Susie Bright
She dragged sexual politics out of the shadows and into mainstream conversation, founding the first magazine dedicated to erotic fiction by women.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American writer and feminist·Birthday: March 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Susie Bright emerged from the feminist sex wars of the 1980s not as a bystander but as a frontline provocateur. As a co-founder and editor of On Our Backs, she turned the notion of 'women's magazines' on its head, creating a publication by and for lesbians that was unapologetically sexual and visually daring. Her editorial vision argued that pleasure and politics were inseparable, a stance she carried into her bestselling 'Sexwise' essay collections and her role as a commentator on everything from pornographic film to parenting. Bright's voice—sharp, witty, and insistently personal—became a beacon for a generation rethinking intimacy and power. She has since evolved into a podcasting pioneer and a sought-after speaker, maintaining her position as a fearless critic who believes that honest talk about sex is fundamental to a free society.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Susie was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Susie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Susie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded and edited 'On Our Backs,' the first women-run erotica magazine in the United States.
- Her anthology 'The Best American Erotica' series, which she edited for over a decade, launched numerous writing careers.
- Her memoir 'Big Sex Little Death' was a Lambda Literary Award finalist.
- Pioneered sex-positive commentary as a regular contributor to National Public Radio's 'All Things Considered.'
Did You Know?
She served as the on-set 'sex consultant' for the film 'Bound,' directed by the Wachowskis.
She taught the first credited university course on the politics of pornography at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Her daughter, Aretha Bright, is also a writer and editor.
“The sexual revolution isn't over; it's just getting started.”
