June 27, 1869– Emma Goldman was an anarchist noted for her political activism, smart writing & stirring public speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of political philosophy in North America & Europe in the first half of the 20th century. She lived an engrossing life worthy of being told in a feature film.
Goldman figures in a major way in one of my favorite novels Ragtime (1975) by E. L. Doctorow & the Miloš Forman film (1981), & the stage musical (1996) based on the book, also faves. She has been the subject or a character in several films, plays, biographies, & novels, perhaps most notably by Maureen Stapleton, who won an Academy Award for her role as Goldman in Warren Beatty‘s classic 1981 film Reds, Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant stage musical Assassins (1990), yet no film has been made that told her own remarkable story. I think it is the right moment for such a film. I suggest that Bill Condon write & direct, & that I star as Goldman. Look at the resemblance, it is uncanny. I was born to play this role & it needs to be made in 3D!
Goldman was exceptionally famous during her era. If she were alive today she would have her own reality show: Blowin’ Shit Up With Emma on TLC. She was described by the press as “the most dangerous woman in America”. Goldman was multi- hyphenate: Atheist-Feminist-Agitator-Prison Reformer-War Resister-Unionist-Birth Control Advocate-Cabaret Artist. After her death & through the middle part of the 20th century, her fame faded. Historians viewed her as a great orator & activist, but did not regard her as an important political philosopher or theoretical thinker.
At a time that it was nearly unthinkable, Goldman spoke out publicly in defense of gay people, defending their right to choose who & how they loved. She faced criticism from others on the left who feared that embracing the cause of rights for homosexuals would damage their other political work. Goldman was as unaffected by these fears as she was by the condemnation of those on the right. She continued to support Gay Rights throughout her life. Goldman was the first American to take up the civil rights of gay people before the general public. In her speeches & publications she defended the fundamental right of gay men & lesbians to love as they pleased & condemned the fear & stigma associated with homosexuality. Goldman:
“It is a tragedy, I feel, that people of a different sexual type are caught in a world which shows so little understanding for homosexuals & is so crassly indifferent to the various gradations & variations of gender & their great significance in life.”
In 1919, the US Government under cross-dresser J. Edger Hoover’s Justice Department had her deported to Russia because of her rabble-rousing views. Goldman did not fare well with The Bolsheviks who found her brand of free speech to be a bourgeois. She traveled Europe relying on the kindness of admirers. In 1933, Goldman received permission to return to the USA under the condition that she only speak openly about her autobiography & not about politics. She returned to NYC, greeted by admirers & reporters imploring her for interviews. When her visa expired months later she went to Canada & stayed.
“If I can’t dance to it, it’s not my revolution!”
Goldman gave her last speech in 1940 & after suffering a series of strokes, she finally shut up for good while on a speaking engagement in Canada. Her handlers had to obtain permission from the State Department to bring her body back to the USA. You can visit her at the German graveyard in Forest Park, Illinois.
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