Ria Brodell

Myrtle K. was the name used in a study conducted in the 1930’s by George W. Henry, an American psychologist, as part of an extensive research project on homosexuality sponsored by the Committee for the Study of Sex Variants. Known to most people as Frankie, and described as always smiling and extremely amiable, they were thirty years old when they participated in the study.

Frankie was born in Virginia, where their family had lived for generations, the decedents of enslaved African people. They were very close with their father. He was very stern, but Frankie was his favorite. He died when Frankie was ten. Their mother was a devout Baptist and very involved with the church. Frankie often ran away from home to avoid their mother’s punishments. Frankie’s uncles taught them to ride and shoot. They loved animals, especially horses. They often wore their brother’s clothes, loved to play baseball, climb trees and liked to fight with boys. “I was a thorough tomboy…. I always wanted to be a boy.”

As an adult, looking back on their childhood Frankie remembered knowing something was different about them, but not understanding what that difference meant. Though Frankie could pass as a man, they didn’t like being called a man. Lamenting their lack of sexual interest in, and even aversion towards men they said, “I tried as hard as any woman on earth to be a woman.” They thought maybe they just “hadn’t been with the right man.” Expressing their desire for women they recalled, “I can’t remember when I wasn’t interested in women.” Frankie knew they were “homosexual,” having encountered it in their work in show business, “Girls seemed to fall for me…. I never was what you call a big flirt.”

Frankie was raised Baptist, but converted to Catholicism after dating a Catholic girl. They went to church every Sunday stating, “I don’t think God would have made me queer if it wasn’t right.” They stressed the importance of helping children, the elderly and the poor. They were generous with their money; “I never pass a person on the street who is begging. If it’s my last penny I’ll give it to him.”

Frankie had always wanted to fulfill their father’s wishes for them to be a doctor. Their sisters were married to doctors and lawyers. Frankie’s mother didn’t understand them, she blamed Frankie’s masculine appearance on their career. “Although I know I’m queer I don’t like to be reminded of it,” Frankie lamented.

At the time of their participation in the study Frankie was a popular performer on New York City’s vaudeville circuit. They never knew what they were going to do before walking out onto the stage, “I never read from a script and I’ve never been a flop.” Their performances were improvisational combinations of slapstick comedy, music, singing, and male impersonation. Frankie had been on the stage since before they were twelve years old. They loved being able to support themselves and make their own living. At the time of their interview they wanted to quit show business and move back to the quiet of the mountains where they were born.

Sources:

Henry, George W. Sex Variants: A Study in Homosexual Patterns. 2d ed. In one volume. New York: Paul B. Hoeber, 1948.

Terry, Jennifer. An American Obsession: Science, Medicine, and Homosexuality in Modern Society. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1999.

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