Laurie and Debbie say:

We join people around the world in mourning the death of Del Martin, who along with her wife Phyllis Lyon was one of the premier lesbian-rights activists of the 20th century. Martin and Lyon were together for over 50 years, starting in a period where it was extraordinarily brave to be out as a gay couple.

In what would prove to be an act that would change history, Martin, Lyon and six other lesbians co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco in 1955. DOB, which was named after an obscure book of lesbian love poetry, initially was organized to provide secret mutual support and social activities. It became the first public and political lesbian rights organization in the United States, laying a foundation for the women’s and lesbian and gay liberation movements that flowered in the early 1970s and continue today.

Read the whole article, and take a minute to remember a woman who changed the world.