As the mother of a son, I do not accept that alienation from me is necessary for his discovery of himself. As a woman, I will not cooperate in demeaning womanly things so that he can be proud to be a man. I like to think the women in my son's future are counting on me.

If knowledge is power, clandestine knowledge is power squared; it can be withheld, exchanged, and leveraged.

Other than life experience, nothing left a deeper imprint on my formative self than the movies.

Control is a big issue when you're sick. It's the first thing you lose - other losses come later.

I find it profoundly symbolic that I am appearing before a committee of fifteen men who will report to a legislative body of one hundred men because of a decision handed down by a court comprised of nine men--on an issue that affects millions of women.... I have the feeling that if men could get pregnant, we wouldn't be struggling for this legislation. If men could get pregnant, maternity benefits would be as sacrosanct as the G.I. Bill.

It's smart to be friends with one's sex partner but dumb to have sex with one's friends.

If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct.