Dworkin, Andrea (1946–2005)

As a radical speaker and writer, Andrea Dworkin was known for her work against pornography, which she argued led to violence against women. Her theories can be found in books, including Woman Hating, Intercourse, and Life and Death.

Andrea Dworkin was born September 26, 1946, in Camden, New Jersey, to Harry Dworkin and Sylvia Spiegel. Her father was a teacher and devoted socialist who contributed to her social consciousness. Her mother was frequently sick, suffering from heart failure and a stroke before Andrea was of adolescent age. Her mother passed away at the age of 26.

Dworkin attended Bennington College, where she studied literature and actively opposed the war in Vietnam. She was arrested at an anti-war protest at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and given a forceful physical examination, resulting in lingering pain. She went public about the mistreatment, making domestic and international news. A few years later, the prison in which she was held closed down. Dworkin moved to Greece, where she spent time on her writing before moving back to Bennington for a couple years, resuming her literature studies and campus activism.

Dworkin moved to Amsterdam to interview anarchists associated with the Provo countercultural movement, a Dutch group who incited violent reactions from authorities through nonviolent taunts. She married one of the anarchists, who later abused her. After fleeing the relationship, Dworkin was stuck in the Netherlands for a year enduring hard times, which included working as a prostitute to survive. Her former husband found and beat her. In 1972, Dworkin agreed to smuggle drugs in exchange for a plane ticket to America. The drug deal fell through, but she still was able to return home.

John Stoltenberg, a gay male feminist writer entered Dworkin's life in 1974 and married her in 1998, even though both claimed to be gay. Dworkin died April 9, 2005, in her Washington, D.C., home at 58 years of age. She had been suffering from [Page 489]osteoarthritis in her knees and had been treated for blood clots in her legs, potentially results of hardships and abuse she faced on the streets.