Aug 28 2008
Lesbian Activist Del Martin Passes Beyond the Veil
Today the Washington Post reported that lesbian activist Del Martin died at age 87. In the eclectic tradition we practice in the Green Faerie Grove, we believe that the spirit of queer people that have come before us live on as our “queer ancestors”. Their collective consciousness makes up a construct we worship and invoke as the Queer Spirit. Today, we remember Del Martin and welcome her among the ancestors.
Del and her long time partner, Phyllis Lyon, were married in June of this year following the ruling by the California Supreme Court that allowed same-sex couples to marry in that state. Their marriage was a triumph on many levels. It was a victory of their long time love over the inequality and discrimination experienced by gay men and lesbians across America. It was also the end of their own brave struggle to bring equality to all. Del Martin and her partner had been involved in the fight for equal marriage rights for some time. They were plaintiffs in the lawsuit that reached the California Supreme Court and finally cleared the way for gays to marry in that state.
In 1955, with several other women, Del and her partner formed a social club for lesbians, which eventually became the nation’s first lesbian advocacy group. She was also the first lesbian to serve on the board of the National Organization for Women.
I wish Del well in her journey into the next life and when I next raise my hands in invocation to the Queer Spirit, I know that Del Martin is now among our queer ancestors. May her strength and courage live on and bless us all.
