Feminists Stage Sit-In at “Ladies Home Journal,” Demand Liberation of Magazine
Over 100 militant feminists staged an 11-hour sit-in at the editorial offices of the Ladies Home Journal, demanding the “liberation” of the magazine. Specifically, the protesters demanded a special issue of LHJ devoted to women’s liberation. They proposed articles on “Can Marriage Survive Women’s Liberation,” “How to Have and Orgasm,” and related topics.
The day ended with a promise of a special supplement to a regular issue of LHJ devoted to women’s liberation. LHJ editor John Mack Carter, age 42, said that he found the day “education,” but asserted that “they can’t have my job.”
One of the protest leaders was the noted feminist writer Susan Brownmiller, who said that the magazine had been chosen for a protest because it was “one of the most demeaning magazines toward women.” Groups represented among the protesters included the National Organization for Women (NOW), Media Women, the Redstockings, and the New York Feminists.
For the activities of the feminist anti-pornography movement, see November 1, 1978 and October 20, 1979.
For the creation of NOW, go to June 30, 1966.
Learn more about radical feminism here.
And more: Robin Morgan, Sisterhood is Powerful: An anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement (1970)
And more: Gail Collins, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present (2009)