 She was born in New Jersey and as a teenager had a volatile relationship with her mother and stepfather after her parents ' divorce . As a consequence , she was sent to live with her grandparents . Her alcoholic grandfather physically abused her and Solanas ran away and became homeless . She came out as a lesbian in the 1950s . She graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland , College Park . Solanas relocated to Berkeley , California . There , she began writing her most notable work , the SCUM Manifesto , which urged women to " overthrow the government , eliminate the money system , institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex . " 
