THE WOMEN OF GAY LIBERATION

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Rebellion occurred. Merriam-Webster defines “rebellion” as “opposition to one in authority or dominance.” Weeks after the rebellion, the Gay Liberation Front was founded in New York City. One of the founders was Martha Shelley, whom we have labeled “the Mother of Gay Liberation.” There were important and radical lesbians before gay liberation—the ancient Greek poet Sappho—but gay liberation changed everything. 

 

Before gay liberation, there was what is called “the homophile movement.” Based on many of the groups' names, you would not know what they were about, but the Gay Liberation Front was different. You could tell the Gay Liberation Front's goals just from its name. Gay Liberation Fronts soon formed around the world. People were brave before the gay liberation revolution, but it was different. Seemingly, the majority of homophiles wanted assimilation. They were looking for acceptance. Gay liberation changed that. It was no longer about societal acceptance; it was about self-acceptance. We are here, we are queer!

 

Looking back 50 years, it appears gay liberation was primarily a male activity, even though women were there. They were in the room. Martha Shelley organized a protest march one month after Stonewall, and the next year, on October 17, 1970, Carolyn Weathers participated in the Biltmore Invasion, a confrontation against mental health professionals who were meeting to discuss electroshock therapy as a way to convert gays to straights. Women organized, took huge risks, and challenged both their oppression and the system, all while fighting to define what complete freedom meant for them.

 

In many places, gay liberation got too male-gay, and women felt the need to work on their own. Numerous groups followed, including, among others, Radicalesbians chapters in multiple cities; the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance; the Furies Collective in Washington, D.C.; and the Gay Women’s Alliance in Seattle, Washington.

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Women began building their own movement, challenging sexism in the gay liberation revolution, and fighting for their place in the women’s and broader movements. They organized protests, published periodicals, and created spaces to talk about what liberation meant to them. They weren’t just fighting homophobia; they were also questioning the movements they were part of. They acted because they felt they needed to. Gay liberation and the youth were about excitement and building momentum. This era took the best of all movements and molded it into a progressive, semi-united front. 

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Select Chronological Timeline of Women's and Lesbian Feminist Activism:

• September 21, 1955 — The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the first lasting lesbian civil rights group in the United States, is founded in San Francisco by Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon, and others. 

• October 1956 — The DOB publishes the first issue of The Ladder, which becomes the first nationally read lesbian magazine in the United States.

• May 27–29, 1960 — The DOB hosts its first national convention at the Hotel Whitcomb in San Francisco, featuring prominent speakers like attorney Albert Bendich.

• July 1969 — The Gay Liberation Front in New York is founded.

• November 2, 1969 — Ellen Broidy, Linda Rhodes, Craig Rodwell, and Fred Sargeant propose the idea for the first pride march in New York City at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO) meeting in Philadelphia.

• 1969 — “Is Lesbianism a Feminist Issue?”: Ivy Bottini challenges lesbian exclusion within feminism.

• January 11, 1970 — Crenshaw Women’s Center Opens: Los Angeles women establish a center for feminist organizing, health services, and community resources.

• May 1, 1970 — Lavender Menace Zap: Radicalesbians challenge lesbian exclusion at a feminist conference.

• May 2, 1970 — Hayloft Demonstration: Los Angeles gay and lesbian activists in the Gay Liberation Front and DOB protest a bar.

• May 9, 1970 — Pershing Square Protest: Los Angeles activists protest police harassment.

• August 29–30, 1970 — Women’s House of Detention Demonstration: Gay liberation activists protest police harassment and imprisonment in New York.

• September 1970 — Black Panther Convention Demands: Lesbian activists present demands at the Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention.

• November 1970 — The San Francisco chapter of the DOB officially launched the first issue of Sisters magazine.

• March 1971 — “Coming Out vs. Coming Home” published: Philadelphia Radicalesbians discuss lesbian identity and women-centered organizing in the Awake and Move newsletter.

• April 10, 1971 — DOB zap The Bandy Show: New York lesbian activists protest a television program.

• Spring 1971 — The Furies Collective, a radical lesbian separatist group, forms in Washington, D.C. Shortly after their formation, they begin publishing a newspaper.

• June 25–27, 1971 — West Coast Lesbian Conference: Lesbian activists gather to discuss liberation and feminist organizing.

• August 1971 — Los Angeles DOB publishes the Lesbian Tide, and eventually Jeanne Córdova & The Tide Collective take over production.

• August 1971 — Kalos Society Protest: Lesbian activists challenge discrimination at a Hartford, Connecticut, bar.

• September 3-5, 1971 — National Organization for Women Lesbian Rights Resolution: NOW recognizes lesbian rights as a feminist concern.

• 1971 — The Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, an association and political action committee for LGBTQ Democrats, is formed in San Francisco.

• May 2, 1972 — Dr. Anonymous Speaks: John E. Fryer, disguised as “Dr. H. Anonymous,” speaks at the American Psychiatric Association convention in Dallas with Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny. 

• August 25, 1972 — Lesbian and Feminist March: Lesbian activists and feminist groups march in New York.

• 1972 — Women's Health Center of Southern Oregon Founded: Amy Horowitz and other local activists establish a community health center focused on women’s health and unique needs.

• 1973 — NOW Task Force on Sexuality and Lesbianism: Activists push for lesbian inclusion in mainstream feminism.

• May 4, 1973 — Women’s Music Festival: Lesbian activist Kate Millett organizes an early women’s music festival at Sacramento State University.