Source: TIME

No one could ever accuse Rita Mae Brown, 63, of having lived a boring life. The bestselling author of 37 books is nothing if not versatile: feminist activist, mystery writer, lesbian pioneer, fox hunter, screenwriter, novelist, animal rescuer. She even became a tabloid star during her three-year relationship with tennis superstar Martina Navratilova. TIME's Andrea Sachs spoke with Brown, who was in Pennsylvania on tour for her latest book, The Purrfect Murder (Bantam).

TIME: Your 1973 book Ruby Fruit Jungle was a groundbreaking lesbian novel, and a media phenomenon. How did that change your life?

Rita Mae Brown: Well, I didn't know I was going to be famous. All that happens, and I was like, what is all this crap? Excuse me for swearing.

That's okay. What did you expect the reaction to be?

None, because nobody wanted to publish it. I mean, I've got splinters in my nose from the best publishing doors in town. Finally this little tiny company that just started, called Daughters Press, gave me $1,000 and published it. I never had a book review, never had an ad, didn't have a hard cover until I guess one of its anniversaries. It exploded and they couldn't keep up with the sales. They couldn't print them fast enough. So Bantam bought it. [ A million copies were sold.]

Tell me about your experience in the early days of NOW (the National Organization for Women). Did you resign in protest?

Hell no. They threw me out. Here I am, a southern country girl, so I was easy to write off as a stupid kid. I still had my accent -- I have it when I go home, but I hadn't learned how to disguise it. I raised the issue of class differences between women and racial differences. At this point this was really quite an important band of women in America, but not necessarily representative of all women's concerns. Then, of course, I raised the issue of gay women. That was all it took. [Betty Friedan] got rid of me in a hurry.

You didn't go quietly at the time though, did you?

Hell no. I fought. I wrote in the newsletter and I fought. It didn't do any good because everybody was scared sh--less of her. But I'll give Betty credit. I don't know if you ever met her. Bombastic, rude, self-centered. Brilliant. And you know what? Fundamentally a moral person and about 20 years later she apologized to me in public. It took a lot. She said, I was wrong.

Do you feel as though things have changed a lot for lesbians and for gays?

Yes, I think so. I think you can judge the level of success for any group of people by the reaction against it. And given the reaction of the so-called Christian Right -- I would put that in quotes because I don't believe they're Christians at all -- I would have to say that people have been wildly successful.

Do you have thoughts about gay marriage?

Yes. I don't understand it. I don't even know why straight people want to get married because you invite the government in your bedroom. But that's okay. It seems to be a very basic human need that I don't share.

Are you friends with Martina Navratilova now?

No, we fell out over her divorce with Judy Nelson, and it was an extremely foolish and ugly affair on both of their parts. I was the middleman, and whenever you're the middleman you lose both.

You really never came out, did you? You were out.

The funny thing is, I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became the only lesbian in America. It was hysterical. It was a misnomer, but it's okay. It was a fight worth fighting.

Do you wish things had been more open when you were growing up?

No because I wouldn't be who I am now. I was equal to the fight. I'll go to my grave knowing I didn't back down.

Full article: Rita Mae Brown: Loves Cats, Hates Marriage - TIME