When I came out in the 1970s, it was illegal to be gay. They could put you in a mental institution and give you electric shock treatments. I was so scared to talk to people at work and people in the neighborhood. They would ask me questions; are you married, do you have a boyfriend, do you have kids? Some people even tried to fix me up with men. I was the only woman I knew who was attracted to women. I saw a lesbian therapist in San Diego, Judi Schaim, and she said she had quite a few patients who were lesbians in North County and she started a lesbian support group.

We were called LINC, Lesbians in North County. It was so wonderful to discover so many lesbians. We were a support group and we had different topics each week. Sometimes we would have "check-Ins" where we would talk about our weeks. Sometimes we would learn about something, such as fire extinguishers.

Things have changed so much in my lifetime. Lesbians can even get married! When I was younger, I never would have thought that was a possibility! I'm in a long-term relationship and I'm very happy and I have lots of friends.

I am so thankful for the LGBTQ Center in Oceanside, and for Max Disposti, and all of the people who work and volunteer there.