The Women Of Color Behind The Daughters Of Bilitis
Welcome to a journey back in time, where in 1955, the remarkable duo Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon made history as the cofounders of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). This groundbreaking organization marked the genesis of political advocacy for lesbians in the United States, setting the stage for a new era of resilience and empowerment. Let’s delve into the inspiring story of how DOB emerged as the trailblazing force in the lesbian rights movement.
In 1894, French poet Pierre Louÿs published a collection of erotic poetry called The Songs of Bilitis, claiming that they were translations of Greek poems written by Bilitis, a female contemporary of Sappho’s. (Yes, that Sappho.) But although Sappho was real, Bilitis was not; Louÿs invented her. The poems were his, and they depicted Bilitis’s sexual relationships with women frankly and erotically. Here’s an excerpt:
She entered, and passionately, with half-closed eyes, she joined her lips with mine, and our tongues knew each other. . . Never in my life had there been a kiss like that.
She stood against me, amorous and willing. Little by little my knee rose between her warm thighs, which spread as though receptive to a lover.
DOB launched a newsletter called The Ladder in November 1956. It reached thousands of lesbians across the country
Although Del’s belief that lesbians were “dressing butch” in order to meet other lesbians was probably true for some, for other people, cross-dressing was about much more than clothes. Butch was an identity.
Today we have many terms that can describe gender nonconforming and transgender identities, including butch. In the 1950s, however, the language around gender was not as expansive, and gender was thoroughly policed by the police. Cross-dressing in public could land a person in jail. Additionally, butchness was linked with being working class. Middle-class women were expected to conform to gender norms. (There were altogether different standards for the wealthy elite; see Radclyffe Hall.)
By November, as recorded in the DOB minutes, the founders decided that “if slacks are worn they must be women’s slacks.” This meant that the DOB was already aiming for middle-class respectability, and probably stoked the belief among some in the working-class gay bar scene that the DOB was not for them.
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