1968–83: Early life Traci Lords

lords freshman in high school, 1983

lords born nora louise kuzma on may 7, 1968, in steubenville, ohio, louis , patricia kuzma (née briceland). father s parents immigrants ukraine, while mother of irish ancestry. louis employed steelworker. lords has 1 elder sister, lorraine, , 2 younger sisters, rachel , grace. father alcoholic abuse mother on regular basis. according her, come home drunk , accuse of having boyfriends in house. during time, lords spend time grandmother lived nearby. parents divorced when 7 years old , lords moved mother , 3 sisters great-grandmother s house. following divorce, father got partial custody. around same time, mother enrolled @ ohio university , landed part-time job.

—lords teenage years

according lords, , sister lorraine both developed early; fueled father s concerns sexuality. think father hated women. dealt until eleven, started lay guilt on sex. @ age of ten, lords raped sixteen-year-old boy had befriended @ friend s birthday party. when twelve, lords moved mother , sisters lawndale, california, along mother s new boyfriend. last time saw father. in september 1982, began attending redondo union high school in redondo beach, california. during school years, lords developed rebellious attitude. angry @ mother, blaming poverty, , found father figure in mother s boyfriend. roger hayes, calls him in autobiography, cocaine dealer , molested lords in sleep. after mother broke him due drug use, began dating friend. lords refused follow them new place , left older sister lorraine. mother , 2 younger sisters ended in women s shelter until mother able find new apartment.