Different daughters : a history of the Daughters of Bilitis and the rise of the lesbian rights movement / Marcia M. Gallo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gallo, Marcia M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Daughters of Bilitis--History.

Daughters of Bilitis.

Ladder (San Francisco, Calif.).

Lesbians--Legal status, laws, etc.

Lesbians--United States--History.

Lesbians.

Gay rights--United States--History.

Gay rights.

Lesbian activists--United States.

Lesbian activists.

Lesbians--Legal status, laws, etc--United States.

History.

United States.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xliv, 274 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

First Carroll & Graf edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2006.

Summary:

"Nearly fifteen years before the Stonewall Rebellion and the birth of gay liberation came the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). Like its predominantly gay male counterparts, the Mattachine Society and ONE, Inc., DOB was launched in response to the oppressive antihomosexual climate of the McCarthy era, when lesbian and gay people were arrested, fired from jobs, and had their children taken away simply on the basis of their sexual orientation. It was against this political backdrop that in 1955 a circle of San Francisco women formed a private club where lesbians could meet other lesbians in a safe, affirming setting. A year later, they produced The Ladder, the first ongoing monthly magazine for lesbians. Over the next three decades, what began as a small social group evolved into a national women's organization that counted more than a dozen chapters. In Different Daughters, Marcia Gallo draws on interviews with former members of DOB, many of whom have never spoken on record before, as well as extensive research in both archival and personal collections. She chronicles how through its leaders, magazine, and international network of activists, the Daughters played a crucial role in creating lesbian identity, visibility, and political strategies in Cold War America--and in the process laid the foundation for today's lesbian and feminist movements."--Jacket.

Contents:

"Qui vive"

Climbing The ladder

Some facts about lesbians

A look at the lesbian

Removing the mask

"A conclave of ladies with crew cuts"

Ten days in August

Changing times

If that's all there is

Lesbos arise!

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-235) and index.

Lambda Literary Awards - LGBT Non-Fiction, Winner, 2007

ISBN:

0786716347

9780786716340

1580052525

9781580052528

OCLC:

72002732

Publisher Number:

9780786716340

Online:

Publisher description