Minnie Bruce Pratt, a renowned poet and essayist who delved into subjects of gender fluidity, acceptance versus intolerance, and her personal challenges of being separated from her sons after coming out as a lesbian in the 1970s, passed away on July 2, 2023, at a hospice in Syracuse, N.Y. She was 76 years old. Her son, Benjamin Weaver, confirmed that Ms. Pratt had succumbed to an aggressive brain tumor.
Throughout her nearly five-decade career, Ms. Pratt traversed the realms of literature, academia, and activism. She witnessed significant advancements for the LGBTQ+ community, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage and increased recognition of trans and nonbinary identities. Yet, Ms. Pratt rarely took on a celebratory tone when discussing perceived progress.
With over ten books and anthologies to her name, Ms. Pratt carved out a unique space for herself with her narrative-driven poetry, which possessed a restless energy and a wide-ranging perspective. She vehemently criticized economic and racial injustices, just as fervently as she condemned the political and social forces that opposed gay rights and different forms of gender expression.
According to Ms. Pratt, her work was about making connections and understanding the intersections of various factors, such as how laws can institutionalize discrimination and how culture and social class shape perspectives. She firmly believed that no individual is defined by just one aspect of their identity.
She often attributed her belief in the unifying power of sharing stories and experiences to her upbringing in racially segregated Alabama. Fondly recalling her childhood, she spoke of secret, shared moments with other children, where they’d question the differences imposed upon them. These experiences formed a bond that transcended societal divisions.
Ms. Pratt was also an active participant in activism, particularly during critical periods like the AIDS crisis. In the early 1980s and 1990s, she and her partner, photographer Joan E. Biren (also known as JEB), played prominent roles in the gay and lesbian movements in the District of Columbia and its surrounding areas. Notably, in 1984, Ms. Pratt co-founded LIPS, a lesbian-led activist group based in Washington.
During her time in Washington, Ms. Pratt produced defining works like “Rebellion: Essays 1980-1991” (1991), a blend of autobiography and observations that have become staples in feminist studies programs at many colleges. Additionally, her 1990 collection of poems, “Crime Against Nature,” delved into her experiences as a lesbian mother living apart from her sons.
Her poetry often oscillated between anguish and anger, as exemplified in the poem “The Child Taken From the Mother.” The collection took its name from a phrase found within a North Carolina anti-sodomy statute, which held personal significance for Ms. Pratt. During the mid-1970s, while living in Fayetteville, N.C., her marriage disintegrated when she openly acknowledged her lesbian identity. In 1976, rather than engage in a court battle for full custody of her 6- and 7-year-old sons, she reached an agreement with her ex-husband for visitation rights. As the boys grew older, these visits became more frequent.
Her subsequent relationship with author and activist Leslie Feinberg, which commenced in the early 1990s, provided Ms. Pratt with a deeper understanding of gender and her own place within the spectrum. Feinberg, author of “Stone Butch Blues” (1993), temporarily took male hormones and often presented as male in public.
In her book of memoir-style essays, “S/He” (1995), Ms. Pratt takes readers through her childhood musings on gender roles, her discontent with a society that she felt restricted women, and the pivotal moment when her husband discovers her affectionate letters to another woman. One particularly poignant tale in the book is a clear homage to Feinberg, although their name is not mentioned. In the scene, the two share a moment of bliss while dining at a diner, ignorant of the scandalized reactions from nearby onlookers.
Born on September 12, 1946, in Selma, Ala., and raised in Centreville, Ms. Pratt grew up in a household where her mother worked as a social worker, and her father was a clerk at a timber company. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in 1968, she became a homemaker while raising her sons with her husband, Marvin Weaver, who later became a director of arts programs and a fundraiser. When her marriage ended, she pursued her doctorate in Renaissance English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning her degree in 1979. During her time at the university, she became affiliated with “Feminary,” a feminist journal that focused on lesbian perspectives, and co-authored “Yours In Struggle: Three Feminist Perspectives On Anti-Semitism and Racism” (1984).
Her debut book, “The Sound of One Fork” (1981), delved into her personal journey as a lesbian and White woman in the South. Subsequent works like “Walking Back Up Depot Street” (1999) examined themes of race, sexuality, and injustice in poems set in the segregated rural South, while “The Dirt She Ate” (2003) addressed those marginalized by society.
“Magnified,” her last book published in 2021, contemplated mortality and memory and was dedicated to Feinberg, who passed away in 2014. In 2004, they became domestic partners in New Jersey and entered a civil union in 2007. They officially married in Massachusetts in 2011.
Ms. Pratt taught at various universities, including the University of Maryland, before retiring in 2015 as a professor of writing and women’s studies from Syracuse University. During her tenure, she played a crucial role in the development of the university’s first LGBT studies program. Her accolades include the Lamont Poetry Selection by the Academy of American Poets for “Crime Against Nature.” She is survived by her sons Benjamin Weaver and Ransom Weaver, as well as five grandchildren.
Reflecting on her life, Ms. Pratt considered herself fortunate to have experienced significant social changes, including the civil rights movement, feminism, and the movement for queer liberation. She believed that the theories developed by each movement have made our understanding of race, sex, gender, sexuality, and class more complex.
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