President of the Daughters of Bilitis, Del Martin, and her girlfriend, Phyllis Lyon. (Tobin, 1970, The New York Public Library Digital Collections)
The Lavender Scare:
The Hunt for Homosexuals and Their Fight For Rights
Leaders and Goals
During the Lavender Scare, a woman named Rose Bamberger wanted a safe social club for women and lesbians to work on societal issues. That resulted in Del Martin helping with the cause. Del formed a women’s organization, the Daughters of Bilits, which became “the first known lesbian emancipation organization in the United States” (David, 138). Their mission was to create a safe place for women and especially lesbians, to live. They published a renowned newspaper, The Ladder, for public lesbian visibility. These activist women teamed up with the Mattachine Society to “increase the visibility of gay men and lesbians in mainstream society” (David, 23).
The Ladder, October 1957, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Alexander Street Press)
Duke University Libraries
Newspapers
"The Ladder" played a crucial role in how the Daughters of Biltis got their voices heard. They were able to regularly educate the public on the challenges homosexuals faced in their communities, which opened the idea of a debate on LGBTQ+ rights. The society’s goal with the newsletter was to create positivity and spur activism around homosexual causes in San Franciso.
"The Daughters of Bilitis saw the infusion of information about the variant into mainstream society as a step toward gaining a more positive relationship with the state on both practical and ideological levels, and with San Franciso as its place of publication, the Ladder positioned the Daughters of Bilitis at the center lesbian activism”
-Nan Alamilla Boyd, Author of "Wide Open Town: A History of Queen San Francisco To 1965"
The Ladder, May 1965, Vol. 9, No. 8 (Alexander Street Press)
The Ladder, June 1966, Vol. 10, No. 9 (Alexander Street Press)