Collection Guide
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Daughters of Bilitis records,
1955-1986
1946
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Table of contents
Title: Daughters of Bilitis records
Collection number: 1946
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
4.8 linear feet
(12 document boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1955-1986
Abstract: 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.
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance through out electronic
paging system using the "Request items" button.
Creator:
Daughters of Bilitis.
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.
Conditions Governing Use and Reproduction
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.
[Identification of item], Daughters of Bilitis Records (Collection 1946). Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Provenance unknown. This collection is part of an outreach and collection-building partnership between the June L. Mazer Lesbian
Archives, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW), and the UCLA Library.
Processed by Molly S. Jacobs, 2011-2012. Description enhanced and further physical processing completed by Sabrina Ponce and
Sarah Johnson in 2017.
The
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archive at UCLA is an outreach and collection-building partnership between the
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives , the
UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW) , and the
UCLA Library . These collections expand the pool of primary source materials available to researchers and to the community at large. This
partnership was initiated by CSW and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to inventory, organize,
preserve, and digitize more than eighty Mazer collections pertaining to lesbian and feminist activism and writings.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6956271
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.
The organization began holding National Conventions in 1960, inviting members and speakers from across the country. The conventions
provided members the opportunity to discuss the organization, and the group's original focus on conformity and integration
was often a heated topic. Many members wanted to see the organization more involved in the direct action politics that had
increasingly become employed by other organizations as the 1960s progressed.
Conflict within the organization continued, particularly between the San Francisco and New York chapters, and the National
Chapter eventually disbanded in 1970. Local chapters continued to function independently, though
The Ladder, too, folded in 1972.
The Daughters of Bilitis Records documents the efforts of lesbian communities across the country to reach out to and support
other lesbian communities in need as well as ameliorate the general public's perception of lesbians and homosexuality. This
rich collection includes administrative files, research, correspondence, project files, and other records 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 organizations and individuals dedicated to homosexual rights.
The materials are arranged in five series. Further arrangement of these is described in their respective arrangement notes.
The five series are as follows:
- Series 1: National Organization, 1955-1977
- Series 2: San Francisco Chapter, 1956-1978
- Series 3: Other Chapters, 1960-1979
- Series 4: Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Correspondence, 1969-1983
- Series 5: Other Organizations, 1958-1986
More documents related to the Daughters of Bilitis can be found in the Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers held at the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco, CA.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Daughters of Bilitis--Archives..
Lyon, Phyllis
Martin, Del
Gay liberation movement--United States--Archives.
Lesbian community--United States.
Social groups--United States--Archives.