Daughters of Bilitis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daughters of Bilitis

The Ladder, set up by the Daughters of Bilitis, was published from 1956 to 1972.
Formation	1955 (1955)
Dissolved	1995 (1995) (last chapter)
Type	Grassroots
Purpose	Lesbian civil and political rights
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States
Official language	English
Key people	Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon

The Daughters of Bilitis (pronounced bih-LEE-tis), also known as the DOB, was the first organization in the United States created to support women who loved other women and to help them gain fair treatment. It started in San Francisco in 1955. The group was first created as a safe place for women to meet and socialize. At that time, public places where these women gathered were often closed down unfairly.

As the Daughters of Bilitis grew, their main goal became helping women understand themselves and their rights. They also taught about the history of people like them. A historian named Lillian Faderman said that starting this group was very brave. This was because members always worried about being treated badly just for being themselves. The Daughters of Bilitis lasted for 14 years. It became an important source of information for women, men, and experts who wanted to learn more.

Why the Daughters of Bilitis Started

After World War II, there was a time in the United States when people were very suspicious of others. The government started asking groups to register if they were thought to be "subversive." In 1950, people who loved others of the same gender were sometimes seen as a risk. This led to unfair treatment.

Many people were fired from their jobs in the government. Public places where people gathered were sometimes shut down unfairly by the police. There were even rules about what clothes people could wear. In San Francisco, where the Daughters of Bilitis began, places where women met were sometimes targeted.

How the Daughters of Bilitis Began

In 1955, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon had been a couple for three years. They felt lonely because they didn't know other women like them. A male couple they knew introduced them to another female couple. One of these women, Rosalie "Rose" Bamberger, suggested they start a social club.

The first meeting happened on September 21, 1955. Rose Bamberger and Rosemary Sliepen hosted it in their home. Other attendees included Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Marcia Foster and her partner June, and Noni Frey and her partner Mary.

One of the main reasons they started the group was to have a place to dance. At that time, dancing with someone of the same gender in public was against the rules. Martin and Lyon later said that women needed privacy. They needed it away from police, curious tourists, and even their own families.

The group started meeting regularly. They soon realized they needed to be organized. Del Martin was quickly chosen as their first president. From the very beginning, they wanted to teach other women about themselves. They also wanted to help women feel better about who they were, especially during those difficult times.

Choosing a Name for the Group

The name for the new club was chosen at its second meeting. Bilitis comes from a fictional character. She was a friend of Sappho, a famous poet from ancient Greece. The French poet Pierre Louÿs wrote about Bilitis in his 1894 book, The Songs of Bilitis. Bilitis lived on the Isle of Lesbos, just like Sappho.

The name was chosen because it was not well-known. Even Martin and Lyon didn't know what it meant at first. "Daughters" was added to sound like other American social clubs. Early members felt they needed to be both open enough to find new members and secretive. Martin and Lyon later joked, "If anyone asked us, we could always say we belong to a poetry club."

They also created a special pin for members to wear. This helped them recognize each other. They chose club colors and a motto: "Qui vive". This is French for "on alert." In 1957, the organization officially registered as a non-profit group. Phyllis Lyon remembered that their description was so vague, "it could have been a charter for a cat-raising club."

What the Daughters of Bilitis Wanted to Do

Within a year, most of the first eight members had left. But the group had grown to 16 members. They decided they wanted to be more than just a social club. Some of the original members, who worked in factories, were not comfortable with the group becoming public. They left and formed two secret groups for women.

Historian Marcia Gallo wrote that the group knew many women felt ashamed. They were afraid to admit their feelings. The Daughters of Bilitis believed that without support, women could not gain the confidence needed to stand up for their rights.

By 1959, there were Daughters of Bilitis groups in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Rhode Island. The original group was still in San Francisco. When people arrived at a meeting, they were greeted at the door. The greeter would say, "I'm ---. Who are you? You don't have to give me your real name, not even your real first name." This showed trust and understanding.

Soon after forming, the Daughters of Bilitis wrote a statement about their goals. It focused on the biggest problem Martin and Lyon had faced: a complete lack of information for women like them. When the club realized they couldn't advertise their meetings in local newspapers, Lyon and Martin, who were both journalists, started printing a newsletter. They sent it to as many women as they knew.

In October 1956, this newsletter became The Ladder. It was the first magazine for women who loved women to be sent all over the U.S. It was also one of the first to publish information about these women. They sent surveys to their readers in 1958 and 1964. Martin was the first president, and Lyon became the editor of The Ladder.

The Daughters of Bilitis described itself as "A Woman's Organization for the purpose of Promoting the Integration of the Homosexual into Society." This statement had four main parts. It was printed inside the cover of every issue of The Ladder until 1970:

• To educate people to understand themselves and fit into society. This was done by having a library and public discussions led by experts. They also encouraged behavior and dress that society would accept.
• To educate the public. This would help break down wrong ideas and unfair judgments.
• To take part in research projects by trusted experts. This was to learn more about people who loved others of the same gender.
• To look into laws that affected people who loved others of the same gender. They wanted to suggest changes and help these changes become law.

Barbara Gittings, who led the New York chapter, said that the word "variant" was used instead of "lesbian." This was because "lesbian" had a very negative meaning in 1956.

How the Group Worked

The early movement for fair treatment for people who loved others of the same gender was called the Homophile Movement. It was centered around the Mattachine Society, which started in 1950. The Mattachine Society decided it was better to show that people who loved others of the same gender were just like everyone else. They thought this was better than pushing for big changes.

The Daughters of Bilitis followed this idea. They encouraged their members to fit in with the general culture as much as possible.

This led to discussions about how members should dress. As early as 1955, there was a rule that women attending meetings should wear women's pants if they wore pants. However, many women remember this rule was not always followed. People often wore jeans, and in the 1950s, only men's jeans were widely available.

Barbara Gittings later remembered a time when members convinced a woman who always wore men's clothes to dress in a "feminine" way for a meeting. Everyone was happy, as if it was a big win. Gittings said that today, they would be shocked by anyone who thought this kind of "evangelism" was right.

The Daughters of Bilitis was even mentioned during the 1959 mayoral election in San Francisco. One candidate, Russell Wolden, tried to suggest that the other candidate, George Christopher, was making the city "safe" for people who loved others of the same gender. Wolden shared information saying, "Parents of daughters — do not sit back complacently... To enlighten you as to the existence of a Lesbian organization... make yourself acquainted with the name Daughters of Bilitis."

There were only two copies of the list of people who subscribed to The Ladder. This was done on purpose to keep it secret. Daughters of Bilitis leaders moved the list from their office. Later, they found out that San Francisco police had searched the office after the list was moved. Even the FBI was curious. In 1959, they attended meetings and reported, "The purpose of the DOB is to educate the public to accept the Lesbian homosexual into society."

National Meetings

In 1960, the Daughters of Bilitis held their first big meeting in San Francisco. They sent news releases to local radio and newspapers. A newspaper writer, Herb Caen, even mentioned it. He wrote that the Daughters of Bilitis would hold their national meeting. He said they were the female version of the Mattachine Society.

Two hundred women attended the meeting. The San Francisco police also came to check if any members were wearing men's clothes. Del Martin invited them inside to see that all the women were wearing dresses, stockings, and heels.

Attendees listened to speakers. There was a discussion between two lawyers about the rules and fairness of places where people who loved others of the same gender gathered. The American Civil Liberties Union also gave a presentation. An Episcopal priest spoke, reminding the audience they were "sinners." The audience listened politely. The Daughters of Bilitis also gave awards to men who supported them. They called these men "Sons of Bilitis."

The second national meeting in 1962 was also important. It was covered on television on a show called Confidential File. This was likely the first time a national TV show in America specifically talked about women who loved other women. The Daughters of Bilitis held more meetings every two years until 1968. Cleo Bonner gave the welcome speech at the 1964 meeting.

Changes in Direction

By 1960, letters in The Ladder showed that readers were getting tired of the focus on fitting in. Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon later said that the early ideas of the Daughters of Bilitis might seem old-fashioned now. But in the 1950s and early 1960s, many people thought these ideas were very bold. The Daughters of Bilitis never had as many members as the Mattachine Society. Some people thought the Daughters of Bilitis's goals were too quiet.

In 1961, a large police action at a gathering place in San Francisco led to 100 arrests. In Chicago, police made women take off their clothes to prove they weren't wearing men's underwear. This led to a call in The Ladder to be more active. A report said, "If we ever hope to win our battle, we must fight. First, unshackle ourselves from fear, for it alone is our omnipresent enemy."

However, at the Daughters' second meeting in 1962, national president Jaye Bell still argued for a calm approach. She wanted patience with the slow justice system. Two things happened in 1963 that changed the group's path. An anonymous donor, known only as "Pennsylvania," started giving large amounts of money to the Daughters of Bilitis. She gave $100,000 over five years. She wrote checks to different members, who then gave the money to the organization.

Also, the editor of The Ladder changed from Del Martin to Barbara Gittings. Since The Ladder was the main way the leaders talked to the different groups, the editor had a lot of power. Gittings made big changes to the magazine. She focused on making the group more visible. Gittings also wanted the Daughters of Bilitis to work with the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO). This was a group of other social and political clubs for people who loved others of the same gender.

People were getting impatient with experts who said they were mentally ill. In 1964, at an ECHO meeting, a speaker named Dr. Albert Ellis said that people who only loved others of the same gender were "psychopaths." Someone in the audience bravely replied, "Any homosexual who would come to you for treatment, Dr. Ellis, would have to be a psychopath!" This comment was met with applause.

In 1964, Martin and Lyon started to be less involved in leading the organization. They felt the group needed to be able to grow on its own. Martin and Lyon joined a new group called the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH). They wanted to start conversations between religious groups and people who loved others of the same gender. They encouraged the Daughters of Bilitis to join too.

On January 1, 1965, several groups in San Francisco, including the Daughters of Bilitis, held a fundraising party. The San Francisco police had agreed not to interfere. But on the night of the party, the police showed up in large numbers. They surrounded the hall and shined bright lights on the entrance. As each of the over 600 people entered, the police took photographs. Police vans were parked nearby.

Evander Smith, a lawyer for the groups, and Herb Donaldson tried to stop the police. Both were arrested, along with two other lawyers who were supporting the party. But twenty-five of the most important lawyers in San Francisco joined the defense team. The judge told the jury to find the four lawyers not guilty before the defense even started. This event has been called "San Francisco's Stonewall" by some historians. The involvement of so many important lawyers marked a big change for the rights of people who loved others of the same gender on the West Coast.

The movement for fair treatment was inspired by the successful Civil Rights Movement. In 1964, Cleo Bonner, an African-American woman, was elected national president of the Daughters of Bilitis. Important members like Barbara Gittings, Del Martin, and Phyllis Lyon started to protest at the White House and other government buildings in 1965 and 1966. Gittings, as editor of The Ladder, encouraged others to do the same. Their actions caused some debate within the Daughters of Bilitis leadership.

Gittings also wrote a regular column in The Ladder called "Living Propaganda." She encouraged women to tell their friends and family about themselves. It often included ideas from Frank Kameny who urged political action. Some readers liked Kameny's ideas, but others were put off by the political tone. Some were even angry that a man was telling them what to do. The Daughters of Bilitis leaders did not like Kameny or the choices Gittings was making for the magazine. She was removed as editor in 1966.

The Rise of Feminism

Del Martin wrote that the Daughters of Bilitis was a feminist group from the start. It focused on issues for all women, as well as for women who loved other women. However, in the mid-1960s, feminism became much more important to many women in the group. In 1966, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon joined the National Organization for Women. They encouraged readers of The Ladder to do the same.

Historian Martin Meeker points to the 1966 Daughters of Bilitis meeting as a turning point. This 10-day event joined the Daughters of Bilitis with the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO). At this meeting, women's issues in the Daughters of Bilitis started to become more important than general issues for people who loved others of the same gender. It was the largest meeting the Daughters of Bilitis had ever organized. It was publicized in newspapers all over San Francisco. Many famous speakers attended, and many talks focused only on issues for men.

In November 1966, an essay by Daughters of Bilitis president Shirley Willer highlighted the differences in problems faced by men and women who loved others of the same gender. Men often dealt with police harassment and being tricked by police. Willer pointed out that problems specific to women included job security, career advancement, family relationships, child custody, and visiting rights. Many members of the Daughters of Bilitis felt their issues were not being addressed by other groups. They began to say that women who loved other women had more in common with women who loved men than with men who loved other men.

The Daughters of Bilitis was also affected by the changing times. Younger members did not share the same concerns as older members. They were more interested in revolutionary actions. (However, not all older members were against bold actions. For example, Ruth Simpson, who led the New York chapter, organized protests and educational programs from 1969–71. Several times, when New York City police illegally entered the Daughters of Bilitis center, Simpson stood between the police and the women. She was cited for court appearances three times.)

Problems within the national leadership grew worse. Local groups could not take action on important issues without the national board's approval. Members became disappointed and left. Younger women were more interested in joining feminist groups. By the time the 1968 meeting was held in Denver, fewer than two dozen women attended.

The End of the National Group

Editing The Ladder was a very demanding job. Helen Sandoz, a long-time member who took over editing after Barbara Gittings left, was so busy that it affected her personal life. She passed the job to Barbara Grier in 1968. Grier had been writing book reviews and poetry for the magazine. Grier edited the magazine from Kansas City. She was relatively new to how the Daughters of Bilitis worked, even though she had contributed to the magazine since 1957.

Grier had big plans for The Ladder. She removed "A Lesbian Review" from the cover, which Gittings had added in 1964. Grier wanted to attract more women readers. She doubled the magazine's size and focused much of the space on feminist ideas. In 1969, she reported on the first Daughters of Bilitis group in Australia. She also mentioned efforts to start groups in New Zealand and Scandinavia.

In 1970, Barbara Grier believed the Daughters of Bilitis was falling apart. She felt The Ladder had to be saved. She worked with Daughters of Bilitis president Rita LaPorte to take the subscriber list from the San Francisco headquarters to Reno. They planned to expand the magazine further.

There were only two copies of the subscriber list. The Ladder had promised subscribers that their names would be kept secret. But Rita LaPorte took the list of 3,800 names without telling anyone except Grier. When Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon found out it was gone, they thought the police or FBI had taken it. Former editors Martin, Lyon, Gittings, and Sandoz saw this as a theft. Because LaPorte took the list across state lines, it would have been a federal matter. But the Daughters of Bilitis did not have the money to pursue it.

Grier ended her connection with the Daughters of Bilitis leadership. By doing so, she took away the main way the national organization communicated with its local groups. The national Daughters of Bilitis organization officially closed in 1970. However, some local groups continued until 1995. Grier also effectively ended The Ladder. The $3,000 checks from "Pennsylvania" to the Daughters of Bilitis stopped coming. By 1972, The Ladder ran out of money and stopped publishing.

Many other groups for women and feminists were created after the Daughters of Bilitis. Historian Martin Meeker described the impact of the Daughters of Bilitis's 14 years. He said it "succeeded in linking hundreds of lesbians across the country with one another." It brought them together through printed materials and shared ideas.

Organizational Records

The records of the national office and the San Francisco Chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis are available for researchers. They are part of the Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. You can find a detailed list of the collection online.

The Lesbian Herstory Archives has the Red Dot Collection. This is the library of the New York City chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.

Boston's The History Project archive holds the Boston Daughters of Bilitis Collection. This includes the Boston chapter's records. It also has the publication records of Boston DOB's magazine Maiden Voyage, which was later renamed Focus.

The University of California, Berkeley Libraries has some digitized copies of The Ladder magazine. This collection includes Volumes 5–16. Alexander Street Libraries also has some copies, including Volumes 1-2 and 9–16.

Images for kids

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  The Ladder magazine, published by the Daughters of Bilitis.

See also

In Spanish: Daughters of Bilitis para niños