vintagebrides:
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon
Quite possibly America’s first power lesbian couple, Dorothy “Del” Martin and Phyllis Ann Lyon brought the fire. They met in 1950, started dating in 1952, and moved in together on Valentine’s Day of 1953. Together, they were unstoppable: they founded The Daughters of Bilitis in 1955 - viewed as the first official organization for lesbian women - and also edited The Ladder until 1963, were the first lesbians to enroll in NOW, did work in California to make homosexuals welcome in churches, wrote books together, and supported and influenced a demand for non-discrimination legislation for queermos.
On June 16, 2008 Martin and Lyon became the first same-sex couple to be married in San Francisco. They were together until Martin’s death two months later in August.