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1. Define a butch, a femme, and a drag queen.

A butch is a lesbian who dresses and behaves in traditionally male ways. A femme is a lesbian who dresses and behaves in traditionally female ways while a drag queen is a gay man who dresses in women's clothing.

2. What is the premise of Chapter 1?

Jess Goldberg, a "stone butch" lesbian or one who dresses and behaves like a traditionally masculine man, writes a letter to her long-lost lover, Theresa. Times have changed since Jess made her first forays into gay bars in the early 1960s and Jess addresses her life in the early days.

3. What does Jess reveal about her life that many readers today would find shocking?

Twenty-first century readers who think the fight for gay rights is all but won may be startled by the fact that it was once illegal in all fifty states for women to dance together. The police could swoop down and arrest everyone in a gay bar simply because it existed. You could be beaten and raped by police officers and you would have no recourse against them because society labeled you a "pervert."

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