"None of this ""evidence"" is convincing. There is a passage in one of Eleanor's letters to Hickok which I'll paraphrase, which seems to refute any claims that she was a lesbian. Eleanor told Hickok in the letter that she did believe and value the fact that Hickok loved her. However, Eleanor continued, she herself had no such feelings as between women. She respected these feelings as legitimate, but they were foreign to her. To me, this passage shows Eleanor's rare compassion and understanding of others, as well as her honesty. 

 As for the frequently quoted line, in another letter, in which Eleanor says she wants to kiss Hickokwell, in those days, female friends were more soppy in general. (I don't know how else to put it.) It was common for women friends of all types and ages in that era to walk around hand in hand, or arm in arm, and to kiss. And finally, Eleanor's long, close and affectionate relationship with her burly male bodyguard Miller, extending to enjoying sports and private times together, suggests to me a discreet, quietly happy romance. 
    

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