In June, I was happy to relate the news that two pioneers of the lesbian- and LGBT-rights movements, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, would be the first same-sex couple to marry legally in San Francisco. Today, I am saddened by the news of Martin’s death. She and Lyon had celebrated over 50 years together.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights has Martin’s full obituary (PDF link). A few highlights: In 1955, Martin and Lyon were among the eight founders of Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), “the first public and political lesbian rights organization in the United States.” Martin was the first President of DOB, and the second editor (after Phyllis Lyon) of DOB’s monthly magazine, The Ladder, which “ushered in a new decade of political engagement and media visibility for the nascent gay rights movement.”
Martin founded or co-founded numerous other women’s and LGBT organizations, including the Council on Religion and the Homosexual in San Francisco, the Lesbian Mother’s Union, the San Francisco Women’s Centers, and the Bay Area Women’s Coalition. She was also an early member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the first out lesbian on the Board of Directors. She and Lyon were the first lesbians to insist on joining NOW with a “couples’ membership rate.” Lesbian/Woman, the book she and Lyon co-authored in 1972, was a groundbreaking portrayal of lesbian lives.
In 2004, Martin and Lyon were the first same-sex couple to be married by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. They were plaintiffs in the case that won marriage equality for same-sex couples throughout California in 2008.
The above only scratches the surface of Martin’s accomplishments. I encourage you to read the entire obituary, which itself is but a summary of a life lived in full.
Martin was one of the mothers of the LGBT movement, but also a mother and grandmother in the literal sense. My condolences to her wife Phyllis, her daughter, her grandchildren, and the rest of her family and friends today. Our community has lost a champion and a pioneer. May we continue to honor her legacy.
NCLR informs us: “Gifts in lieu of flowers can be made to honor Del’s life and commitment and to defeat the California marriage ban through NCLR’s No On 8 PAC at www.nclrights.org/NoOn8.”
(Photo: Del Martin, left, and Phyllis Lyon, at their wedding in June 2008. Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool, via Bilerico Project California Marriage Equality Flickr set)
This news saddened me so much. As a 25 year old woman in Kentucky, most of those around me have never heard of Del or the life she led. I first read about Del and Phyllis, the Daughters of Bilitis, the Mattachine Society and other important events of the past during a post coming out immersion in all the lesbian info i could get my hands on.
Four years ago I was reminded of the couple when they were the first to wed in SF. Actually I didn’t even realize they were still alive until that moment.
Recent news of of Del and Phyllis’s second round in SF gave me hope.
My thoughts are with Phyllis, their family and friends.
Thank you for letting us know about her passing. I am so very sad to learn of this! My heart and prayers go out to her wife and family at this time. We were very lucky to have her spark in this world for the time that we did. Blessings to you Del Martin!
Thank you for the news and the tribute to Del Martin. I lived in San Francisco for 13-years before returning to Oregon and had the good fortune of meeting and working with Del and Phyllis Lyon on a number of occasions for both GLBT causes and for women’s healthcare. Both Del and Phyllis are at the top of my list of heroes running a close second to my own grandmother.
I cried when heard of her passing, mostly because of the loss to Phyllis, her daughter, and her grandchildren, and for the loss to the world. For the GLBT community, it is our “shot
that rang out throughout the world,” not unlike the deaths of JFK, RFK, MLK, Gandhi, and so forth for others. It is truly a sad day for us, and a one of peace to her. In the latter, I take great comfort.
I am eternally grateful for the tireless work that both Del and Phyllis did for our community, and in essence, the entire world. They opened the doors that may never have been opened without them. So often we walk through those doors and forget who opened them for us… and held them open… and then, took the doors off of the hinges so they may never be shut on us again.
I can only imagine she is now in heaven relaxing in a comfy lounger at a spa reserved for all of the great women leaders, reformists, and activists in the world. She is telling one of
her many fabulous tales to an audience of those that have passed before her: Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Golda Meir, Betty Friedan,
Bella Abzug, Emma Goldman, Julia Ward Howe, Margaret Sanger, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Blackwell, Helen Keller, Florence Nightingale, Shirley Chisholm… the gallery of women leaders goes on. Next to her, sits an empty chair with a sign that says, “Reserved for Phyllis.” She waits for the day when she and her beloved Phyllis are reunited for all eternity.
Now we as a country face another loss by opponents of same-sex marriage in the State of California. Even though Proposition 8 in California isn’t something that Oregonians can vote for; nevertheless, it will have devastating consequences and will set a precedent for every state in our country if it passes. Proposition 8 is an initiative measure on the November 2008 California General Election Ballot that, if passed, would amend the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. The measure as submitted for the ballot by petitioners is called the “California Marriage Protection Act.” The ballot “eliminates right of same-sex couples to marry.”
In a San Jose Mercury News editorial on August 17, 2008, the editorial piece stated, “Marriage is the most personal of commitments, and it already means different things to
different couples. Some marry for love, others expediency. Some have children, others don’t, or couldn’t if they wanted to. There is no merit test; people marry despite histories
of domestic violence, rape or child abuse. Why would couples determine the value of their own vows based on who else is allowed to take them?”
The editorial further condemned the proposition; “The State Constitution should never be amended to limit Californians’ right to their own personal and religious beliefs. It should
scrupulously uphold equal rights under the law. That is what it now does, based on a State Supreme Court ruling this year affirming a right to same-sex marriage. Voters should not take the extraordinary step of amending the Constitution to take a right away. They should reject Proposition 8.”
According to recent polls, the measure is failing by a slim margin, but that could change over the next two months. We can help to insure that the measure fails by contributing a
gift to “Vote No on Proposition 8” as Phyllis Lyon, Del’s wife has asked for in lieu of flowers. Think of it if you must, as a belated wedding gift to the couple that stood at the forefront
of civil rights for all GLBT people around the world and in reality, for all humans. For information on how to donate even the smallest amount, please go to:
https://secure.ga4.org/01/equalityforall.
May we all have even just a fraction of the dedication that she gave so much of to us. The world is truly a better place because of her (and Phyllis). Del can be likened to a giant tree that has fallen in the forest, but now the downed tree becomes a new home for all the seedlings she left behind.
Again, thank you for the news and the tribute to Del.
Cari Boatright Cagle
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