Equi, who never married and lived openly in romantic relationships with women, contended that homophobia of her same-sex partnerships was the true cause of her incarceration.
Equi served 10 months before President Wilson commuted her sentence. She was the only political prisoner in the women's ward at San Quentin.
As well as her anti-war activity, she was also a fearless advocate for woman's suffrage, reproductive rights, labor rights, and free speech.
She was one of the first women to establish a medical practice in Portland, Oregon. Her service provided abortions and did so without regard for social class or status.
Doc, as she was fondly called by her friends, had a bold, fiery temperament.
Once, in 1893, she horsewhipped a school superintendent (Reverend O.D. Taylor) for refusing to pay the salary owed to her companion.
A judged dismissed the charge against Equi but placed her under a $250 bond to keep the peace. Her friends readily paid the fine to gain her release. Although newspapers chastised Equi for improper public behavior, they also applauded her spunk and courage. One paper touted her “queen for today.”
In 1930, she gave up her medical practice due to ill health. Her daughter, Mary, cared for her during her final days. She passed in Portland in 1952.
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