As soon as I knew what an “ally” was, I considered myself one. I knew my more-than-platonic feelings for women were some other thing, some deep friendship or sisterhood. I first had crushes on boys when I was 4.
Amanda caught me off guard with her short hair wizardry, but I felt sure it was a fluke. It took 14 years more before I let myself fall for a woman. I channeled my butterflies into befriending her, and we spent the weekend playing sports and singing about the Princess Pat. I couldn’t make the stirring in my gut go away once I knew she was a girl - a girl with short black hair and a confident walk and a smile that disrupted my child’s understanding of happiness. I was 8-years-old and at Girl Scout camp, so I don’t know why I thought she was a boy when I saw her across the mess hall. I remember vividly that her name was Amanda because of the crushing wave of confusion that came with that knowledge. The 200 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies Of All Time.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.
