does not consider herself a "lesbian writer" because she believes art is about connection and not about divisive labels. In a 2015 interview for The Washington Post, Brown was asked if she thought awards in gay and lesbian literature were important; she replied: I love language, I love literature, I love history, and I'm not even remotely interested in being gay. I find that one of those completely useless and confining categories. Those are definitions from our oppressors, if you will. I would use them warily. I would certainly not define myself — ever — in the terms of my oppressor. If you accept these terms, you're now lumped in a group. Now, you may need to be lumped in a group politically in order to fight that oppression; I understand that, but I don't accept it. Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions Brown received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Arts Council to publish her novel Six of One. In 1982, Brown was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for I Love Liberty, and again for the ABC mini-series The Long Hot Summer in 1985. She was co-winner of the 1982 Writers Guild of America Award for I Love Liberty, and the recipient of the New York Public Library's Literary Lion award of 1987. In 2015, Brown was presented the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards. In addition, Brown was nominated for an Audie award, and won both AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up awards. Brown received an honorary doctorate from Wilson College in 1992. Personal life Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1978, she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lived briefly with American actress, author, and screenwriter Fannie Flagg, whom she had met at a Los Angeles party hosted by Marlo Thomas. They later broke up due to, according to Brown, "generational differences", although Flagg and Brown are the same age. In 1979, Brown met and fell in love with tennis champion Martina Navratilova. In 1980, they bought a horse farm in Charlottesville where they lived together until their breakup, over Navratilova's then concern that coming out would hurt her application for U.S. citizenship. Brown still lives on the estate in Charlottesville. Published works Poetry "Dancing the shout to the true gospel or The