First Sight

An artist, a model, a secret unspoken. Strangers, roommates, a passion revealed in silent glances. Two women share an erotic night after class is dismissed and the true lesson begins. Previously published in First-Timers: True Stories of Lesbian Awakenings , ed. Rachel Kramer Bussel (Alyson Publications, 2006); republished in Radical Encounters (Bold Strokes Books, 2009). Its 1969 and the Vietnam War is in full swing. Tommy Benton and the others on her commune are vehemently against the war. Tommy divides her time between organizing and leading protests and enjoying the love of different women on the commune. Shes passionate about two free love and protesting the Vietnam War. When the Fourth of July rolls around, Tommy leads the people in her commune, as well of thousands of others, in a peaceful demonstration. After, she enjoys the party atmosphere that consumes the commune. The following day, a reporter shows up to interview her. He promises to submit his article to the bigger, national papers, and Tommy feels that shes finally making a name for herself on the national scene as a leading activist.