While Erin McHugh was munching on a sandwich in a New York Deli nearly two years ago, Michael Jacobs, the president of Abrams publishing, asked the author if she would be interested in writing a lesbian book for him.
â┚¬Å”I told him, â┚¬ËœLet me finish my sandwich and I'll get back to you,'â┚¬Â she laughs during a phone interview from her New York home.
It didn't take long for McHugh's idea for a photo essay to come to fruition and she began compiling a list of notableâ┚¬â€Âand not so notableâ┚¬â€Âlesbians who have made enormous differences in their communities and in their lives.
â┚¬Å”I wanted to give a universitality to the women in the book,â┚¬Â McHugh explains. â┚¬Å”I thought it would be nice to celebrate many different womenâ┚¬â€Âsome you know and some you don't.â┚¬ÂÂ
In all, 26 women are featured in the new book, L-Life: Extraordinary Lesbians Making a Difference (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $35.50), which debuts this month. Featured women include Jane Lynch of Glee fame and notable comedienne Kate Clinton. But the collection also features the unknown struggles and triumphs of Lupe Valdez, the sheriff of Dallas County, Tex., and Tenaja Jordan, a 24-year-old who came out at a young age, was kicked out of her parents' home, survived and now works with New York's foster care system.
McHugh says it's no accident that her new book, with photographs by Jennifer May, hits store shelves during Women's History Month.
McHugh filled us in on her process and shared some of her views on the purpose of her book, the mainstream press and the evolution of feminism.
WATERMARK: Every one of the subjects in L-Life are lesbians. Did you have any difficulty getting these women to openly share their sexuality?
ERIN McHUGH: Well first off, I fell in love just a little bit with every one of these women. I would open each interview with, â┚¬ËœThis is a tribute. This is not going to be in the National Enquirer next to a story on Lindsay Lohan.' (Laughs) Seriously, overall, the women were proud and willing to share who they are with me. It was an amazing experience.
How did you compile your list of subjects?
I've been around awhile, as far as the LGBT movement is concerned. One of the first people I wanted to speak with was Kate Clinton. She asked right away, â┚¬Å”Who's in the book?â┚¬Â I wasn't sure at that point. I mean, it was easy to put a list in my head, but I knew it would change.
She told me I shouldn't do the book without including Kate Kendell, the executive director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. I said, â┚¬Å”Okay, I'll put her on my list.â┚¬Â Then three others said the same thing about Kendell. I knew I had to get her.
It became this thing of people saying, â┚¬Å”Let me call this person for you,â┚¬Â or suggesting people. A lot of calls and letters and emails were flying. I knew I wanted the book to be diverseâ┚¬â€Âand I realized right away that diverse doesn't just mean representing various races. It's about age, career and geography. So the project became a jigsaw, and that's when it became really fun.
You've said that you never interviewed people before. Was that a challenge for you?
It was new to me. I was so entranced by and beholden to all of these people. I was impressed by their stories and I had to wait for over a year for the book to come out and for them to see it. Of course I want this book to go far and wide, but my biggest worry was, â┚¬Å”What if I didn't do a good job or I disappointed these women in some way?â┚¬ÂÂ
I've since heard from almost everyone in the book and they are all loving it. I've been told I did a sensitive job. That's a huge compliment.
Obviously, as a lesbian author interviewing lesbian subjects, your target audience is lesbians. But where else would you like to see this book go?
I wrote a series of small books about three years ago called â┚¬Å”The Portable Queer.â┚¬Â It was tiny volumes of quotes, gay history, etc. I found that the compliments and feedback I enjoyed the most were those from a parent who said their child just came out and that they received these books as a guide. I heard those collections helped open eyes to LGBT history and helped the understanding process.
I'm hoping that happens with this book too. I've already had people tell me that â┚¬Å”My daughter is 15 and just came out and she's so proud. If you would sign a book for me I'd be so grateful.â┚¬ÂÂ
I tell them, â┚¬Å”Are you kidding? It's parents like you that are moving this whole world forward!â┚¬ÂÂ
The book is released in Marchâ┚¬â€ÂWomen's History Monthâ┚¬â€Âand it features 26 lesbians. Do you view yourself as a feminist?
People seem to think feminism is dead, as a rule. I don't. Maybe it's just changed in how people view it. Are feminists from the 1970s different from women who are feminists today? Maybe in only that the women then had to fight harder. Today you mention the names Bella and Gloria to a 29-year-old girl and she has no idea you're talking about Bella Abzug and Gloria Steinem.
Times have changed. Why do you think a book about successful lesbians is necessary today?
Today the doors in peoples' heads are open a little more. If this was published 20 years ago the audience would be much smaller. But now, so many people are outâ┚¬â€Âkids are coming out. In 1990 there really wasn't a PFLAG and high schools didn't have Gay-Straight Alliances. Today there are parents, teachers, relatives who are interested in our community and they know they have something to learn.
In the introduction of the book you talk about bonds made and the sisterhood of the subjects in L-Life. How do the stories of these women affect you?
I cry a lot. It was a couple of years ago now that I started this, but every time I see these stories or talk about them, I get emotional. I get really involved. I've done a lot of work myself for the movement, but I feel like I'm nothing like these people. These women are goddesses to me. I could write several of these books. I'd be happy to do L-Life 2!
