She also had a male life-partner for most of her adult life (31 years), John Stoltenberg, who actually married her.
It's often said she made herself fat to acquire body-armor: to make herself unattractive to men, because of the sexual abuse which she endured when she was young and homeless and bartered sex for food and shelter, and from left-wing "Movement" men. There's some truth in that, I think.
She was in many ways a monster, but one whom I pity.