National Geographic Documentary 2015 - Worst Female Prisons In the World - Documentary 2015

When they called me a "Tomboy" I was confused. I knew I was a girl. Why were they referring to me as a boy? It is true that I loved to climb trees and was a superb athlete. The boys in the neighborhood always wanted me on their teams. It is also true that besides being strong and coordinated, I was very courageous. I rode my bike very fast and curbs were no obstacles. Some may say I could have just as well been riding a horse. But I was still a girl, even though I loved my jeans and my two gun holsters for my cap pistols. I lived in a low income neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. My tough front protected me from appearing like an easy victim for the other gang members. I was the leader of our gang which consisted of two younger boys and me. But I was still confused. I did not understand why they did not call me an active female, or an athletic girl. Instead they labeled me as a "Tomboy." Who is Tom, anyway?Later in my teens, I was told, "If you want to have a boyfriend, then let him win the tennis match." How absurd. I once did have a boyfriend who was very upset when I triumphed. The next time we played, I let him win by a close margin. I felt frustrated. It was no fun to focus on his ego instead of being the best I could be. That was the last time I was willing to play that game. Later on in life my girlfriend was upset with me because I had a higher score in bowling than her boyfriend. She said, "Couldn't you let him win so that he could feel better?" My stomach sunk once again. I was definitely getting the message that it was more important to be weaker than men, than to be myself.