Phyllis Lyon, an LGBTQ rights pioneer who co-founded the first lesbian civil and political rights group in the U.S. and with her late wife, Del Martin, was one of the first gay couples to marry in the state of California, died of natural causes at the age of 95 on Thursday, CNN reports.
“Phyllis and Del were the manifestation of love and devotion,” tweeted Gov. Gavin Newsom, who as mayor of San Francisco officiated the couple’s ceremony at city hall. “Yet for over 50 years they were denied the right to say two extraordinary words: I do. Phyllis—it was the honor of a lifetime to marry you and Del. Your courage changed the course of history. Rest in Peace my dear friend.”
“Lyon and Martin met in 1950 and moved in together in 1953,” Daily Kos community member Sfbob wrote immediately following reports of Lyon’s death. “In 1955 they became co-founders with three other couples of the Daughters of Bilitis, (DOB) the first organization to advocate for the civil rights of lesbians specifically and a year later began publishing The Ladder, the first nationally-distributed publication targeting lesbian readers.”
Kate Kendall, former executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told The Guardian that Lyon and Martin’s activism also manifested in quieter but no less powerful ways. “Before cellphones they always had their phone number listed in the phone book in case any young or terrified LGBTQ person needed help or support,” Kendall told The Guardian. “And they fielded dozens of calls over the years.”
Lyon and Martin married—twice—more than five decades after first falling in love. The first time was in 2004, when newly inaugurated Mayor Newsom selected them to be the first gay couple to get married in San Francisco. The couple’s union, along with nearly 4,000 other marriages, “were voided by California's Supreme Court, until 2008 when it struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage,” CNN reported. “The ruling paved the way for same-sex couples to marry in the state—and Lyon and Martin chose to get remarried.”
“We wore the same suits, but we had to get the pants shortened. We’d shrunk,” Lyon said according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Martin, an LGBTQ rights pioneer in her own right, died just a few months later.
LGBTQ leaders and advocates mourned the news of Lyon’s death. “We lost a giant today,” state Sen. Scott Wiener said in a statement received by Daily Kos. “Phyllis Lyon fought for LGBTQ equality when it was neither safe nor popular to do so. Phyllis and her wife Del Martin played a crucial role winning the rights and dignity our community now enjoys. We owe Phyllis immense gratitude for her work. Rest in power.” Kendall tweeted that Lyon “and Del are dancing again. I will miss her so much.”