PETA Remembers Gloria Steinem, a Champion of Liberation for All

For Immediate Release:
September 3, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk on the passing of trailblazing journalist, feminist icon, and friend to animals Gloria Steinem:

Known as “the world’s most famous feminist,” Gloria Steinem understood that the fight for liberation should extend to all species and that every living being deserves to live free from oppression, denigration, and exploitation. She would not eat meat, objecting to how female cows and chickens are used and abused because of their gender, their babies taken away, their reproductive systems pushed to collapse, and that when they reach their “sell by” date, it means death. At every turn, she stood in solidarity with animals, from joining PETA’s campaign to end the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona to her criticism of the National Institutes of Health for wasting money on cruel and pointless experiments on animals when women’s health programs faced budget cuts. Society has lost a fierce champion with Gloria’s passing, and PETA encourages everyone to honor her memory by taking a stand against all forms of discrimination—including speciesism.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.