Rest in Power, Sen. Dianne Feinstein: 'The Feminist Movement Has Lost a True Friend'

(this is a lengthy, truly inspiring list of tributes. I could only post a few of them. Please read all)


Rest in Power, Sen. Dianne Feinstein: ‘The Feminist Movement Has Lost a True Friend’
9/29/2023 by Roxy Szal


Dianne Feinstein in her office after she was elected mayor of San Francisco in 1978. (Nick Allen / Pictorial Parade / Archive Photos / Getty Images)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein—the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco, and one of two of the first women elected to the U.S. Senate from California, the same year (1992) as Sen. Barbara Boxer—died on Thursday, Sept. 28. She was 90 years old. As the longest serving woman in the Senate, Feinstein was also the first woman to have chaired the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as one of the first women to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was known for her advocacy on many feminist and progressive issues, including abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, voting rights, banning assault weapons and gun reforms, LGBTQIA+ equality, the rights of children, the rights of prisoners, and healthcare access. Her legislative efforts—from reproductive rights and equal pay, to combating gender-based violence—have consistently reflected a deep understanding of the challenges faced by women in various spheres of life. “It has been a great pleasure to watch more and more women walk the halls of the Senate,” said Feinstein in a 2022 interview. “We went from two women senators when I ran for office in 1992 to 24 today—and I know that number will keep climbing.”

On Friday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a moment of silence for Sen. Feinstein on the Senate floor. Schumer described Feinstein as “a giant in the Senate” and “one of the most amazing people who ever graced the Senate, who ever graced the country.”

Rest in power, Sen. Feinstein.

Feinstein’s death leaves a vacancy on the powerful Judiciary Committee and shrinks the Senate Democratic majority to 50 seats. Feinstein’s replacement will be appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to finish her term—and there is pressure to act quickly in light of the looming government shutdown, where Democrats will need every Senate vote they can get. Newsom had previously committed to appointing a Black woman if he got a second Senate appointment. Earlier this month, he also ruled out selecting one of the current candidates running for Feinstein’s seat in the 2024 election: Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

Here’s what some of her colleagues and friends had to say about her feminist legacy.

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms:

“Senator Feinstein was strongly committed to increasing the representation of women in political office. During her gubernatorial campaign in California in 1990, she made a pledge to ensure gender balance in all her appointments if elected. Two years later, when both she and Senator Barbara Boxer campaigned for Senate, they joined forces, challenging the notion of whether two women could effectively serve as senators from the same state. Their resounding response to the question was a simple yet powerful, ‘Why not?’
“The feminist movement has lost a true friend with the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein. She was one of the first political leaders to proudly say that she was a feminist. She will be missed.”

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https://msmagazine.com/2023/09/29/dianne-feinstein/