. Firestone envisioned a society free from the oppression of women and developed a theory that sought to explain and challenge the structural inequalities stemming from biological sex differences. In the book, Firestone argued that the elimination of sexual classes would require the equivalent of a class revolution—similar to the proletariat's seizure of the means of production in Marxist theory. She proposed that women must reclaim control over reproduction, including the biological and institutional systems surrounding childbirth and child-rearing. She wrote: Firestone synthesized the ideas of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich ( ; ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author of several in ...

, Frederick Engels, and

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...

to construct her theory. She also acknowledged the influence of Lincoln H. and Alice T. Day’s ''Too Many Americans'' (1964) and Paul R. Ehrlich’s '' The Population Bomb'' (1968). A central theme of the book is that biological characteristics—especially women’s capacity for

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

—have historically determined women’s social and political roles. Firestone argued that these traits must be separated from women’s identities to achieve genuine equality. Drawing on Simone de Beauvoir’s assertion that motherhood plays a central role in women’s oppression, Firestone contended that patriarchal systems perpetuate gender inequality by defining women’s roles in terms of reproduction. She expanded on Marx’s theory of class by proposing the existence of a "sex class system," originating from biological distinctions and reinforced through the sexual division of labor both within the home and in society. Unlike the cultural feminists of her time, Firestone rejected the idea that liberation could be achieved by asserting women’s biological superiority. Instead, she argued that human progress requires transcending nature itself, stating: "We can no longer justify the maintenance of a discriminatory sex class system on the grounds of its origin in Nature", and "The abolition of the sex class requires that women take control of the means of reproduction." Firestone also credited the Black power movement as an inspiration, viewing its strategies for racial pride and self-determination as applicable to feminist struggle. She cited other radical movements and activists as influential in shaping her strategic approach to feminism. Firestone characterized pregnancy and childbirth as "barbaric" and viewed the

nuclear family A nuclear family (also known as an elementary family, atomic family, or conjugal family) is a term for a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single ...

as a key source of women’s oppression. She believed that advancements in reproductive technology—such as

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 ...

and

in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...

—could one day allow sex to be entirely separated from reproduction. She advocated for artificial reproduction, sometimes referred to as the "bottled baby," as a means of freeing women from the physical demands of childbirth. In addition to reproductive critique, Firestone examined the dynamics of heterosexual parenting and their effects on child development. She argued that children were hindered in their growth by adult control, predetermined social roles, and their subordinate status within the family structure. Firestone believed that maternal expectations and dependence within the nuclear family made children more vulnerable to abuse and deprived them of autonomy and economic independence. To address this, she proposed the dissolution of the traditional nuclear family structure and suggested that children be raised collectively rather than by individual parents.

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...

later criticized ''The Dialectic of Sex'' for its treatment of other forms of oppression. Davis argued that Firestone reduced all systems of exploitation—such as racism and class oppression—to extensions of sexism. She also claimed that Firestone’s analysis transposed the

Oedipus complex In classical psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex is a son's sexual attitude towards his mother and concomitant hostility toward his father, first formed during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. A daughter's attitude of desire ...

into racial terms, which, according to Davis, reinforced racial stereotypes about Black men and women.

''Airless Spaces''

By the time ''The Dialectic of Sex'' was published in 1970, Firestone had largely withdrawn from political activism. In the early 1970s, she moved to St. Marks Place and worked as a painter. Between 1978 and 1980, she participated in the CETA Artists Project. As part of the program, she taught art workshops at Arthur Kill State Prison for Men and created a series of murals. These included a

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

for the City Arts Workshop on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

, designed for a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

garden at the American Nursing Home located at 26 Avenue B, and another mural created with artist Art Guerra on an outdoor wall in

Richmond Hill, Queens Richmond Hill is a commercial and residential neighborhood located in the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. The area borders Kew Gardens and Forest Park to the north, Jamaica and South Jamaica to the east, South Ozo ...

, on 116th Street near

Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Fulton Street and Broadway, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's ...

. In the mid-1970s, Firestone began experiencing symptoms of mental illness. In 1998, she published ''Airless Spaces'', a collection of fictional short stories based on her experiences with hospitalization for

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

. Drawing from personal experience, the stories depict the lives of individuals in New York City dealing with mental illness and poverty. The book explores the psychological and social challenges faced by those with mental disorders, including emotions such as shame, humiliation, fear, loneliness, and anxiety. The characters frequently experience instability in terms of both their mental health and socioeconomic conditions. ''Airless Spaces'' has been interpreted as a reflection of Firestone's own marginalization, both due to her radical feminist background and her experiences with the mental health system. The work highlights the structural and personal obstacles faced by individuals attempting to navigate psychiatric care and broader social stigma.

Struggle with mental illness

In May 1974, Firestone returned to her family home in St. Louis after learning of the death of her brother, Daniel. Initially informed that he had died in a car accident, she later discovered that the actual cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest. The apparent suicide had a significant impact on his family's Orthodox Jewish beliefs and contributing to a decline in Firestone's mental health. She did not attend her brother's funeral and later remarked, “Whether murder or suicide, afterlife or no, is deathcontributed to my own growing madness.” Following Daniel's death, her parents, Sol and Kate Firestone, planned to emigrate to Israel, leading to a conflict in which Firestone formally disavowed them. She issued a certified letter stating that she had "dissolved her tie of blood". In 1987, Firestone's sister Tirzah recalled, “It was when our father died that Shulie went into psychosis. She lost that ballast he somehow provided.” Firestone was later diagnosed with paranoid

and was repeatedly hospitalized at Beth Israel Medical Center. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Margaret Fraser, noted that she experienced a severe form of Capgras delusion, a condition in which she believed that the people in her life were impostors “hiding behind masks of faces.” As her mental health deteriorated, a group of friends and acquaintances, organized under the guidance of Dr. Fraser, worked collectively to provide care and support for Firestone. However, when Fraser relocated and her close friend and caregiver Lourdes Cintron became ill, the support network disbanded. Firestone was left without regular care and continued to struggle with her condition until her death.

Death

On August 28, 2012, Firestone was found deceased in her New York City apartment. The discovery was made by the building’s owner after neighbors reported a foul odor emanating from her unit. A superintendent looked through the window from the fire escape and observed her body on the floor. According to the landlord, Bob Perl, it was estimated that she had been deceased for approximately one month. Firestone’s sister, Laya Firestone Seghi, stated that she died of natural causes. However, due to the family's adherence to Orthodox Jewish beliefs, an official autopsy was not performed, leaving unconfirmed the possibility that starvation may have contributed to her death. Reports indicated that Firestone had been living in a reclusive manner and was in poor physical and mental health in the period leading up to her death. A commemorative essay by journalist

, published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' several months later, provided additional details, citing Firestone’s long-term struggle with schizophrenia and suggesting that self-induced starvation may have been a contributing factor. A memorial service was held in her honor.

Legacy

''The Dialectic of Sex''

''The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution'' is still used in many women's studies programs. Its recommendations, such as raising children in a gender neutral fashion, mirror the ideals Firestone set out to achieve. Many of the main ideas within the book are still prominent in the feminist debate on the use of technology advancements in reproduction. The work of Shulamith Firestone is considered an origin to the combination of science and technology with critical thinking from a feminist lens. Her ideas are still shared and discussed including her belief of the necessity for more women to pursue careers in engineering and science. Firestone's views can also be found in scientific advancements such as the production of artificial sperm and eggs and how their production may lead to the elimination of differences between the sexes.

Cyberfeminism and Xenofeminism

''The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution'' also has a legacy in the branch of feminism known as cyberfeminism. Firestone anticipated what is now known today as "cyborgian feminism". Her book was a precursor to contemporary activities by cyberfeminists. Specifically it was Firestone's argument that women needed technology in order to free themselves from the obligation of reproducing. Firestone was an important theoretician who connected gender inequities to the view of women as purely child bearers, and she pushed for the increase in technology to abolish gender oppression. The ideas that Shulamith presented about technology differed to those of many other writers during her time, as she introduced technology as a tool to help ignite a feminist revolution, rather than act as a form of male violence. Firestone's work helped to spread a discourse on the general ideals of cyberfeminism. Shulamith Firestone also became a predecessor to

Donna Haraway Donna Jeanne Haraway (born September 6, 1944) is an American professor emerita in the history of consciousness and feminist studies departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a prominent scholar in the field of science and te ...

, and her cyberfeminist texts. Both of their works have similar views and aspirations, as they both address biology and are attempting to eliminate it through the use of technology. The two women envisioned a future in which individuals are more androgynous and the views of the female body are reconstructed. Similarly the works also connect how these changes affect or would affect labor roles. Shulamith's book created an understanding for gender transformation, and these themes are still a basis of cyberfeminist writing presently. Themes in ''The Dialectic of Sex'' have ties in xenofeminism as well. Firestone's desire to free women from the burden of reproduction and eliminate the use of sex organs to define an individual's identity has connections to the ambition of xenofeminists to create a society in which all individuals are not assigned traits based on their supposed sex. Helen Hester, one of the members who helped write ''The Xenofeminism Manifesto'', related her contributions to the ideas on feminism and technology presented by Firestone. She even credited Shulamith as one of the key theorists who contributed to the xenofeminism discourse.

"Shulie"

During her studies at the

Firestone was the subject of a student documentary film. In the film, she is asked questions about her views on education, art, relationships, religion, and politics. She is also shown working on her painting and photography, presenting her artwork for critique by professors, and working part-time at a post office. Never released, the film was rediscovered in the 1990s by experimental filmmaker Elisabeth Subrin, who did a frame-by-frame reshoot of the original documentary. It was released in 1997 as ''Shulie'' winning two awards, including the 1998

Los Angeles Film Critics Association The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles–based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organi ...

award. The film depicts Firestone as a young student and her journey into becoming one of the most notable second-wave feminists and feminist authors of the 20th century. In 1998, the film was honored with the Independent/Experimental Film and Video Award by the Los Angeles Film-Critics Association, receiving acknowledgement alongside films like ''

Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...

'', ''

A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 1998 American animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ran ...

'', and '' Rushmore''. Two years later, the documentary received the "Experimental Award" from the New England Film and Video Festival. The documentary was praised by ''

'' for its use of dialectical thought (a concept featured in Firestone's work) in the production of a film set decades prior to its filming.

Works

*(1968)
"The Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: A New View"

Notes from the First Year
'. New York: New York Radical Women. *(1968)
"The Jeanette Rankin Brigade: Woman Power?"
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''Notes from the First Year''. New York: New York Radical Women. *(1968)
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''Notes from the Second Year''
New York: New York Radical Women. *(1970). '' The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution''. New York: William Morrow and Company. *(1971), with Anne Koedt, eds
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Shulamith Firestone: The Revolutionary Feminist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firestone, Shulamith 1945 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Canadian Jews 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian women writers American feminist writers American people of German-Jewish descent American women founders American women non-fiction writers Canadian feminist writers Canadian people of German-Jewish descent Canadian women non-fiction writers Feminist studies scholars Freudo-Marxism Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish Canadian writers Jewish feminists Jewish socialists New York Radical Feminists members New York Radical Women members People with schizophrenia Proto-queer theorists Radical feminists Redstockings members School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Second-wave feminism in the United States Washington University in St. Louis alumni Writers from Ottawa Second wave feminists