Ruth Fuller Field was born on July 17, 1864, in Deerfield, Massachusetts. She is better known by her pen name Mary Casal; Field was an author, best known for writing The Stone Wall, the first known autobiography of a lesbian to be published in the United States, which was published in 1930. From a young age, Field was seen as a tomboy by her family, known for socializing with boys her age and developing what her family described as “masculine tastes” such as shunning playing with dollsand wanting to play sports instead. As she grew older, Field became distressed by her sexual awakening,, frustrated that she, as a female, was forbidden from playing the “male role” in  her relations with women. By the time Field finished high school, she had several romantic encounters with female peers already. Although Field found joy from her same sex encounters, she desired to have children of her and soon married a family friend in 1887; although she admits she did not love him and the pair divorced a few years later after failing to have children together. Some years after her divorce, Field met a woman by the name of Emma Elizabeth Altman, whom she dubbed "Juno" in her autobiography. The pair met while Field stayed at a friend’s house in New York and quickly fell in love, however their relationship faded over time. When their relationship ended, Field retired to California and began to write The Stone Wall, her autobiography in which she explores both her life and relations with women. It was published in 1930. The book is believed by some to be the inspiration behind the name of the famous Stonewall Inn in New York. Field died on February 22, 1935, in Tujunga, California. For more on Ruth Fuller Field, read Mary Casal, pseudonym of Ruth Fuller Field (1864-1935): The 1930 Autobiography of an American Lesbian, by Jonathan Ned Katz.