LGBT History Month: Introduction to the Daughters of Bilitis

Filed Under History, Lesbian matters | October 12th, 2009 

Today’s LGBT History Month post: An introduction to the Daughters of Bilitis and ‘The Ladder’.

In 1955, Phyllis Lyon, her partner Del Martin, and a number of other women got together in San Francisco and formed the first national lesbian organization in America. They named the group, the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) and it was formed as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment. In 1956, DOB published The Ladder, which was published until 1972. By 1959, there were five DOB chapters in America, including the original San Francisco group. New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Rhode Island being the homes of the other chapters. As a national organization, the Daughters of Bilitis folded in 1970, however apparently the Boston / Cambridge, Massachusetts chapter is still around.

To learn more about the formation of the DOB and their magazine, watch this video and check out the links for additional information about the history of the DOB and The Ladder.

Related Links & Sources:
- Wikipedia: Daughters of Bilitis
- Lavender & Red: 1955 First lesbian organization rises on waves of militant struggles
- Gerber-Hart Library: Winds of Change: The Daughters of Bilitis and Lesbian Organizing
- OutHistory: Barbara Gittings Founding New York Daughters of Bilitis, 1958
- University of Michigan: Lesbian History – Social Scientists and Homophiles
- Pioneering LGBT Activist Del Martin Mourned