Valerie Solanas
Radical feminist who shot Andy Warhol and wrote the SCUM Manifesto.
Valerie Jean Solanas was an American radical feminist who tried to kill artist Andy Warhol in 1968. She also wrote and self-published the SCUM Manifesto, a pamphlet—possibly satirical—that called for men to be eliminated. Solanas appeared in Warhol’s 1967 film *I, a Man*.
Born on April 9, 1936, in Ventnor City, New Jersey, to Louis Solanas, a bartender, and Dorothy Marie Biondo, a dental assistant, she had a younger sister. Her father was born in the United States and was of Spanish and French-Canadian descent; her mother was Italian-American, born in Philadelphia. Solanas claimed her father sexually abused her regularly. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother soon remarried. Solanas disliked her stepfather and rebelled against her mother, skipping school. In high school, she beat up a girl who was bothering a younger boy and also hit a nun.
Because of her behavior, her mother sent her to live with her grandparents in 1949. Solanas said her grandfather was a violent alcoholic who often beat her. At fifteen, she left and became homeless. In 1953, she gave birth to a son, David, fathered by a married sailor; the child was taken away, and she never saw him again.
After high school, Solanas earned a psychology degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was in the Psi Chi Honor Society. There, she hosted a call-in radio show giving advice on how to fight men. She was openly lesbian during the conservative 1950s. She then attended the University of Minnesota’s Graduate School of Psychology, working in an animal research lab, before dropping out and taking courses at the University of California, Berkeley. Around this time, she began writing the SCUM Manifesto.
In the mid-1960s, Solanas moved to New York City, supporting herself by begging and prostitution. In 1965, she wrote an autobiographical short story, “A Young Girl’s Primer on How to Attain the Leisure Class,” and a play, *Up Your Ass*, about a young prostitute. The play, described by one scholar as more provocation than drama and “rather adolescent,” centers on a man-hating hustler who kills a man. The story was published in *Cavalier* magazine in July 1966; the play remained unpublished until 2014.
In 1967, Solanas called Andy Warhol at his Manhattan studio, the Factory, and asked him to produce *Up Your Ass*.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Valerie Jean Solanas
- Birth Date
- 1936-04-09
- Birth Place
- Ventnor City, New Jersey, U.S.
- Death Date
- 1988-04-25
- Death Place
- San Francisco, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Writer
- Education
- University of Maryland, College Park
- Children
- 1
- Movement
- Radical feminism
- Criminal Charges
- Attempted murder, assault, illegal possession of a gun; pleaded to reckless assault with intent to harm
- Criminal Penalty
- 3 years imprisonment
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Solanas was born on April 9, 1936, in Ventnor City, New Jersey, to Louis Solanas and Dorothy Marie Biondo. Her father was born in the United States and was of Spanish and French-Canadian descent. She alleged that her father regularly sexually abused her. After her parents divorced, she was sent to live with her grandparents, whom she reported as abusive. At fifteen she became homeless, and in 1953 she gave birth to a son who was taken away. She earned a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and later attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota and the University of California, Berkeley, where she began writing the SCUM Manifesto.
In the mid-1960s, Solanas moved to New York City, supporting herself through begging and prostitution. She wrote the play Up Your Ass and contacted Andy Warhol to produce it. Warhol accepted the script but later claimed it was lost. On June 3, 1968, Solanas shot Warhol and art critic Mario Amaya at the Factory. She turned herself in to a policeman at Seventh Avenue and 47th Street the following day, June 4, 1968.
Reader's Guide
Valerie Solanas remains a controversial figure in feminist history, primarily known for the SCUM Manifesto and her violent attack on Andy Warhol. The manifesto, which calls for the elimination of the male sex, has been interpreted both as a serious political statement and as a satire, with Solanas insisting it was 'dead serious.' Her shooting of Warhol brought her notoriety and has been analyzed as an act of radical feminist violence against a figure she believed was conspiring to suppress her work. Solanas's life was marked by poverty, mental illness, and institutionalization, and her legacy is often debated: some view her as a misunderstood visionary, others as a tragic figure whose actions overshadowed her writing. The SCUM Manifesto has been translated into over a dozen languages and excerpted in feminist anthologies, ensuring its continued relevance in discussions of gender and extremism.
Did You Know?
- Solanas appeared in Warhol's 1967 film I, a Man, in which she exits a scene saying, 'I gotta go beat my meat.'
- She turned herself in to a policeman at Seventh Avenue and 47th Street near Times Square on the same day she shot Warhol.
- She wrote insults for children to use on one another for a dime when she was a child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Valerie Solanas?
She was an American radical feminist and writer born in 1936 in New Jersey, best known for shooting Andy Warhol in 1968 and for authoring the controversial SCUM Manifesto.
What is the SCUM Manifesto?
It is a self-published pamphlet Solanas wrote that called for the elimination of men, though scholars have long debated whether she intended it as serious advocacy or dark satire.
What happened between Valerie Solanas and Andy Warhol?
After a period of growing tension, Solanas shot Warhol in his studio in 1968, wounding him, and was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.
How did Valerie Solanas die?
She died of pneumonia on April 25, 1988, having spent much of her later years moving between psychiatric institutions and public housing.
Why is Valerie Solanas considered significant?
She remains a polarizing figure in both feminist history and counterculture, embodying the extreme, confrontational edges of 1960s and 70s social upheaval.
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