Yeah, I hear you. You know what was different then? I think it might have actually been easier in some regards. I think pre and post Stonewall (alcoholism was rampant because) we had bars. We also had other spaces, especially in that short window from like the mid 70s through the early 2000s. Before Stonewall, in some places the mob got paid off to let us exist and to prevent cop raids. It was protection money. But unlike now and despite all the really horrible problems, through the early aughts, we at least had places to gather and find each other. Most men would leave when confronted. And the ones who wouldn't were not befriended or welcomed. Of course then, as now, women were not able to legally "discriminate" in a business setting. The biggest problem lesbians have is that the law for the most part does not allow us to create women-only spaces unless they are completely private and therefore financially unviable. Another difference is your sisters' had your back. I think now the 2nd biggest challenge comes from women who want to be 'inclusive' and prove their pc credentials by pretending it's all one big happy party.