That four letter word-sons

SUMMARY This title for this article has been inspired by pioneer feminist and lesbian mother of a son, Robin Morgan, who wrote, "[f]ew subjects so provoke anxiety among feminists as the four-letter word sons. Yet that subject goes to the crux of power and of patriarchy, even though it grazes the living nerves of love" (Morgan, 1997, p. 38). The article is based on the material gathered from interviews with lesbian mothers who participated in a doctoral research project investigating the mother/adolescent-son relationship.