page_title: Daughters of Bilitis
hierarchical_section_title: Daughters of Bilitis
caption_attribution_description: English: The October 1957 edition of The Ladder, mailed to hundreds of women in the San Francisco area, urged women to take off their masks. The motif of masks and unmasking was prevalent in the homophile era, prefiguring the political strategy of coming out and giving the Mattachine Society its name. Italiano: Questa copertina del numero dell'ottobre 1957 della rivista lesbica statunitense The Ladder, inviata per posta a centinaia di donne nella zona di San Francisco, incitava le donne a gettare la maschera. Il motivo della maschera e del gettare la maschera era comune nel periodo omofilo del movimento di liberazione omosessuale, prefigurando la strategia politica del "coming out".
context_page_description: The Daughters of Bilitis, also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment. As the DOB gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out. The DOB educated them about their rights, and about gay history. The historian Lillian Faderman declared, "Its very establishment in the midst of witch-hunts and police harassment was an act of courage, since members always had to fear that they were under attack, not because of what they did, but merely because of who they were." The Daughters of Bilitis endured for 14 years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals.
context_section_description: The Daughters of Bilitis /bɪˈliːtɪs/, also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment. As the DOB gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out. The DOB educated them about their rights, and about gay history. The historian Lillian Faderman declared, "Its very establishment in the midst of witch-hunts and police harassment was an act of courage, since members always had to fear that they were under attack, not because of what they did, but merely because of who they were." The Daughters of Bilitis endured for 14 years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals.
caption: The Ladder, set up by the Daughters of Bilitis, was published from 1956 to 1972.
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