Dorchen Leidholdt

American author and activist

Dorchen A. Leidholdt is an activist and leader in the feminist movement against violence against women. Since the mid 1970s, she has counseled and advocated for rape victims, organized against "the media's promotion of violence against women", served on the legal team for the plaintiff in a precedent setting sexual harassment case, founded an international non governmental organization fighting prostitution and trafficking in women and children, directed the nation's largest legal services program for victims of domestic violence, advocated for the enactment and implementation of laws that further the rights of abused women, and represented hundreds of women victimized by intimate partner violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, the threat of honor killing, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriage, and the internet bride trade. Leidholdt has lectured internationally on issues of violence against women, and has published articles, book chapters, and two anthologies.

Leidholdt hold a master's degree from the University of Virginia, and a JD degree from New York University School of Law, where she was a Root Tilden Snow scholar. There Leidholdt testified, "Pornography perpetuates the devaluation of women. It sexualizes bigotry, promotes rape and undermines women's self esteem." Flynt published an attack on her in the magazine's "Asshole of the Month" column (July 1985). In 1987, at New York University School of Law, she was the lead organizer of the conference, "The Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism", and in 1988, she was the lead organizer of the first global conference on trafficking in women and girls. Leidholdt is an opponent of "sex positive feminism". Her main argument is that prostitution is exploitative towards women and has historically benefited men, not women. Leidholdt is the Director of the Center for Battered Women's Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families in New York City. Under Leidholdt's leadership since 1994, the center has become the largest legal services program for domestic violence victims in the country. It has grown from two to twenty four lawyers and eight support staff members, and has strengthened its advocacy efforts on behalf of under served populations of women, especially those in New York City's immigrant communities. The center has spearheaded state litigation that set new legal precedent expanding the protections available to domestic violence victims petitioning for orders of protection and federal litigation preventing child protective agencies from charging battered mothers with "engaging in domestic violence". Leidholdt also serves as a board member of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), which she helped found in 1988. She has represented the Coalition at numerous international meetings, including the World Conference on Human Rights (Vienna, 1993) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). On 6 December 1996, in a special session commemorating the abolition of slavery, Leidholdt and a survivor of sex trafficking together addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. Leidholdt has taught Criminal Procedure at City University School of Law, and, since 1998, has taught Domestic Violence and the Law at Columbia University School of Law. WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women based media.

Pdf. See also: Anneka diLorenzo, Respondent, v. Penthouse International, Ltd., et al., Appellants

Dorchen Leidholdt vs. Hustler Magazine, 647 F. Supp. 1283 (D. Wyo. 1986)
Dorchen Leidholdt vs. Larry Flynt, 860 F.2d 890 (9th Cir. 1988)