Mandy Carter, Southern Black lesbian activist and worker for the War Resisters League, marched for peace, helped start SONG, and coproduced Rhythm Fest, a “workers festival.”
Merril Mushroom came out in the 1950s in Miami Beach, Florida, where she experienced homophobia and racism while learning the rules of being butch or femme. A lifelong butch, she has written scores of articles about lesbian life, including a play, Bar Dykes, that has been produced in San Francisco, California; New York City; and other cities in between. Her interview describes growing up Jewish in a city with signs saying “No Jews Allowed,” teaching elementary school in Harlem in the 1960s, and moving to rural middle Tennessee, where she has lived since the 1970s.
In 1999, Kecia Cunningham was the South’s first, openly lesbian African American elected to office, winning a seat on Decatur, Georgia, City Commission.
Mendy Knott, North Carolina poet, reflecting her experiences as a former police officer, military veteran, and Southern preacher’s kid. She is an award-winning screenplay writer, too.