Gloria Steinem Speaks Out About Domestic Violence at a Screening of HBO Documentary ‘Private Violence’
When Gloria Steinem starts talking, you listen. And when she starts talking about domestic violence, she uses her voice to make you listen to the stories of others. Both of those things happened at a Sept. 29 screening of HBO’s moving documentary, “Private Violence,” which Steinem executive produced and is set to air on television Oct. 20.
The film follows the stories of two survivors of domestic abuse: Deanna Walters, a single mom who is trying to get the courts to prosecute her estranged husband for brutally beating her, and Kit Gruelle who has long worked as an advocate for victims of intimate partner violence. Their stories weave together for a glance into the long, rocky road toward justice that women (and men) who experience violence at the hands of their partners face.
“When I was growing up in Toledo, there was no such crime as domestic violence,” said Steinem. “It was called life.”
The tagline of the documentary, which rings especially true in light of recent conversations, is: “It’s not always easy to just leave.”