The Legacy of Marie Equi
A Bold Spitfire Physician, Lesbian, & Radical Labor Activist.
Who was Marie Equi?
The Equi Institute’s namesake, Marie “Doc” Equi (1872-1952) was ahead of her time, a lesbian passionate about health access and equity, and a champion of the working class. Doc was among the first 60 female physicians in Oregon. She provided birth control and abortions when both were illegal, she was a staunch opponent of police brutality, and she fought for labor protections such as the 8 hour work day. In 1906 when the San Francisco earthquake struck, she hurried down to California to provide emergency response.
Marie Equi’s Healthcare & Activism
Committed to women’s reproductive rights at a time when distribution of birth control pamphlets was illegal, Doc was arrested in 1916 with prominent birth control advocate Margaret Sanger for distributing Sanger’s birth control booklet, revised by Marie to update medical information. With risk to her professional standing, she believed that women should not be forced to bear children and she performed illegal safe abortions regardless of ability to pay. Politically, Marie also worked for women’s suffrage, public funding for the University of Oregon, prison reform and against capital punishment.
Marie Equi’s Radical Politics
Marie was radicalized after being clubbed by mounted police during her picketing with women cannery workers in Portland in 1913. Outraged at the brutality, Marie moved from moderate social reformer to bold and fearless radical. In 1918, Equi faced prison time under the Sedition Act for speaking out against the war.
There is an uncanny relevancy to Doc Marie Equi's story reflected in the work of The Marie Equi Center. There is much left to learn from her and those who keep her story alive. Doc lived through the infancy of United States industrialism and the adolescence of its imperialism. She survived a global pandemic, fought against a patriarchal society and resisted the forces that violently crush queer history.
Marie Equi’s Legacy
Many today mistake our name as the “Equity Institute”. Although this is not far off – our work does center around equity – we bring up this brief history of Marie Equi so as to situate our radical work within a larger historical context of queer and trans health equity efforts.
