Marie Equi went on to become a homesteader in the Far West, a medical doctor, out lesbian, labor activist, suffragist, and one of the most significant reformers of her era. Under these circumstances, Marie looked forward to a harsh life in the textile mills and a mundane home life living with her parents and/or siblings. Her teachers thought her intelligent but unruly and she had never shown the slightest interest in the opposite sex. There were two routes to a decent life for most immigrant girls then: marriage or education Marie was not a promising candidate for either. Born in 1872 to immigrant parents in New Bedford, a Yankee city on the decline, Marie’s future was limited at best. Marie Equi wasn’t supposed to amount to much. Article originally published in Boston Spirit Magazine, Dec.
