Daughters of Bilitis

Daughters of Bilitis

The Ladder, set up by the Daughters of Bilitis, was published from 1956 to 1972
Formation	1955 (1955)
Extinction	1995 (1995) (last chapter)
Type	Grassroots
Purpose	Lesbian civil and political rights
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States
Official language	English
Key people	Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon

The Daughters of Bilitis /bɪˈliːtᵻs/, also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the firstlesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment. As the DOB gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out. The DOB educated them about their rights, and about gay history. Historian Lillian Faderman declared, "Its very establishment in the midst of witch-hunts and police harassment was an act of courage, since members always had to fear that they were under attack, not because of what they did, but merely because of who they were." The Daughters of Bilitis endured for 14 years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals.

The years after the end of World War II were some of the most morally oppressive in US history. Postwar anti-communist feelings quickly became associated with the personal secrets of people who worked for the US government. Congress began to require the registration of members of "subversive groups." In 1950, the State Department declared homosexuals to be security risks (because of vulnerability to blackmail), and what followed was a succession of more repressive acts that included the dismissal of federal, state and local government employees suspected of being homosexual; politically motivated police raids on gay bars all over the US and Canada; even the enactment of laws prohibiting cross-dressing for men and women.