Mary Daly (born 1928) is a radical feminist theologian, a mother of modern feminist theology. She has doctorates in theology and philosophy from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. A former Catholic theologian and nun, she taught at Boston College for 33 years, before agreeing to retire as part of a lawsuit settlement with Boston College.

This feminist icon has provoked strong reactions of both love and hate for her outspoken views. She has been accused of sexism and discrimination, advocating "gendercide", and of course heresy.

Most controversially, Daly refused to admit male students to her classes at Boston College, provoking repeated reprimands from the University and accusations she was violating both university policy and Title IX requirements. The confrontations came to a head in 1998, when she refused to admit two male students into a class she was teaching. Boston College confronted her and demanded she admit the students; Daly announced that instead she would retire, effective January 1999, rather than admit the students. She changed her mind, however, and brought a lawsuit against the college in May 1999, alleging they had violated her rights as a tenured professor. As the case was about to go to trial in early 2001, Daly and Boston College reached an out-of-court settlement, in which she again agreed to retire.

Bibliography

• Quintessence: Realizing the Outrageous Contagious Courage of Women. A Radical Elemental Feminist Manifesto. Beacon Press, 1998.

• Websters' First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language. (with Jane Caputi and Sudie Rakusin ) Harper, 1994.

• Outercourse: The Bedazzling Voyage Containing Recollections from My Logbook of a Radical Feminist Philosopher. Harper, 1992.

• Pure Lust: Elemental Feminist Philosophy. Harper, 1992.

• Gyn/ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism. Beacon Press. 1990 ISBN 0807014133

• The Church and the Second Sex. Harper & Row, 1968. Reprint: Beacon Press, 1985.

• Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation. Beacon Press, 1973.

• Natural Knowledge of God in the Philosophy of Jacques Maritain. Officium Libri Catholici , 1966.

Currently working on Amazon Grace... Rekindling the Fires of Radical Ecological Feminism .

External links

• http://www.mdaly.com/
• http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/Daly.html
• http://cat.nyu.edu/wickedary/dalyinfo.html
• Controversy surrounding Daly
• "Mary Daly Ends Suit, Agrees to Retire" (Press release from Boston College)