A "Crime Against Nature"

A good writer writes from experience.

Minnie Bruce Pratt evolved as a writer, mother, and individual after struggling through a difficult situation that significantly influenced her social and family life. Pratt had mixed feelings for both men and women since she was a young girl, and she was unsure of what to think or do about it. She felt different, as most members of the LGBT community do. Yet with the realization of homosexuality came the outburst of passionate, powerful writing that discovers lesbianism, gender roles, and the erotica of the human mind. This is her story.

Born in Selma, Alabama in 1946, Pratt realized something was missing from her life during high school. She always felt different, yet had no idea how to explain her feelings. In the South, it was expected that she was proper and lady-like, and she attended school and church regularly, where she was taught that there was no other option in love besides the relationship between a man and a woman.

In 1964, Pratt met Marvin E. Weaver at the University of Alabama, where the two shared a passion for writing and poetry. They were engaged and married while still in college, and soon after, Pratt had two boys, Ben and Ransom. Pratt entered a graduate program at the University of North Carolina studying feminism and women’s studies, and that is where she met Leslie Feinberg.

Pratt immediately fell for Leslie, but it was no piece of cake. Marvin was furious and attempted to remove Pratt’s parental rights from her two sons. He got Pratt’s mother involved, and even to this day, her mother refuses to support Pratt’s homosexuality and believes that Pratt is a disappointment. So, instead of dealing with a chaotic court trial that most likely would have ended with the removal of Ben and Ransom from Pratt’s custody altogether, Marvin agreed to just move away with his two sons. That way, Pratt could keep close contact with her boys, and she succeeded in maintaining a loving relationship between them.

Pratt is deserving of recognition because she never gave up hope. Throughout her difficulties, she was open and honest with everyone, sincerely detailing her relationship with Leslie. Even her young sons were aware that she was a lesbian and no longer romantically in love with Marvin. If Pratt continued to live a lie, she would have been in pain and suffered tremendously, and this would have affected her family life and romantic life to an even greater extent. Pratt never wanted to fight with her husband; all she wanted was to share her true feelings with him. This makes Pratt a hero. She never gave up hope. As with most members of the LGBT community, she was taunted and disrespected for her choices, actions, and feelings. It is never easy to come out to loved ones who expect something different of you, yet Pratt realized that it was necessary.

Pratt explores her journey of lesbianism and her relationship with her two sons after the divorce in the astounding book of poetry, “Crime Against Nature.” Published in 1990, the poems articulate in powerful words the emotions Pratt felt and the difficulties faced after she divorced her husband. She explores her recovery period and her honest and loving relationship with her two sons. Although it was hard, Ben and Ransom never treated her differently; they continued to treat her as a mother, and this helped speed Pratt’s healing process as she was away from them.

In “Crime Against Nature,” Section 5, Pratt writes:

“When I open my mouth, some people hear snakes slide out, whispering, to poison my sons' lives. Some fear I'll turn them into queers, into women" (Pratt).

Pratt is not afraid to write about her challengers. She openly writes about opponents' views on her, and she explains that she is simply being who she is. Her children will choose the route that is best for them. Their lives are not “poisoned;” moreover, their lives are cultured and sophisticated, bubbling with honesty and love. Ben and Ramson believe that Pratt made the right choice, and this bond between the three made their relationship strong and sincere.

In the poems, Pratt makes it clear that being a homosexual is not a crime against nature. A crime has nothing to do with love, even if that love is for an individual of the same sex. Many people may call homosexuality a sin, unnatural, and worth of banning. What Pratt discusses is that the crime against nature is actually the violence and oppression so many honest, sincere people are objected to. Being in a caring, loving relationship—this is love and good. Being cruel, oppressed, and hating life—this is both sad and terrible. People need to stop focusing on their negative view of gays and lesbians and they need to focus on the real issues in life. People are suffering, and this is where everyone’s focus should be. If people respect homosexuals as they do heterosexuals, the world will be a better place.

Pratt allows many members of LGBT to feel comfortable with themselves. Her story and works help prove that it is possible to succeed and live a happy life. It is possible to change.

“Crime Against Nature” was awarded the American Library Association Gay and Lesbian Book Award for Literature in 1991. Today, Pratt is developing a LGBT program for Syracuse University, where she is a professor. She remains with Leslie, and her relationship with her two sons is as strong as ever.

~By: Lauren Inouye~

Works Cited/Bibliography

"Biography." Minnie Bruce Pratt/ Biography. Mar. 2006. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. <http://www.mbpratt.org/bio.html>.

Pratt, Minnie Bruce. Crime Against Nature. Ithaca, N.Y: Firebrand Books, 1990. Print.

Pratt, Minnie Bruce. Minnie Bruce Pratt. 2007. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. <http://www.mbpratt.org/family.html>.

Rapp, Linda. "Glbtq literature Pratt, Minnie Bruce." Glbtq: the world's largest encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture. 2004. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. <http://www.glbtq.com/literature/pratt_mb,2.html>.