upper waypoint

Remembering San Francisco Lesbian Rights Activist Phyllis Lyon

19:17
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

Lesbian rights icon Phyllis Lyon (left) with longtime friend and former executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Kate Kendell. (Courtesy of Kate Kendell)

In the 1950s, back when police were regularly raiding gay bars and before San Francisco was broadly understood as a safe haven for gay and lesbian people, Phyllis Lyon and her longtime partner Del Martin created an underground group for lesbian women to gather.  It was a radical and even dangerous idea at the time.

Lyon passed away last week of natural causes at her San Francisco home. She was 95. Lyon’s activism throughout the years helped lay the groundwork for the LGBT rights movement to come.

Guest: Kate Kendell, former Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights

Read Kate’s tribute to Phyllis Lyon in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint