Rita Mae Brown

Rita Mae Brown is an American feminist writer, poet, and activist best known for her debut novel Rubyfruit Jungle (1973), a seminal coming-of-age story about a young lesbian. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and adopted by relatives, she was involved in civil rights, lesbian feminism, and co-founded groups like the Student Homophile League and The Furies, while authoring mystery series like Mrs. Murphy and poetry collections. She received the Lambda Literary Pioneer Award in 2015 for her contributions to LGBT literature.[1][2][3]