Gloria Steinem spoke at Ms. Magazine’s 40th anniversary luncheon about reproductive rights, gay-lesbian issues, equal pay, domestic abuse, and the 2012 presidential election. She remarked about some of the progress by women, saying, “Forty years ago, we really did not have a term like ‘battered women’ or ‘domestic violence.’ It was just called life.”
Other speakers included Eleanor Smeal, who talked about the importance of voting and state ballot issues around the country, and Anushay Hossain made opening remarks about an initiative that seeks to decrease the incidence of marriage for girls under the age of 18 around the world. The speakers answered written questions from audience members at the end of the program.