Vale, Dorothy (Del) Martin

Dorothy Del Martin, American gay and lesbian activist and women’s rights pioneer passed away on August 27, aged 87, to be survived by her partner of over 50 years, Phyllis Lyon.

Martin – an activist, author and general community leader – spent her life speaking out for the equality of GLBT people and specifically women, long before the advent of any identifiable sexual revolution.

In 1955 Martin founded the Daughters of Bilitis group – the first openly lesbian rights group to ever be registered in the USA, an organisation which was to be emulated across the world.

As its leader, Martin became a guiding voice through the organisation’s cult publication, The Ladder, a proudly outspoken publication which gave voice to the rising concerns of women as feminism grew into a force.

As a courageous voice that refused to be silenced, Martin campaigned both to have homosexuality legalised and to have the American Psychiatric Association remove homosexuality from its list of mental diseases – both fights that would not have been won without her hard work.

Martin and her partner also stood at the forefront of another major win for the community in June, when they became the first same sex-couple to wed in San Francisco after changes to California State laws.

Martin’s work attacked at all sides of inequality, through both incisive comment and practical community initiatives – like the set up of San Francisco’s first lesbian health clinic. It was a lifetime legacy that earned her the Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award in 1995 and the respect of both laymen and politicians alike.

Her passing was deeply mourned by all who knew her and the city of San Francisco, who commemorated her life with the flying of flags at half mast throughout the Bay Area.