Date:  Wed, 15 Nov 1995 22:58:29 -0500

From:  James C Stalker <stalker[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PILOT.MSU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Tomboy & Sissy



In KY in the 50s, among adolescents and younger, neither had homosexual

connotations. Tomboy was probably more positive than sissy, because it was

better to be like a man than a woman. In other words, it was ok for a girl to

be masculine, but not for a boy to be feminine. In high school, when I was a

sophomore, we were quite

aware of homosexuality. It was common knowledge that the world history teacher

(male) was homosexual and having an affair with one of the male students, for

example. Those of us who published the literary magazine were quite aware that

the woman who owned the print shop that printed the magazine was lesbian. The

student was not called a sissy, at least not among the people I knew, despite

the usual sophomoric jokes and titter, as it were.