All about the Daughters of Bilitis, the first U.S. lesbian rights group
The organization was founded 70 years ago, and its influence is felt to this day.
MAY 3, 2025
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phyllis lyon
Heather Matarazzo & Shannon Purser on Playing Lesbian Icons in 'Equal'
In a video interview with The Advocate, the out actors shared that they were honored to play activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in the HBO Max series.
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
Editor's Letter: Icons, Innovators, Honorees, and Mentors
We all got here on the shoulders of the previous generation, but the thing is, we don't typically realize it until we become the shoulders that younger LGBTQ activists are now standing on.
JULY 22, 2019
California's First Historic Marriages
In a fitting start to marriage equality, longtime lesbian activists marry in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
JUNE 17, 2008
17 Women Who Changed the Course of LGBTQ+ History
For Women's History Month, we salute activists who've made LGBTQ+ history from the 1950s through the 2020s.
MARCH 29, 2023
A Historic Wedding in San Francisco
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin made history in 2004 as the first couple married in Gavin Newsom's month of love. Four years later, at 5:01 p.m. on June 16, history repeated itself.
JUNE 17, 2008
Going to the Chapel, Again
Meet four same-sex couples who took the plunge in San Francisco in 2004 and learn why they can't wait to walk down the aisle one more time.
JUNE 5, 2008
Phyllis Lyon, Pioneering Lesbian Activist, Dies at 95
Lyon and her longtime partner, Del Martin, had fought for equal rights since the 1950s.
APRIL 9, 2020
Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon's Home Is First Lesbian Landmark in the West
The place where the pioneering lesbian couple founded the Daughters of Bilitis and launched The Ladder will be preserved for generations to come.
MAY 7, 2021
Lesbian Couple of 55 Years Ready to Say 'I Do'
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin fell in love at a time when lesbians risked being arrested, fired from their jobs and sent to electroshock treatment. On Monday afternoon, more than a half-century after they became a couple, Lyon and Martin plan to become the first same-sex couples to legally exchange marriage vows in San Francisco and among the first in the state. ''It was something you wanted to know, 'Is it really going to happen?' And now it's happened, and maybe it can continue to happen,'' Lyon said.
JUNE 14, 2008
The Obama Camp Asks LGBT Dems For Help
Obama's highest ranking gay staffer implored LGBT delegates Wednesday to get involved in the election, one of several clear pushes by the campaign this week to tap the resolve of our community.
AUGUST 28, 2008