Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative activist, commentator, and author, led a successful campaign against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. She was an influential figure in conservative American politics and policymaking, arguing against feminism, abortion, and gay rights, and was one of the first to tap into the conservative religious sentiment based on what she termed “family values.” Schlafly’s influence on the Republican Party and American politics reverberates strongly today.