Thank you for being a feminist, Bea Arthur

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider
She didnt’ care if the whole world looked.

Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her
She was a sister who really cooked.

Isadora was the first bra burner
And you’re glad she showed up. (Oh yeah)

And when the country was falling apart
Betsy Ross got it all sewed up.

And then there’s Maude.
And then there’s Maude.
And then there’s Maude.
And then there’s Maude.
And then there’s Maude.
And then there’s Maude.

And then there’s
That old compromisin’, enterprisin’, anything but tranquilizing,
Right on Maude.

And then there was Bea Arthur. I was saddened to hear of the loss of a beloved Golden Girl to cancer this weekend. Like so many in my generation, I adored her dry humor as Dorothy Zbornak in "The Golden Girls" through years of re-runs on Lifetime television.

But it was more than just a good laugh. Throughout her television career, Bea Arthur brought many "taboo" topics to the screen and into living rooms across America. The success of "The Golden Girls" is notable not only for its older all-female cast (that included Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and the late Estelle Getty) but also for its portrayal of four (gasp!) mature women and the lives, laughs, and friendships they shared.

Her work as the title character in "Maude", a strong-willed, progressive female in the 1970s, tackled issues such as race, politics, birth control, and abortion. In a landmark episode that ignited a firestorm of criticism, a 47-year-old Maude discovers she is pregnant and considers an abortion, a procedure recently legalized in New York state.

Sadly the right and access to a safe and legal abortion is still under attack today. Check out a clip from that episode below and try to not think, "Geez, that could play today."



Thank you for being a friend and a feminist, Bea.