Jul 29, 2025 2:03 am
Persephone raises a hand to calm Viviana and interjects, "I'm sorry, I forgot -- work phone. Here..." She digs through her small purse and retrieves a piece of paper and a pen, onto which she writes, Adrienne Rich, compulsory heterosexuality, lesbian masterdoc, and slides it across the table with a warm smile.
Then she says, "Look, don't feel weird about this. We all go through some version of this process of self-discovery, of breaking through the social programming. And most of us only do it with the help of a queer woman who went through the same thing herself. For me, it wa an upperclassman in college." Persephone gets a wistful look as she recalls her first love.
"It was a gender studies course at Stanford. I was a naive first year student, asking basic questions that all assumed comp het, until the girl sitting next to me offered to explain it over coffee. I'd accepted, not realizing that the study session was more than just academic! Her name was Hanna. She introduced me to feminist theory, Riot Grrl punk, and, well, sapphic romance. It was glorious. But I was only 18 and she only 20, so it didn't last, but I'll never forget her."
Then Persephone returns to the present and smiles again at Viviana. Then, tilting her head coyly, she lowers her voice to a more intimate tone and says, "So maybe you just need someone to be your Hanna...?"
Then she says, "Look, don't feel weird about this. We all go through some version of this process of self-discovery, of breaking through the social programming. And most of us only do it with the help of a queer woman who went through the same thing herself. For me, it wa an upperclassman in college." Persephone gets a wistful look as she recalls her first love.
"It was a gender studies course at Stanford. I was a naive first year student, asking basic questions that all assumed comp het, until the girl sitting next to me offered to explain it over coffee. I'd accepted, not realizing that the study session was more than just academic! Her name was Hanna. She introduced me to feminist theory, Riot Grrl punk, and, well, sapphic romance. It was glorious. But I was only 18 and she only 20, so it didn't last, but I'll never forget her."
Then Persephone returns to the present and smiles again at Viviana. Then, tilting her head coyly, she lowers her voice to a more intimate tone and says, "So maybe you just need someone to be your Hanna...?"
