Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Birth of the Lesbian Rights Movement

by Marcia M. Gallo

Nearly fifteen years before the birth of gay liberation, the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was the world’s first organization committed to lesbian visibility and empowerment. Like its predominantly gay male counterpart, the Mattachine Society, DOB was launched in response to the oppressive anti-homosexual climate of the McCarthy era, when lesbian and gay people were arrested, fired from jobs, and had their children taken away simply because of their sexual orientation. It was against this political backdrop that a circle of San Francisco lesbians formed a private club where lesbians could meet others in a safe, affirming setting. The small social group evolved over the next two decades into a national organization that counted more than a dozen chapters, and laid the foundation for today’s lesbian rights movement.

Different Daughters chronicles this movement and the women who fought the church and state in order to change not only our nation’s perception of homosexuality but how lesbians see themselves. Marcia Gallo has interviewed dozens of former DOB members, many of whom have never spoken on record. Through its leaders, magazine, and network of local chapters, DOB played a crucial role in creating lesbian identity, visibility, and political strategies in Cold War America.

Genres: History, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction, Feminism, Lesbian, Gay

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kay read by Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Birth of the Lesbian Rights Movement by Marcia M. Gallo: History is the root of all of us. It is nice to look back and find the tales of our Mothers and Sisters who stood knocking at the door to be let in before many of us were even born. I have looked into history through this well-done book. It gave me an idea of how the movement has evolved and how special it is. I fell in love with the ideals that the founders had and embraced them anew. Anyone interested in herstory can only benefit from this tribute to Lesbian Rights. 4 stars

[Alison Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a chapter in this book called "Lesbos Arise!" and now I have my new greeting for whenever I enter a roomful of people.

(LOL I literally do not leave my apartment.)

This was super informative and interesting to learn about the earliest days of the lesbian rights movement, and to see how difficult it was just to find each other and congregate back in the beginnings. It gave me an even deeper respect and sense of gratitude to all the Sapphics who led the way so I could be who I am today. I appreciated that the author looked at issues of race within the movement, and highlighted the fact that there were women of color at the forefront alongside white women.

I did wish there was more time and substance given to the presence and acceptance (or lack thereof) for trans women in the movement. Also, it did get a little tedious at times, getting into the weeds on things that didn't feel crucial enough to be given pages and pages.

But I think this is a good one for any lesbian or Sapphic-identified person to pick up. Also, it made me laugh when the author explained that the term is pronounced "Be-lee-tus" and not "Be-lie-tus" and quoted one of the women saying that the latter sounds like a disease…which was precisely how I'd been saying it until now and what I thought of it.

[natasha]

Skimmed for history research

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning about our lesbian foremothers. I'm reading it now.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really the story of how the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement evolved from a desire for assimilation into the system, to an acknowledgment of intersectionality and unabashed celebration of diversity and revolution. The Daughters of Bilitis lived through both eras, succumbing as much to internal fractures as it did to generational clash. An academic book engaging enough for the lay reader, and a history more important than ever.

[Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important history organized and told well.

[Alexa Yohey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative, but some passages could be tedious.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

from the library

from the library computer:

Booklist Reviews

Despite continuing intense racial segregation in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the groundbreaking lesbian organization the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) provided opportunities for women to work together and socialize without color bars and with less of the armor of conformity outside the home that the concurrent cold war climate of fear mandated. Against a repressive backdrop of homophobic bar raids, arrests, and firings, the initially secret society of northern California lesbians was founded in 1955 as a social club that in 1956 produced the nation's first lesbian newsletter,The Ladder. So doing, DOB made an all-important outreach that broke through fear and isolation to affirm lesbians throughout America, albeit via protective pseudonyms. DOB and The Ladder also spread through word of mouth, expanding for 20 years into a national sociopolitical effort with regional chapters that paved the way for the lesbian rights movement and helped change history. Gallo's engrossing, detailed history is an essential addition to the popular literature of sociopolitical issues, women's studies, and gay-lesbian history. ((Reviewed November 1, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Choice Reviews

Gallo's excellent history of the Daughters of Bilitis brings deserved attention to a pioneering but neglected lesbian society. The Daughters began as a private club in the highly repressive anti-gay atmosphere of the 1950s, but quickly turned to political activism. Gallo traces the group's evolution and contributions to both gay and women's rights movements, despite its extremely small size--it rarely totaled more than 300 members at one time. She looks at the fractures that developed within the leadership over issues that continue to plague lesbian organizations today. Should the club provide a place for lesbians to socialize, or agitate for greater legal protection? Should it concentrate on research to demonstrate that lesbians are just like the heterosexual population, or protest unfair treatment? Should it reject or embrace butch/femme roles? Gallo does a particularly fine job of highlighting the irony of the Daughters' demise. In their formative years, the suggestion that homosexuality was not evil was a daring move, but by the mid-1960s, pleas for acceptance struck the new generation of radical activists as quaint. The movement that they helped make possible rejected the Daughters. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. Copyright 2007 American Library Association.

Publishers Weekly Reviews


The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) may be little known today, but Gallo makes clear how crucial this organization was to the nascent lesbian rights movement. Beginning as a tiny San Francisco social club in 1955, the group soon organized local chapters in New York, Los Angeles and beyond, incubating many figures on the lesbian political and literary scene until the organization waned in the 1970s. In this easy, well-ordered read, Gallo draws on many interviews with pivotal DOB figures, focusing less on juicy gossip than the tensions that drove the group's evolution: lesbian commonality versus race, class and ethnic differences; political activism versus social activities; collaboration with other homophile organizations versus independence; women's rights versus gay rights. Gallo gives considerable space to the history of The Ladder , which began as a mimeographed newsletter and soon became a lively, highly literate forum for lesbians nationally and even internationally. She evokes the tense atmosphere of DOB's beginnings, when being out was nearly synonymous with being outcast, while highlighting the several black leaders of the group and how DOB found allies in San Francisco's religious community. This is a respectful, respectable look at an organization overdue for recognition. (Nov.)

[Page 57]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
A Note About Naming xv
Prologue xvii
``Qui vive''
1 (20)
Climbing The Ladder
21 (18)
Some Facts About Lesbians
39 (18)
A Look at the Lesbian
57 (20)
Removing the Mask
77 (16)
``A Conclave of Ladies with Crew Cuts''
93 (28)
Ten Days in August
121 (16)
Changing Times
137 (22)
If That's All There Is
159 (26)
Lesbos Arise!
185 (22)
Epilogue 207 (8)
Appendix: Oral History Interviews 215 (4)
Bibliography 219 (18)
Endnotes 237 (28)
Index 265

[Lenore Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a new book for College Girl. She had popped in over the weekend and managed to snatch it up real quick. The usual for her of course. But I do wish to thank Seal Press for sending me "Different Daughters-Not Your Average Freedom Fighters"


This is a history of the lesbian rights movement in San Francisco, California. It was a organization called the Daughters of Bilitis or DOB. And was from the 1950's to the 1970's. Now College Girl was excited to be able to read this history in the equal rights movement. Having finished off on the Harvey Milk history this last summer, she has been sorta swimming around looking for her next bit of history to learn.


In reading over "Different Daughters" I was interested in learning of these strong women who fought so hard for their equal rights. I found that his started with only eight members. Wow such a small group to make such a large impact. The idea was to create a place they could be safe at. And as us ladies do they would meet monthly to socialize, share meals and talk over the issues within their community. They eventually became a national organization. A unique feature of this book is the original works from The Ladder, a newsletter that they had created. This was a very motivating book and quite informative. I am so happy that I have it to share with my College Girl.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

from the library



from the library computer
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
A Note About Naming xv
Prologue xvii
``Qui vive''
1 (20)
Climbing The Ladder
21 (18)
Some Facts About Lesbians
39 (18)
A Look at the Lesbian
57 (20)
Removing the Mask
77 (16)
``A Conclave of Ladies with Crew Cuts''
93 (28)
Ten Days in August
121 (16)
Changing Times
137 (22)
If That's All There Is
159 (26)
Lesbos Arise!
185 (22)
Epilogue 207 (8)
Appendix: Oral History Interviews 215 (4)
Bibliography 219 (18)
Endnotes 237 (28)
Index 265

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

always on the search for queer histories, this book details the daughters of bilitis, the first organized and so-named Lesbian organization in the US. it is told in a sort of storytelling/gossip style, which is sometimes nice because you realize that the people who are talking were the ones who were there, but also is a little annoying at times. understanding that it was only a little while ago that lezzers had to meet in secret to protect their jobs and lives stands in sharp contrast to the life i lead! a good reminder and a good history lesson.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book explaining the history of the lesbian rights movement starting in the 1950's. It's just a little dry for me and extremely detailed. I skimmed through it and found the information very interesting, just too much of it for me!

As a side note, I requested this book through interlibrary loan and the title is actually wrong - in the system it is called "Different Daughters: A Book by Mothers of Lesbians" which is what I had wanted, but I got this book instead.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far this is an extremely informative and dense historical work. It is proving a bit of a chore to get through, but the information about early lesbian rights movements is worth the struggle.

[Raelene · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent book, but it is one of the only books I could find that dealt only with the DOB. The history is good, and it's a very easy read.