Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/93854
Sarasota News Leader November 16, 2012 of President Obama and an outspoken crit- ic of the Republican Party's current policies regarding women's issues — describing the difference between the views of the 2012 elec- tion's presidential candidates as a "chasm" — she refuses to let partisanship anesthetize her passion for women's equality. "As a feminist activist since 1963, I have also been disappointed in [President] Barack Obama, in his wife, Michelle, and in [Vice President] Joe Biden and his wife, Jill," Fuen- tes said. One of the greatest disappointments she has had in the president and those close to him has been their failure to advocate for the Page 68 Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution. Originally written and intro- duced in Congress in 1923, it would guarantee equal rights for women. "Since Alice Paul drafted the Equal Rights Amendment, women have been fighting to get it ratified," Fuentes continued. She expressed frustration that although the Democratic Party has included it in its nation- al platform, none of the individuals she men- tioned earlier has "said the first word" about the ERA since Obama was inaugurated. Another critical issue Fuentes pointed to is the lack of federal legislation that would guar- Before meeting with fans following her speech, Gloria Steinem posed for a photo with Planned Par- enthood volunteers who helped organize the "I Am Choice" rally.