The Homophile Movement

Harry Hay, Del Martin, and Phyllis Lyons

Parker Phillips & Charlotte Lee

Homophile ● Organizations and political strategies employed
by homosexuals prior to the era of

Movement ●
confrontational activism of the late 1960s
Encompasses the period from the end of WWII
to 1970
● Denotes those who endeavored to advance the
cause of equal rights through conformance with
the heterosexual normas prevalent at the time
● Leaders were primarily educated white gay men
and lesbians
● Homophile = loving the same
● Homosexual activists in the United States
chose this term because it shifted the emphasis
away from sex
○ A word that replaced "pervert" or "deviate"
and thus serve as a benign euphemism
for homosexuality
Harry Hay
(1912-2002)

● 7th April, 1912

● Worthing, England
● Father: mining engineer & real estate
investor
● Mother: daughter of an elite military family
● 1914: moved to Chile
● 1916: moved to southern California
○ 3 years later settling permanently in LA
● For years, he had been conscious of his
desire for men
● At fourteen, he had his first homosexual
relationship
● 1930: enrolled in Stanford University
○ Frequent trips to San Francisco and
explored the homosexual underground
of nightclubs
● By his third year at Stanford, he began telling
anyone who would listen that he loved men
● University rescinded his scholarship
● 1932: returned to LA and immersed himself
in the local theater scene
● Had a romantic relationship with Will Geer
○ Geer introduced Hay to the
Communist Party
○ Hay soon became a devoted party
member
● Hay experimented with heterosexuality
○ Married Anita Platky in 1938
○ Adopted 2 daughters
● 1940s: wrote several papers on how
homosexuals deserved acceptance and
freedom from legal persecution
● 1950: He met Rudi Gernreich
○ Along with their friends, they
organized weekly meetings to talk
about their experiences as gay men
● The Mattachine Society (1950)
● 1951: more gay men and a few lesbians
began attending the meetings and forming
new chapters
The Mattachine ● Members sought to change legal, medical,
and popular misconceptions and
Society ●
stereotypes about homosexuality
The Mattachine Society was one of several
pre-Stonewall homophile movements of the
era
○ Daughters of Bilitis
● His leadership in the organization propelled
him to confess the truth to his wife of 13
years
● 1951: the couple divorced and he left the
Communist Party
● Two years later, he was forced out of the
Mattachine Society
● 1955: testified before House Committee on
Un-American Activities (HUAC)
“Homosexuality was ● Mid-1960s: he fell in love with John Burnside
○ His spirit of intellectual, spiritual, and
inherently different political engagement was rekindled
● They participated in post-Stonewall Riots
from heterosexuality, activism by helping to found the Southern
California Gay Liberation Front in 1969
and that homosexuals ● 1979: organized a movement known as the
had a distinctive set of Radical Faeries

values and practices

that deserved to be
recognized, cherished,
and celebrated.”
Phyllis Lyons &
Del Martin ● Lyons was born in Oklahoma in 1924, Martin
was born in San Francisco in 1921.
● Both attended The University of California at
Berkeley and studied journalism, but attended
just years apart.
○ Both also worked for the Berkeley newspaper, the
Daily Californian
● Martin married a man in 1940, and gave birth to
a daughter two years later. She later divorced
her husband.
● Both worked for the Pacific Builder and Engineer
magazine in Seattle.
● First became close friends, but three years later
became lovers.
● Returned to San Francisco in 1953 and began
their lives together.
● In an attempt to find other Lesbians to socialize
with, they helped form a secret lesbian social
club.
● After the club split over goals for the club, Lyon
and Martin formed a new group called the
Daughters of Bilitis.
○ Martin served as president for the DOB
Daughters of Bilitis
● Focused on social activism, with an emphasis
on education and exploration.
○ Also served as a social group.
● In 1956, the DOB began to print a newsletter, the
Ladder.
○ Lyons served as editor until 1960, when Martin
took over that job for three more years.
● The DOB was insistent that lesbians belonged in
the homophile movement, and helped to propel
lesbians into greater political and social
acceptance.
 ● Founding members of The Council on Religion
and the Homosexual
Other Activist ○
○
1964
Clergy and homophile activists

Groups ● Citizens Alert

○ 1965
○ Civil rights group focusing on police brutality.
● National Organization for Women
○ Joined in 1968
○ First out lesbian couple to join
○ Became active leaders in the Northern Carolina
chapter
○ Worked to pass pro-lesbian policy despite
conservative wings of the NOW working against
them.
● The Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club
○ 1972
● National Sex Forum
○ From the Mid 1960’s and on, Lyons but not
Martin was involved
○ Produced pro-sex booklets, films
○ Helped to establish the International Museum of
Erotic art
Major Publications

● Lesbian/Women
○ Authored by both
○ 1972
○ Brought Lyons and Martin national attention and
made them spokespeople for the lesbian
movement.
● Battered Wives
○ Authored by Martin
○ 1976
○ One of the first books about violence against
women.
Late life

● Celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2003.

● Became the first same-sex couple to receive a
marriage license in San Francisco on February
12th, 2004
● Martin died in August 27th, 2008
Jeopardy ● Instructions:
○ Split into teams
○ Make a buzzer sound with your mouth
○ Professor McWhorter, you’re on your
own team!!!!!!!

● playfactile.com/yaygaypeople