ABSTRACT

Times of crisis often cause courage to be drawn from unexpected places. During wartime, unimposing individuals can demonstrate capacities far beyond what seems possible. During natural catastrophes, ordinary citizens often behave with astonishing self-sacrifice. When commended for their actions later, they often say, “I just did what had to be done.” The struggle for sexual freedom and liberation certainly continues in this new millennium, despite years of effort by countless numbers of individuals. The toll of the struggle is rarely tallied, except among those closest to the fray, because the battlefield does not exist in real space but in the interior landscapes of millions of people. For many, the rivers there run red from injury, denial, defiance, confusion, and every form of abuse. For Billye Talmadge, each and every casualty of that invisible conflict was and is a personal affront.