In 1973, when most lesbian novels were still skulking around in the shadows of tragic endings and apologetic whispers, Rita Mae Brown burst onto the literary scene like a fucking hurricane in work boots.
This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a resurrection. Every paragraph felt like a match lit in the name of every queer kid who was ever told to tone it down, shut it off, or disappear quietly. Rita Mae Brown didn’t just kick the door open, she tore the whole damn building down and left a blueprint for joy as resistance.
Thank you for honoring her rage, her brilliance, her refusal to dilute. This piece is holy ground for anyone who’s ever felt like their fire was “too much.” Turns out, it was medicine.
I read tons of Rita Mae Brown in the 70s and 80s. But for different reasons than this essay. I am autistic, and my special interest is horses, and one of the things that Rita Mae Brown refused to limit herself from was to be a Master of Hounds. Foxhunting ( the fox is almost never caught, and MFHs take care of local foxes by providing food spiked with rabies vaccine, etc) is a very traditional, formerly male dominated pursuit involving more than a fair bit of misogyny, racism, old money, all the things, and RMB just said, nah, Imma be a great MFH, and she was.
I think that while devouring the horsey parts of her books, she subtly shaped my perceptions of LGBTQ+ people at the time. I never really cared what people were in their relationships, I just wanted everyone to be free to be themselves, as long as that self didn’t hurt others. Didn’t hurt that maybe half my friends in college were gay…(and my conservative mother constantly clutched her pearls and repeatedly warned me that they would “convert me.”). I am so afraid that the current times are swinging back to intolerance and bullying (not the the swing away was ever enough.)
Anyway, love me some Rita Mae Brown, and it’s high time I revisit Rubyfruit Jungle.
Thank you, Wendy! I am hetero, but a firece ally. I have been reading Rrita Mae Brown's works since Rubyfruit Jungle was published, and loved them enough to re-read them over the years. She is brilliant, strong, and an absolute treasure! ☺️❤️
Maybe most people become more conservative as they age but the opposite happened to me. I struggled with my identity (as a trans woman) when I was young. 32+ years later I no longer apologize for my existence and I refuse to apologize or disappear, in fact the only thing MAGA has done is make me more out and in your face.
Thank you for this, especially today as I remember every detail of an old white man's use of 16th century ideas to justify his giant fuck you to american women.
Ah, yes. "Authenticity for Dummies: Book 2". Keep them coming, Wendy.
Once you figure out how to be authentic, being queer is easy. From my own experience, being authentic is more acceptable in social interaction than any other identifier you may hold. Unless, of course, you are a pathological narcissist, then you will spend the rest of your life trying to find the level of acceptance that you need to soothe your tortured psyche. Do I need to give examples??
PS: being a sheltered kid, my first knowledge of Rita Mae Brown came when I was eighteen and saw the hilarious film "Educating Rita," which I also recommend.
Love me some Rita Mae. My favorite of her books is "Six of One." If you haven't read it, you need to. :lol: I never quite forgave her for turning to those cat-themed mysteries, though. Can't get into those, even though I love cats and all.
She also has had an interesting circle of friends who write, including Fannie Flagg, another of my favorite authors. Her first book, "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man," is my favorite of hers.
Back in the 80s, I devoured all of Brown's books. She, and her characters, were eminently relatable. I was an unapologetic Pansexual who was always perplexed by the question "When did you come out?"
I was never in. I hated the inference that shame and hiding should be part of anyone's life, when raw joy was out there for the taking...passion and love and adventure and carpet diem that did not demand labels, invitation, permission or acceptance. I had, and have, a hard, indignant side-eye for anyone who deigns to Other sexual preferences. I hated the old-school factions of lesbians that demanded you choose a side;butch, or femme. I hated the weirdly superior attitudes of the "pure' gold star lesbians who were proud of having never been with a man. As though it made the rest of us less legitimate, somehow. So yes, I found a world of affirmation humanity, humor, and story in Brown's work. Thank you for reviving her memory and lauding her life as she
most certainly should be. As a woman happily married to a woman for 26 years, with two kids and much to be thankful for, I am always mindful of the trailblazers, and the ones who came before. So much gratitude for what you write.
I didn’t mean to leave that. I read Rubyfruit Jungle in the mid 70’s at a time when I was questioning my own sexuality. Rita Mae Brown had a large impact on me. I have had a major crush on her for years.
This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a resurrection. Every paragraph felt like a match lit in the name of every queer kid who was ever told to tone it down, shut it off, or disappear quietly. Rita Mae Brown didn’t just kick the door open, she tore the whole damn building down and left a blueprint for joy as resistance.
Thank you for honoring her rage, her brilliance, her refusal to dilute. This piece is holy ground for anyone who’s ever felt like their fire was “too much.” Turns out, it was medicine.
I read tons of Rita Mae Brown in the 70s and 80s. But for different reasons than this essay. I am autistic, and my special interest is horses, and one of the things that Rita Mae Brown refused to limit herself from was to be a Master of Hounds. Foxhunting ( the fox is almost never caught, and MFHs take care of local foxes by providing food spiked with rabies vaccine, etc) is a very traditional, formerly male dominated pursuit involving more than a fair bit of misogyny, racism, old money, all the things, and RMB just said, nah, Imma be a great MFH, and she was.
I think that while devouring the horsey parts of her books, she subtly shaped my perceptions of LGBTQ+ people at the time. I never really cared what people were in their relationships, I just wanted everyone to be free to be themselves, as long as that self didn’t hurt others. Didn’t hurt that maybe half my friends in college were gay…(and my conservative mother constantly clutched her pearls and repeatedly warned me that they would “convert me.”). I am so afraid that the current times are swinging back to intolerance and bullying (not the the swing away was ever enough.)
Anyway, love me some Rita Mae Brown, and it’s high time I revisit Rubyfruit Jungle.
Thank you, Wendy! I am hetero, but a firece ally. I have been reading Rrita Mae Brown's works since Rubyfruit Jungle was published, and loved them enough to re-read them over the years. She is brilliant, strong, and an absolute treasure! ☺️❤️
𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ
If you look at Rita Mae Brown and think "Huh. Not dyke enough", you should probably get into therapy, cuz you have some deep fucking issues. Sheesh.
Maybe most people become more conservative as they age but the opposite happened to me. I struggled with my identity (as a trans woman) when I was young. 32+ years later I no longer apologize for my existence and I refuse to apologize or disappear, in fact the only thing MAGA has done is make me more out and in your face.
Rita Mae.... a constant in my life since 1974.
Thank you for this, especially today as I remember every detail of an old white man's use of 16th century ideas to justify his giant fuck you to american women.
Ah, yes. "Authenticity for Dummies: Book 2". Keep them coming, Wendy.
Once you figure out how to be authentic, being queer is easy. From my own experience, being authentic is more acceptable in social interaction than any other identifier you may hold. Unless, of course, you are a pathological narcissist, then you will spend the rest of your life trying to find the level of acceptance that you need to soothe your tortured psyche. Do I need to give examples??
We love you Sandra
PS: being a sheltered kid, my first knowledge of Rita Mae Brown came when I was eighteen and saw the hilarious film "Educating Rita," which I also recommend.
Love me some Rita Mae. My favorite of her books is "Six of One." If you haven't read it, you need to. :lol: I never quite forgave her for turning to those cat-themed mysteries, though. Can't get into those, even though I love cats and all.
She also has had an interesting circle of friends who write, including Fannie Flagg, another of my favorite authors. Her first book, "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man," is my favorite of hers.
Amazing herstory! Thank you for sharing.
Back in the 80s, I devoured all of Brown's books. She, and her characters, were eminently relatable. I was an unapologetic Pansexual who was always perplexed by the question "When did you come out?"
I was never in. I hated the inference that shame and hiding should be part of anyone's life, when raw joy was out there for the taking...passion and love and adventure and carpet diem that did not demand labels, invitation, permission or acceptance. I had, and have, a hard, indignant side-eye for anyone who deigns to Other sexual preferences. I hated the old-school factions of lesbians that demanded you choose a side;butch, or femme. I hated the weirdly superior attitudes of the "pure' gold star lesbians who were proud of having never been with a man. As though it made the rest of us less legitimate, somehow. So yes, I found a world of affirmation humanity, humor, and story in Brown's work. Thank you for reviving her memory and lauding her life as she
most certainly should be. As a woman happily married to a woman for 26 years, with two kids and much to be thankful for, I am always mindful of the trailblazers, and the ones who came before. So much gratitude for what you write.
Rubyfruit Jungle
I didn’t mean to leave that. I read Rubyfruit Jungle in the mid 70’s at a time when I was questioning my own sexuality. Rita Mae Brown had a large impact on me. I have had a major crush on her for years.
No worries. Continue to discuss. :)