Del Martin | Lesbian-rights activist, 87
Pioneering lesbian-rights activist Del Martin, 87, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day same-sex couples in California gained that right, died.
Pioneering lesbian-rights activist Del Martin, 87, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day same-sex couples in California gained that right, died.
Ms. Martin died Wednesday at a San Francisco hospital two weeks after a broken arm exacerbated health problems, said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Her partner, Phyllis Lyon, was with her.
Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955. The group evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization.
Ms. Martin in 1970 wrote an influential article in the Advocate magazine criticizing what she saw as the gay-rights movement's persistent chauvinism. - AP