Description
The Daughters of Bilitis was founded by four lesbian couples in San Francisco in 1955. Its original purpose was to counteract
the loneliness they felt as lesbians, though the organization increasingly began to focus on educating lesbians about their
rights and on lobbying efforts. This collection includes documents related to the organization's national and local chapters.
It also includes personal correspondence to and from two of the original founders, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, as well as
documents from several other homophile organizations.
Background
The Daughters of Bilitis was founded by four lesbian couples in San Francisco in 1955. Its original purpose was to counteract
the loneliness they felt as lesbians, though the organization increasingly began to focus on educating lesbians about their
rights and on lobbying efforts. The organization began publishing a newsletter,
The Ladder, in 1956, and had expanded to five chapters across the U.S. by 1959.
Extent
4.8 linear feet
(12 document boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in
advance through out electronic paging system using the "Request items" button.