 | | Amélie Mauresmo
Changing the Game for Lesbian Players
Her rival called her “half a man” for traveling openly with a female lover. But has Amélia Mauresmo’s career really been hurt by coming out?
By Judith Silberfeld
Amélie Mauresmo, at age 19, is not the first professional tennis player to come out of the closet, although the whole “affaire Mauresmo,” as it’s been called in the French press, might lead one to think differently.
Since coming out almost nonchalantly to a French reporter who asked why she had moved to St. Tropez (Mauresmo answered simply that her girlfriend lives there), she and her lover, 31-year-old St. Tropez nightclub owner Sylvie Bourdon, have been alternately hounded and courted by the international press.
Until early this year, up-and-coming player Mauresmo was virtually unknown to most people. Now that she’s out, she has been branded French tennis’s new hope, and has become a somewhat reluctant icon for the gay and lesbian community worldwide.
Lost Coast Brewery
Tucked away under the redwoods of Northern California, the lesbian-owned and operated Lost Coast Brewery taps a rich tradition of women brewers.
By Kim Severson
The rain is blowing sideways on this late spring day, mixing with spray from the sea. Everything takes on shades of gray, from the elaborate facades of Victorian buildings to the parkas of college students heading to the co-op.
Fierce rain is classic weather for this northern corner of California, where redwoods tower over everything. As a chill wraps around the tiny town of Eureka, one thing becomes perfectly clear: It’s a good day for a pint of Lost Coast Brewery’s Alleycat Amber Ale. Or some Downtown Brown. Better yet, make it an 8-ball Stout.
Under the Boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach
Where Lesbian Weekend Is Every Weekend
By Jane Taylor
Photographs by Tricia Massella/Camp Rehoboth
This little beach in Delaware is the fastest-growing east coast vacation destination for dykes.
Lori Kline, a native of Washington, D.C., and owner of Lori’s Café, describes the summer months at Rehoboth Beach as “crazy.” She means this in the best possible way.
Rehoboth Beach has been a gathering spot for gay men since before World War II, according to Rehoboth native Donna Gibler, who owns and operates the Sand in My Shoes inn with her partner, Joy Reese. She says that the area has been growing in popularity among lesbians over the past 20 years.
Can Love Bridge the Gap?
Does Age Really Matter?
By Gretchen Lee
Additional Interviews by Pam Huwig
Strangers often mistake these couples for something they’re not.
“We’ve been out shopping and a stranger will say, ‘Oh, is this your daughter?’” recalls Robin McGeehee, 25, in love with Katherine Adams, 44. “And she’ll want to put her arm around me and say, ‘No, this is my lover.’” Likewise, even well-intentioned comments from friends can be downright unkind.
“They’ll go into the whole cradle-robber routine, right in front of Jessica,” says Nancy Ford, 45, referring to her 21-year-old lover. “Jessica will sometimes say, ‘Can’t she see me standing here?’ It used to bother us a lot more, and now we just feel sorry for someone who can’t understand this type of relationship.”
Speaking Dangerously – Poetry Slam Champ Letta Neely
By Alison Smith
On a small, makeshift platform in a packed, windowless conference room at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, Letta Neely steps up to the mic and a hush falls over the crowd. It is the final round of the OutWrite Poetry Slam and the tension crackles in the airless, overheated room.
Neely, a leading voice in this burgeoning genre of spoken word poetry, is the two-time champion of the OutWrite Poetry Slam, a featured event at this annual gay and lesbian writers conference.
“I love poetry slams,” says Neely. “It’s like dining on words for an entire weekend, and I’ve gorged myself a lot.”
According To
Taking the Kid’s Eye View
By Joan M. Garry
Ok, I have this secret desire (now, not so secret) to be known as the “Erma Bombeck of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement.” I always admired her. She was smart and funny and told many stories about everyday life that her readers always found quite powerful. She was a mom first and her column revealed that perspective.
Like Erma, I’m a devoted spouse and a mom above all else. My partner and I have been together for 18 years and we lead an exceedingly chaotic life with our 9-year-old daughter Sarah and 4-and-a-half-year-old twins, Ben and Kit. We live in the suburbs of New Jersey and really do have a house with a white picket fence (along with two cats, three goldfish, one newt, and two minivans).
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