ABSTRACT
When my mother finally did come to terms with me and with terms (“I hate that word lesbian, and I'll never call you one!”), she asked that there be one promise: “Never bring any of them to this house! . . . And stay in New York City where anything goes, because around here I couldn't hold my head up if it ever got out.”. . . It took a while to grasp the meaning of gay pride, and that it did not mean looking and acting as straight as possible.
