Del Martin

Research conducted by Emily Schoeff

"Nothing was ever accomplished by hiding in a dark corner. Why not discard the hermitage for the heritage that awaits any red-blooded American woman who dares to claim it?"

- Del Martin, 1956. Published in the first issue of The Ladder

Early Life

Del Martin was born Dorothy "Del" Louise Taliaferro on May 5, 1921 in San Francisco, California to parents Jones and Mary Taliaferro. She graduated from George Washington High School’s first graduating class in San Francisco as a salutatorian in 1937. Martin then went on to study journalism at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State College (now California State University, San Francisco). 

Dorothy married James Martin in 1940. They had one child, Kendra, and divorced after four years together. She decided to retain his last name after the dissolution of their marriage, maintaining the name Del Martin for the rest of her life.


Meeting Phyllis Lyon

While working at Pacific Builder and Engineer, a trade publication, in Seattle in 1950, Martin met Phyllis Lyon. The two fell in love and eventually moved back to San Francisco in 1953. They initially moved to the Castro District, a conservative Catholic neighborhood at the time, before it rose to prominence as a hub of queer activity in the city. They ended up settling in the Noe Valley neighborhood in 1955. 

Together, Martin and Lyon spearheaded lesbian activism in San Francisco. 

Daughters of Bilitis

Established in San Francisco in 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was the first lesbian political and civil rights group. Martin and her partner Phyllis Lyon were founding members of this group along with six other women. They aimed to foster community among queer women, who previously were largely isolated, outside of the city bar scene. During this time, gay and lesbian bars were frequent targets of police raids. DOB aimed to create a safe community and comradery between lesbians. 

Martin served as the group's first president. She edited its newsletter, "The Ladder," from its beginnings in 1956 until 1962.

A pillar of the Homophile Movement, which pushed for social acceptance of queer identity, the group disbanded in 1970 as more radical activism rose to prominence. 

"DOB was a good coming out place. Where women could get their act together and find out who they were and be able to talk to others and hash it out. We felt that people get themselves together, and they can go out and cope with the world."

Del Martin, 1989

Members of the Daughters of Bilitis enjoying Breakfast together in San Francisco, 1959. (Del Martin, far left). Photographer unknown.  Provided by the New York City Public Library. 
Members of the American Library Association Task Force on Gay Liberation at the American Library Association annual meeting in Chicago, 1972. (Del Martin, back row second from right). 
Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin episode courtesy of Making Gay History. Find the Making Gay History podcast on all major podcast platforms and at makinggayhistory.com.  

Early Activism

Beyond the DOB, Martin engaged with many political and social causes, dedicating her time not only to lesbian rights, but to legal protections and resources for battered women.

The Council on Religion and the Homosexual

Founded in 1964, the council aimed to change discriminatory laws. They lobbied city governments to end the harassment of queer people and the invasion of queer spaces by the police. The council united LGBTQ+ activists and clergy members to advocate for stronger legal protections and rights for the queer community. 

This council followed a trend of the 1960s where increasingly progressive clergymen sought out marginalized peoples to join their flock. 

Lavender Menace at Second Congress to Unite Women, NYC, May 1970. Photographed by Diana Davies. Image courtesy of the New York Public Library. 

National Organization for Women

Martin, along with Lyon, were the first open lesbians to join NOW. They created controversy when they applied for NOW's couple's membership. This designation was designed to recruit husbands to the cause. Betty Friedan, a founder of NOW and the co-author of The Feminine Mystique, referred to lesbians in the women's movement as the "lavender menace."

Published Works

Volume 5, Number 1. Published October 1960.
PDF provided by University of California, Berkeley Library. Awaiting permission to publish. 

A prolific author, Martin worked many jobs as a journalist, editor, and author. 

Over her lifetime, Martin published many works that served as staples in everyday queer life as well as political rallying calls. 

Martin served as editor for the Daughters of Bilitis's publication The Ladder for many years. The monthly magazine featured lesbian art, writing, and opinion pieces. 

Martin also published two books, Lesbian/Woman (1972) and Battered Wives (1976).

Print copy of Lesbian/Woman signed by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in 1996 for Leslie Feinberg. The note reads "For Leslie, an ally in the struggle for equality of us all!"Martin, Del and Phyllis Lyon. Lesbian/Woman. Volcano, CA: Volcano Press, 1991. Provided by The Leslie Feinberg Library of Smith College. Available at https://sophia.smith.edu/leslie-feinberg-library/2021/05/15/lesbian-woman-20th-anniversary-edition-del-mar-phyllis-lyon/ 
Keep 'em in the closet, 1977.A delegate at the First National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas expresses her displeasure with the passage of a plank on freedom of sexual preference by raising a home-made sign.Photo courtesy of Diana Mara Henry (photographer)

1977 National Women's Conference

Martin served as one of California's 96 delegates, representing San Francisco. Of the state's delegates, 13 were out individuals. She sat on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, making her a strong candidate to represent the city as a delegate at the conference. Martin sat on the California IWY Coordinating Committee. Additionally, she was the sub-chair for Northern California on the World of Criminal Justice and Violence program committee. She spoke on the workshop panel for this topic. 

Her activism during the conference largely revolved around the abuse of women. Martin's views expressed in Battered Wives were adopted as a resolution at the conference's closing session. She presented the Battered Women Resolution to the floor, which was widely supported. She advocated for legal rights for abused spouses as well as greater access to resources and clinics for battered women. 

Later Life

Martin continued her activism far beyond the conference. 

Martin and Lyon were the grand marshals for the 1989 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, marking the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. She attended the White House Conference on Aging, along with Lyon, to represent the interests of aging lesbians. 

2004 Marriage

Martin and Lyon were to first couple wed by then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome. Their wedding came after Newsome announced that the city would issue marriage license to same-sex couples. These marriages were later overturned by the California Supreme Court.

2008 Marriage

Martin And Lyon wed again June 16th, marking the first legal same-sex union in California. They were plaintiffs in the case brought against the state Supreme Court in a series of lawsuits that resulted in the legalization of same-sex unions. 

Gavin Newsome married them again, specifically calling them to be the first legally wed same-sex couple after their decades of activism. 

Passing and Remembering

Just weeks after their wedding, and after 55 years together,  Del Martin passed away on August 27, 2008 at 95 years old from natural causes, with Lyon by her side. 

Trailer for No Secret Anymore, a 2003 documentary on the lives of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. The documentary features interviews of the couple in their home. 

Posthumous Honors

A service was held in remembrance of Martin at San Francisco City Hall on October 1, 2008. The memorial was attended by Lyon, their daughter Kendra, friends, fellow activists, and Gavin Newsome along with other politicians. 

Lyon wore her blue wedding suit to the service in remembrance of Martin and their lives together. 

Today, the wedding suits of Martin and Lyon are on display at the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco.  

Their activism and memory survive through their work, writings, interviews, and documentaries such as No Secret Anymore exploring their lesbian activism and impact on the community. 


Their home at 651 Duncan St. in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, which they lived in for over 50 years, has been preserved by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It stands as a landmark of the city's LGBTQ+ history.