Shameless repost: Eulogy for Del Martin

From the National Center for lesbian Rights, Community Mourns The Loss of Beloved Civil Rights Leader Del Martin, 87.

Del Martin was instrumental in many civil rights struggles, from the founding of the first social group for lesbians "Daughters of Bilitis" in 1955 to her wedding two months ago to long-time partner Phyllis Lyon.

Photo Courtesy of the SFChronicle

I think it is crucial to remember as we honor Del's rich and wonderful life, that whether you identify as queer or not, the work these women did as Lesbian activists is of massive importance.

For more images visit the Sf Chronicle article photo page (Photo by Noah Berger)

Del and Phyllis struggled to live as they chose, and to be the people they wanted to be. They fought for the right to love one another as a matter of public record and without shame at a time when having 'rights' related to intimacy and love was hardly even considered a feasible point of discussion for anyone, let alone members of North America's nascent gay community.

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If you have ever thought "who I care about is my business, and not my families, the states or some religious institutions", for reasons of class, race, gender or simple privacy, then you owe these women a great deal of respect.

Here's Del in her own words:

"The nuclear family is the building block of American society, and the social, religious, educational and economic institutions of society are designed to maintain, support and strengthen family ties even if the people involved can't stand the sight of one another." - Battered Wives, 1977

"To understand the lesbian as a sexual being, one must understand woman as a sexual being." - with Phyllis Lyon

"The sex act itself is neither male nor female: it is a human being reaching out for the ultimate in communication with another human being." - with Phyllis Lyon