Lizzie Borden’s LGBTQ Secret

The alleged murderess was in love… with a lady!

Photo by public domain

This is not your mother’s Lizzie Borden. Most are aware of the infamous Borden. Though the information seems to be based around the allegations she killed her parents. Yet, there was so much more to the Lizzie Borden legend that seems to have disappeared under the glare of the more salacious stories.

For starters, the woman largely credited as being Borden’ mother, was her stepmother. Both Borden and her sister, Emma were upset with their father and stepmother. The parents had planned on selling the childhood home of the girls. This led to a massive family fight, just before the murders.

Religion Played a Part

Back in 1892, Lizzie Borden was considered a spinster. Unmarried and racing towards 40, Borden despised the title society bestowed upon her. Even more than that, allegedly she hated the religion her father forced upon the family.

According to historians, Borden was not keen on spending her Sunday mornings with people who didn’t like her. And whom she didn’t like. Yet, Andrew Borden threatened to withhold money from his daughters should they chose not to go to church with the family.

There was more though. As one of the wealthy families in Fall River, Massachusetts, the Borden’s had a lot of sway. The alleged murderer wanted to promote social justice but the Patriarch would hear none of it. He liked things the way they were, mostly.

Shades of Trump

While there were no calls for a wall around the city borders, immigration was still a hit issue. As more Irish people moved into the area, crime rates are said to have shot up. Andrew Borden wanted something done about this. His daughter, Lizzie may have found a solution to her problem.

As it turned out, after Andrew and his wife were murdered, a Polish immigrant was the first one to be arrested. There was no evidence linking the suspect to the crime but his skin color was different and Andrew had spoken out about immigrants. That was enough.

But it wasn’t, and soon the heat would have been on Lizzie.

Tabloid Murder Heiress

Lizzie Borden would be arrested and tried for her father and stepmother’s murders. Yet, it was the court of public opinion that really took her to trial. Most of the people in Fall River believed her to be guilty and went about life as such.

Nearly 100 years before OJ Simpson’s circus of a trial, Borden and the Fall River gang was giving them a guideline. The prosecutors arrested and tried Borden on evidence so bare thin, in today’s world they would be tried for criminal negligence.

Authorities pointed to her changing story as proof that she was guilty. It worked for the townsfolk and others who read about the case in the daily newspaper. It did not work on a jury of Borden’s peers though, she was acquitted of all charges against her.

There was one thing that nobody talked about though. One key piece of circumstantial evidence that could have pieced that mystery together.

Lizzie’s Lesbian Lover

Many experts now believe that Lizzie Borden was having a torrid affair with her maid, Bridget Sullivan. As the story is told, Andrew was furious that his daughter was fraternizing with a member of the house staff. Add on top of it that the affair was with a woman was too much for him to take.

His threat of cutting off Lizzie’s access to the money angered her. She turned the tables and called out her father for sleeping with another woman while her mother had been away, leading to her death. As the argument escalated, out came the hatchet.

The rest is nursery rhyme history.