A little history

I am reading a history of the Daughters of Bilitis (bi-LEE-tis) which was the first lesbian organization in the country.

I see how far we have come but have remained in the same place. The arguments in the 50's and 60's were amazingly similar and yet we have made significant progress.

For instance, there was a lot of agreement that lesbians in the group needed to wear dresses in public- at their conventions, at gatherings, etc. Oh not just dresses but the matching shoes, also.

The main form of communication was a newsletter called The Ladder which was typed, stenciled and mailed in sealed manila envelopes to the 150-200 subscriptions around the country. Snail mailed, mind you.

There was considerable controversy whether to picket in front of businesses, the White House or political venues. many people did not think that was a good idea and that we should wait for our political leaders to come around to equality.

My point? I know we can continue to discuss the upcoming election. I know many will not be happy with whoever our candidate is but we all must make decisions at some point on who will vote for. Some will have to hold their nose and vote, some will be happy with the outcome. Either way, some of us are not wearing skirts or pumps unless we want to. And Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin will always be my sheroes for seeing into the future and doing something to change it.