Book: "Different Daughters" by Marcia Gallo
I love reading about lesbian history. I tend to be restricted to material about the Anglo world, because I am somewhat deficient in my knowledge of other languages (read: I know none). So I don't get to read much about lesbian history in non-Anglo cultures unless it's been translated.
The following book is about the US lesbian liberation movement that began in the 1950s through organizations such as The Daughters of Bilitis. This group (along with male counterparts such as the Matachine Society) worked to promote acceptance of same-sex relationships at a time when such behavior could result in arrest, scandal, abuse by police, loss of jobs, etc. The DOB was founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, a lesbian couple who, over fifty years after their initial efforts as lesbian activists, were among the first couples to marry once same-sex marriage was allowed in California. Later organization of the group was undertaken by Barbara Grier, the founder of Naiad Press, who just died last November.
Book Title: Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement.
Author: Marcia M. Gallo
Publisher, Date: Seal Press, 2007
I found the book to be very informative and even-handed in its treatment of both the politics within the DOB and of the larger context. Gallo does a good job of keeping her text from bogging down with detail; she keeps the human stories in the forefront.
The following book is about the US lesbian liberation movement that began in the 1950s through organizations such as The Daughters of Bilitis. This group (along with male counterparts such as the Matachine Society) worked to promote acceptance of same-sex relationships at a time when such behavior could result in arrest, scandal, abuse by police, loss of jobs, etc. The DOB was founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, a lesbian couple who, over fifty years after their initial efforts as lesbian activists, were among the first couples to marry once same-sex marriage was allowed in California. Later organization of the group was undertaken by Barbara Grier, the founder of Naiad Press, who just died last November.
Book Title: Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement.
Author: Marcia M. Gallo
Publisher, Date: Seal Press, 2007
I found the book to be very informative and even-handed in its treatment of both the politics within the DOB and of the larger context. Gallo does a good job of keeping her text from bogging down with detail; she keeps the human stories in the forefront.