Phyllis Lyon, Lesbian author and activist, died of natural causes at the age of 95, on April 9, 2020.
Lyon was born on November 10, 1924, in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Sacramento, California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she had been editor of the Daily Californian newspaper. Lyon continued her career as a journalist, becoming a police reporter in Fresno and then working at the Chico Enterprise Record.
Lyon met her very longtime partner and wife, Del Martin, in the 1940s. They were married in California in 2008, after the lawmakers decided we were human beings and had rights. They were the first couple to be married, since they obtained a license in 2004 from friend and San Francisco mayor Gavin Newson, but you have to read the whole mess about California same-sex marriage to really appreciate, well, how messy it was. Del Martin died on August 27, 2008, just two months after getting married.
Daughters of Bilitis
Lyon and Martin and friends co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), a social, then later political, organization for Lesbians. The DOB began publishing a magazine called “The Ladder” in October, 1956, edited by Lyon.
Both the FBI and CIA had infiltrated the DOB in the 1950s, and caught the couple making a reservation at a Los Angeles hotel for 14 people… for breakfast. (Read more about it in this interview).
The Ladder was taken over by then-editor Barbara Grier to focus on a stronger Lesbian-feminist vision, before finally ceasing in 1972. You can read bios in Lesbian Lives: Biographies of Women from the Ladder, edited by Barbara Grier and Coletta Reid.
In 1972, Martin and Lyon published Lesbian/Woman, in which they analyse lesbian life, coming out, politics and sexuality. The book was influential and is considered a foundational text of lesbian feminism. The next year, the published Lesbian Love and Liberation: The Yes Book of Sex. Using real photos and names of lesbians (something very radical and dangerous at the time), the book chronicles the stories of those who braved the courts to keep jobs and keep their children.
Lyon and Martin spent their lives in activist roles, from speaking at gay pride parades to establishing the Lyon-Martin Clinic which “is best known for its tradition of lesbian-oriented [medical] case.” They spoke at prominent events such as the annual Harvey Milk Dinner and advocated for queer rights at school boards, political meetings and in media.
Books About or Including Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin
The L Life – Extraordinary Lesbians Making a Difference by Erin McHugh & Jennifer May
Before Stonewall – Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context by Vern L. Bullough
Brave Journeys – Profiles in Gay and Lesbian Courage by David Mixner & Dennis Bailey
Changing Times – Almanac and Digest of Kansas City’s LGBTQIA History by David W. Jackson
Lesbian And Gay Marriage: Private Commitments, Public Ceremonies by Suzanne Sherman
Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall by Cheryl Dumesnil
Invisible Lives – The Truth About Millions of Women-Loving Women by Martha Barron Barrett
Women Together – Portraits of Love, Commitment, and Life by Mona Holmlund & Cyndy Warwick
Movies About or Including Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin
No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon (2003) | 57min | Documentary, Biography
No Secret Anymore shows Del and Phyllis creating coalitions that took on the prevailing belief that lesbians were illegal, immoral and sick. Phyllis and Del did the groundbreaking work on lesbian mothers, sex education, family violence, and more. Always working both from within and outside the institutions they sought to change, Del and Phyllis were able to advance the rights of women, lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) people. Today these unapologetic and unstoppable activists are educating both the lgbt and aging movements on the needs of old lesbians.
Director: Joan E. Biren
Writer: Joan E. Biren
Stars: Kate Clinton, Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin
Pursuit of Equality (2005) | 1h 20min | Documentary |
By issuing marriage licenses to same gender couples, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom uproots the status quo and attempts to change the way the nation looks at life, love, and marriage.
Directors: Geoff Callan, Mike Shaw
Writer: Geoff Callan
Stars: Gavin Newsom, George W. Bush, Rosie O’Donnell
Don’t Erase My History (2008) | 30min | Documentary, Short
A group of Bay Area youth take us on a quest for the very history that has “no name” in their schools. Together they open archival closets and talk with LGBTQ artists, activists, and pioneers. In a world where their queer history is still regularly erased, what will they discover?
Directors: Jonathan Cabusao, Tarryn Cooper
Stars: Jonathan Cabusao, Brianna Flaherty, Jewelle Gomez
