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THE LADDER: A CONSECUTIVE RUN OF SEVEN ISSUES FROM MAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 1958 (VOLUME 2 - NUMBER 8 THROUGH VOLUME 3 - NUMBER 2)
(LADDER, THE). Lyon, Phyllis, Editor. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis, 1958. First Editions. 8vo. Stapled Illustrated Wrappers. Gay Periodical. Very Good - or Better.. each 26pp, covers illustrated in monochrome. In protective clear acetate dustwrappers. "Formed in San Francisco in 1955, The Daughters of Bilitis was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The DOB was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment. As the organization gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out and educating them about their rights, and about gay history. When the club realized they were not allowed to advertise their meetings in the local newspaper, founding members Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who both had backgrounds in journalism, began to print a newsletter to distribute to as many women as the group knew. In October 1956 it became "The Ladder", the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the United States. The Daughters of Bilitis endured for fourteen years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals." A well-preserved, most handsome consecutive run of seven early issues of the Daughters of Bilitis' pioneering lesbian journal with the September 1958 issue showing a bit of soiling and some paper loss to the front cover. Inventory Number: 026853