Lesbians Are from Lesbos: Sappho and Identity Construction in The Ladder

Abstract

The Daughters of Bilitis, a small lesbian club in San Francisco, typed, mimeographed, and distributed 100 copies of first issue of their monthly newsletter in October 1956, inaugurating sixteen-year run of The Ladder. (1) Brian O'Brien, a member of DOB, provided an illustration to decorate cover of first issue (see fig. 1). In drawing, which wraps around newsletter from back to front, a line of women approaches and begins to ascend a ladder through fluffy white clouds toward an appealingly lofty but invisible destination. One imagines that women in drawing are following each other up ladder because they are striving for something new, something better, but something unknown and even difficult to conceive. Inspired by O'Brien's drawing, Daughters chose to name their publication The Ladder (Gallo 2006, 25). (2) The image and name were well-suited to group and its publication, whose history shows lesbians leading lesbians out of past obscurity, out from secrecy and isolation of present, and into hoped-for future of a latter day Lesbos, where they were to create a community of lesbians (and enjoy a lover named Sappho along way). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] In 1955, four lesbian couples, including now well-known social activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, formed DOB as a social club that met in members' homes. The group initially intended to create a safe space to gather--to dance, to chat, and hopefully to meet more lesbians--away from risks of gay bar scene. (3) They describe formation of their organization in a welcoming address published on opening pages of first issue of The Ladder: Just one year ago Daughters of Bilitis was formed. Eight women gathered together with a vague idea that something should be done about problems of Lesbians, both within their own group and with public. The original idea was mainly that of providing an outlet for social activities, but with discussion came broader purposes and club was formed with a much wider scope than that originally envisioned. The eight charter members, with a constitution, by-laws and a name, started out to find more members. (October 1956, 1-2) A newsletter was not initially part of their plan, but within a year motivated members of DOB decided to publish The Ladder in order to bring an extended community of lesbians in, as well as to project positive representations of lesbians out. (4) At time, there were only fifteen Daughters. Their welcoming address quotes DOB President Del Martin's exclamation that the Lesbian is a very elusive creature and clarifies their aims in distributing a newsletter: We are sending this first issue to you with our compliments in order to acquaint you with our organization and work we are doing. ... This newsletter we hope will be a force in uniting women in working for common goal of greater personal and social acceptance and understanding. ... It is to be hoped that our venture will encourage women to take an ever increasing part in steadily-growing fight for understanding of homophile minority. (October 1956, 1-3) The Daughters of Bilitis published first issues of The Ladder as a newsletter closely tied to local members and their activities in San Francisco. Soon, however, The Ladder was used to help San Francisco Daughters find new readers and members outside of Bay Area. On covers and in pages of The Ladder, Daughters pursued their effort to create positive images of lesbians for lesbians as well as for outside world. The Ladder's representations of lesbian experience filled a significant void, (5) and its readership grew steadily. By 1959, Daughters distributed over 500 copies of The Ladder each month throughout United States and beyond; by 1960, chapters of DOB had sprung up in New York and Los Angeles. …