The arrival of a new book always
spurs excitement around the office, but the appearance of Michael
Helquist’s fascinating work was especially thrilling. Following the life of one
of the West’s first well-known lesbians, Marie
Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions fills a startling gap in the
lexicon of Oregon history. Helquist joins us today to discuss the extraordinary Dr. Equi and what drove him to share her story.
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What first drew you to Marie Equi?
Once I
read about Marie Equi as a slight 21-year-old who horsewhipped a Baptist
minister in 
the center of The Dalles, Oregon, I wanted to know more. The
minister was also a school superintendent who had refused to pay Equi’s
girlfriend her full teacher’s salary. Equi was tired of urging him to
cooperate, and she grabbed a horsewhip in frustration. The incident received
notice throughout the West that summer of 1893. The notorious episode was the
first public recognition of Oregon women in a lesbian relationship, and
newspapers throughout the state and in California covered the story. One
newspaper account stated that Equi’s feeling for her girlfriend “amounts to
adoration.” Another described the
two women’s intent to remain “indissoluble friends whom nothing can separate."*
This exposure
of same-sex love, along with another in 1906 in Portland, was sensational then
and intriguing now. But these occasions also offer a glimpse into what people
knew about sexuality and how they discussed intimacy and sex. This was a time
when the new fields of psychology and sexology argued new understanding of
sexual expression and sexual identity. We have very little information about how
West Coast people reacted to these reports.
Considering the time and effort
required of such an undertaking, why did you find it important to write the
biography?
I became
intrigued with the question of whose story gets told. For a very long time,
marginalized people – women, racial minorities, the working class and poor
people, political radicals, and LGBTQ people – seldom had their stories told. With
their absence, we’ve lost an essential part of our history. As an historian, I
wanted to help counter that trend.
Marie
Equi was a ready and willing protagonist. She made an impact on many political
and social issues. Imagine someone today who fights on the front lines for
voting rights, reproductive rights, a livable wage, affordable housing, and an
overhaul of the criminal justice system. Equi did all that nearly 100 years ago.
Equi’s
experiences expand our understanding of how some women adopted a more radical
strategy for fighting injustice. Her insights reveal what it meant to be an
activist then and how to deal with the repercussions of standing firm with your
beliefs today.
Did you run across any surprises
during research?
Sometimes
I wanted to shout out loud in a library or reading room when I came across new
discoveries. One time I was scanning old newspapers on microfilm in the New
Bedford Free Public Library, and I found a feature on Marie Equi’s 1914 visit
there, her hometown. In an interview, she warned
of an uprising if jobless men and women were not given jobs and food. The
article gave me a sense of how Equi was received once she had adopted more
radical politics.
I also
learned from other new sources how vulnerable Equi felt behind much of the
bombast of her actions. She undertook risky, dangerous protests, even when she
knew she would probably be physically attacked as a result. She suffered trauma
from the beating and third degree the police delivered after her arrest for
joining a strike in 1913. Then she felt betrayed by her government for sending
her to prison for sedition when she had spoken against World War I.
What did you find most difficult when
writing the biography?
Finding
my writer’s voice for this project vexed me for a long time. I wanted to write
intriguing history for a general audience, but also to produce a work with
scholarly significance. That balance is difficult to maintain.
Do you have a favorite quote of Marie
Equi’s?
I have
two. In 1913 Equi picketed with women cannery workers who protested their very
low wages and deplorable working conditions. The Oregonian newspaper described her as “dangerously insane” for
fighting off the police. Equi retorted:
“It was
beyond the imagination of these people who repeatedly attacked me, that a
professional woman of established practice and reputation, of some money and
high standing in the community could set these aside and get out and work for
her unfortunate sisters and brothers – therefore I must be insane.”
And
another. In the midst of the West Coast maritime strike of 1934, Equi left her
sickbed to visit the local union office. She wanted to “do something for the
boys,” she said, and she donated $250 for men wounded during the strike. A
reporter was surprised by her generosity, but Equi replied, “Young man, money
is a thing despised. I claim no honor or glory in giving this sum. If I had my
name in the paper every time I gave away money, I’d look like a daily feature.”
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Marie Equi: Radical
Politics and Outlaw Passions is now available for
purchase. Place an order today by calling 1 (800) 621-2736 or paying here online.
You may also find a copy at your local bookstore.
*Photo to the right found on MichaelHelquist.com, attributed to Oregon Historical Society #23496.