Activist and co-founder of The Daughters of Bilitis, Del Martin, has died. She co-founded the DOB – the first lesbian organization in America – with her partner, Phyllis Lyon, in 1955. Together they wrote and edited the group’s newsletter, The Ladder, and also co-wrote the 1972 book Lesbian/Woman. They were also issued the first marriage license after California’s Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the freedom to marry. That is, they were married on June 16, 2008, nearly 60 years after they met.
Godspeed, Del Martin. And Phyllis — what can anyone say? Thank you both so much for being so brave. Phyllis, I hope your bravery sees you through missing her in the days ahead.
They did get to marry before she passed. That is a blessing they probably never thought they would live to see..Truly they so much , for so long for the community – indeed THANK YOU DEL ! and Phyliss may you be surrounded by loved ones your loss is incalculable..60 yrs y’all – now that is committment and that is LOVE. They are just two people who showed the world lgbTq relationships are NOT unstable no matter what the ignorant would say – our families are just that families and our family values do not include hate…
Hate is not a family value.