The Daughters of Bilitis and the Ongoing Struggle for Lesbian Identity

A look at lesbian activism of yesteryear and today

An early photograph (ca. 1956) of Daughters of Bilitis members. Del Martin is on the far left and Phyllis Lyon on the far right.

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Lesbian organizing always seems to take place against the odds. Today, you’re hooped if you try to open a lesbian-exclusive space or start a lesbian organization that doesn’t recognize men with special gender feelings as women. While lesbians in the 1950s didn’t have to deal with these men in such large numbers yet, they had to deal with police raids and discriminatory laws. It was in this milieu that the Daughters of Bilitis was established.

Founded in San Francisco in 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis was the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. This was five years after the establishment of the Mattachine Society, one of the earliest organizations for gay men. However, the founders of the Daughters of Bilitis were not aware of other such organizations. In fact, they weren’t initially interested in political organizing and began as more of a social club.