Ann Lee

see https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260128-the-forgotten-story-of-18th-century-radical-ann-lee The 18th-Century Christian sect known as the Shakers is best known today for its influential contributions to furniture, design, and architecture. What is less well known is how incredibly radical the Shakers were. Way ahead of their time, they espoused gender parity, communalism, pacifism and sustainability. They also pioneered social services in America, provided shelter to abused women, and freed enslaved African Americans. And then there was their insistence on celibacy and the abolition of marriage. see