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Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon
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Phyllis (left) and Del, photo by Jane Cleland
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Phyllis and Del's story is a testament to how individuals can influence the course of history. In 1955, against the backdrop of fear created by Senator Joseph McCarthy's hunt for homosexuals and Communists, Del and Phyllis joined with six other women in San Francisco to found the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), America's first lesbian rights organization. In order to disguise the true purpose of the group, it was named after The Songs of Bilitis, an obscure book of lesbian love poems.
At the time, social taboos against homosexuality were so strong that gay people were in constant danger of harassment, physical violence, and losing their homes, jobs or families. Lesbianism was viewed as a psychiatric disorder and lesbians were often incarcerated in prisons and mental institutions. There, they were subject to the treatments of the day, such as electro-shock therapy and, in extreme cases, lobotomies. When their sexuality was discovered, many lesbians were declared unfit mothers by the courts and denied custody of their children.
So, when eight brave lesbians gathered together to create a group for mutual support, they took a revolutionary leap forward. DOB began as a very small, very secret society whose main activities were dances and picnics. After a year, Phyllis and Del sought a more public and political organization. This caused a split with the members who wanted the group to remain completely social and hidden. With Del elected president and Phyllis as secretary, DOB went on to define its purpose as bringing lesbians into the public discourse through education, encouraging responsible research studies, and advocating for changes in the penal code.
Along with their supporters, Del and Phyllis took a big step toward legitimizing the organization--they opened a public office. They didn't stop there. Recognizing the need to reach out to more gay women, DOB began publishing a national newsletter called THE LADDER. Phyllis became its first editor under the pseudonym Ann Ferguson. At the time, everyone used aliases in connection with anything overtly lesbian for fear of discrimination and retaliation. In the fourth issue of THE LADDER, Phyllis used her real name for the first time.
In 1960, DOB held its first national convention at a downtown hotel in San Francisco. Phyllis and Del hosted a pre-convention reception at their home. Their address and phone number were printed in the program. From that point on there was no turning back for DOB or the couple who brought it out of the closet.
In 1962, DOB and other homophile leaders met with state legislators about changing California's sex laws. The politicos agreed, but said they would need support from the church. In the meantime, Ted McIlvenna, young adult minister for the Methodist Glide Urban Center, arranged a weekend retreat where 15 national religious leaders would meet with 15 lesbians and gay men for dialogue. Del and Phyllis and three other lesbians represented DOB. The result was the formation of The Council on Religion and the Homosexual(CRH) in 1964. Police raided a fundraising drag ball for CRH on New Years Day in 1965. The resulting publicity went all over the world and helped to establish San Francisco as a gay mecca. And the activists succeeded in changing the sex laws.
DOB took on the City and County of San Francisco at its national convention in 1966. Every government agency which in any way might come in contact with lesbians and gays was represented. The media provided pre- and post-convention coverage. This was a giant step in attaining recognition of lesbians and gays as a force to be reckoned with--a viable minority.
Again entering unfriendly territory, Del and Phyllis were two of the first out lesbians to join the National Organization for Women (NOW), insisting on the couple's membership rate. NOW President Betty Friedan labeled lesbians "The Lavender Menace." Del was the first out lesbian elected to the National Board of NOW. At the 1971 and 1973 NOW conventions, Del and Phyllis were instrumental in getting resolutions adopted that acknowledged the oppression of lesbians as a feminist issue.
The Seventies also birthed the radical lesbian feminist movement. While the mainstream women's movement was having trouble dealing with lesbians, young lesbian radicals were disparaging DOB politics as too conservative and assimilationist. Phyllis and Del felt that the radical women failed to understand that DOB was a coming-out place, a self-help organization, and a safety net for women who were struggling with their new identity. They always felt that lesbians should feel comfortable in the larger society and have every advantage of citizenship.
In 1972, Del and Phyllis turned their energies to writing LESBIAN/WOMAN. The book described lesbian lives in a positive, knowledgeable way almost unknown at the time. In 1992, Publishers Weekly chose it as one of the 20 most influential women's books of the last 20 years.
Del authored BATTERED WIVES in 1976. The book acted as a catalyst for the establishment of a movement against domestic violence and a network of shelters for battered women in the US.
Phyllis began a new career in sex education and went on to become co-director of the National Sex Forum, which originated the use of explicitly sexual films as a teaching tool. Later she was a co-founding faculty member of The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, a graduate school which grants doctoral and other degrees in sexology.
Del was a key member of the campaign that resulted in the historic 1973 decision of the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illness. In 1978, Phyllis chaired San Franciscans Against Proposition 6 (the Briggs Initiative) and helped to win a 75 to 25 percent victory against the anti-gay amendment in California.
In 1977, they were both elected as delegates from California to the International Women's Year (IWY) Conference in Houston. At IWY, they were part of an organizing effort to ensure that lesbians were included in the resolutions that were sent to President Carter and passed on to the U.S. Congress.
While some might rest on their laurels, Phyllis and Del forged on. They are now involved with Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC), dealing with ageism, and are working on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Nancy Pelosi appointed Del and Phyllis respectively as delegates to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging. They raised issues related to sexual orientation and made sure their demands were part of the Conference record.
These untiring activists have been influential in getting women and lesbians on the San Francisco police force, in the fire department, and elected and appointed to public office. Throughout the years many politicians have sought their advice and endorsement, and today no politician in the Bay Area can avoid addressing lesbian and gay issues.
Phyllis and Del have lived in a small house in San Francisco since 1955. They have been given more awards acknowledging their achievements than will fit on their crowded walls and shelves. In February, 2004, they made history again when they became the first same-sex couple officially married in San Francisco. Although they dislike being called role models, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon embody a steady and enduring devotion to one's ideals. These women personify strength and grit in pursuit of the common good.
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Help support the political activism exemplified by Del & Phyllis. Make a tax deductible contribution to The Daughters of Bilitis Fund through
The Women's Foundation of California:
415-837-1113
340 Pine Street, Suite 302
San Francisco, CA 94104
info@womensfoundca.org
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Copyright 2003. JEB/Moonforce Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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