While many are quick to point to the events at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 as the birth of LGBTQ+ activism, there are roots even further back. One such group were The Daughters of Bilitis, formed in 1955 and considered to be the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States.
BACKGROUND
According to most sources, The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, a lesbian couple residing in San Francisco, who were seeking a safe space to socialize with other lesbians. As membership swelled, DOB became a platform for promoting equality and lesbian rights, serving as a resource for the gay community by providing education about civil rights and gay history. From 1956 through 1972, the organization even published its own magazine: The Ladder. Sadly, the group began to fade in the 1970s and the final chapter closed in 1978.
To understand the necessity for The Daughters of Bilitis, you need to understand societal norms for 1955 San Francisco. Although there was an active gay-nightclub scene, public dancing between same sex couples was prohibited. Many of these nightclubs were the sites of sting operations by undercover police officers and were routinely raided. Overall, this made enjoying a night on the town a dangerous undertaking!
A SOCIAL CLUB
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon had been romantically involved for about 3 years and living in San Francisco but struggled to find a sense of belonging. Martin has been quoted as saying, “It was like there were places to go for entertainment and there was a certain ambiance, but there was not the sense of community that we have developed since.” After discussing their struggle to meet other lesbian couples with a friend, they were introduced to Rosalie "Rose" Bamberger.
Rose, who was in a relationship with a woman named Rosemary Sliepen, really loved to dance! Rose had the idea to establish a social club for lesbians in which they would meet at each other’s homes to dance and enjoy each other’s company without the risk of arrest. On September 21, 1955, Rose and Rosemary hosted Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon along with two other couples (Marcia Foster and her partner June, and Noni Frey and her partner Mary). This diverse group of four couples included four blue-collar women and four white-collar workers, two lesbian mothers, and two women of color.
GOING NATIONAL
The group named themselves The Daughters of Bilitis, after the poetry collection Songs of Bilitis by Pierre Louys, and met regularly for socializing and dancing. However, some of the women realized they could do more and problems within the group began to appear relatively quickly. Rose, who had the original idea for the group, wanted to remain a social outlet while others felt they had a responsibility to advocate for social change. The split appeared to be along socio-economic and racial lines with the blue-collar workers and women of color choosing to leave the group, including Rose.
After regrouping, the group’s defined goal became providing much needed education to lesbians and advocating for their political interests in the homophile movement. With Del Martin as their elected President, they modeled themselves on the Mattachine Society, a group founded in Los Angeles in 1951 by homosexual men intending to spread awareness and educate the public on matters of homosexuality. Both groups promoted the concept of “fitting in” to the larger heteronormative community rather than embracing difference in sexuality and gender. This meant that membership was mostly comprised of white, middle-class, gender conforming women.
The group’s popularity grew and couldn’t be contained in San Francisco. By 1959 local chapters had been established in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Rhode Island. There were even national conventions, including one in 1962 that was broadcast on television. But the strength of The Daughters of Bilitis would soon be tested.
DEMISE
A change in the political culture surrounding the homophile movement in the mid-60s caused some fractures within the DOB. Instead of assimilation, many members wanted to embrace celebration and pride in who you were. Additionally, the rising feminist movement created an identity crisis: should they emphasize gay rights or women’s rights? In 1968, the leadership held a national convention in Denver, CO, but less than 30 people attended.
In 1970, a former member of the DOB, Rita Laporte, staged a coup and took over publication of The Ladder. She formed a new team and changed the focus of the magazine to highlight all women’s rights over lesbian rights. She scandalized the organization when she wrote in the August/September 1970 issue, “With this issue, The Ladder, now in its 14th year, is no longer a minority publication. It stands squarely with all women, that majority of human beings that has known oppression longer than anyone.”
With a lack of strong leadership and no clear vision, the organization struggled to maintain membership. In 1978, the original San Francisco chapter closed, signaling the formal end of The Daughters of Bilitis.
Credit for the organization’s founding is often given to Martin and Lyon, who continued actively advocating for both women and gay rights. The two even hold the distinction of being the first homosexual couple to be offered a marriage certificate in San Francisco in 2004. However, they don’t personally claim to be the founders. In an article featured in The Gay and Lesbian Review, Lyon wrote, “We are erroneously given credit as the founders of the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco in 1955. It wasn’t even our idea. A young Filipina immigrant envisioned a club for lesbians here in the States that would give us an opportunity to meet and socialize (and especially to dance) outside of the gay bars that were frequently raided by police.” She was, of course, referring to Rose.
Read more about The Daughters of Bilitis at these websites:
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