LEGAL EAGLE
Three decades ago, Jewish lesbian activist Jeanne Winer (pictured, second from right) patrolled Colorado malls wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Sodomy Patrol.” It was politicalaction-meets-guerilla-theater from a feminist collective protesting, the landmark civil rights case that challenged a voter-approved amendment to the Colorado Constitution that struck down state and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court, helping pave the way for the the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. Decades after her own activism began, the Jewish lesbian Winer proves she isn’t just a great attorney; she’s a pretty scintillating novelist. Her second book, (Bancroft Press) is an absolute rarity on the shelves: a fascinating legal mystery thriller revolving around Lee Isaacs, a multidimensional 60-year-old female attorney. It’s no wonder that and all gave the mystery a starred review. takes a heartfelt but intelligent look at some very timely issues through a courtroom lens—including LGBTQ youth homelessness, hate crimes, white supremacy, and religious zealotry—while letting the protagonist experience a multitude of her own fundamental changes. What’s even better, is that Lee is the kind of character we’ve literally never seen in literature. The loving (straight) widow of an out bisexual man (she inherited his gay best friends in death); a powerful fighter who is losing stride but still physically capable; a daughter so close to her father they talk nightly; and an attorney morally compelled to defend a killer in court. Lee is the the kind of woman many Baby Boomer feminists dreamed they d become.
