Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Civil Rights Pioneer and Face of Gay Marriage Dies at 95
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
April 10, 2020

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Gay rights pioneer Phyllis Lyon, who with her longtime partner was among the first same-sex couples to marry in California when it became legal to do so in 2008, has died at her San Francisco home. She was 95.

Lyon lived life with “joy and wonder,” said Kate Kendell, a friend and former executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She said Lyon and her wife Del Martin were activists and mentors long before there was a movement or community.

“Before cellphones they always had their phone number listed in the phone book in case any young or terrified LGBTQ person needed help or support. And they fielded dozens of calls over the years.” — Kate Kendell, a friend and former executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights

“Before cellphones they always had their phone number listed in the phone book in case any young or terrified LGBTQ person needed help or support,” she said. “And they fielded dozens of calls over the years.”

Lyon died Thursday of natural causes, Kendell said.

Lyon was a journalist who met her lifelong love, Martin, while working at a magazine in Seattle. The couple moved to San Francisco in 1953.

They co-founded with other lesbian couples the Daughters of Bilitis, a political and social organization for lesbians. They published a national monthly for lesbians and in 1972, a book called Lesbian/Woman.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom referenced her death at his daily briefing on the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, calling her one of his heroes.

Newsom was a newly elected mayor of San Francisco in 2004 when he decided to challenge California’s marriage laws by issuing licenses to same-sex couples. His advisers and gay rights advocates had the perfect couple in mind to be the public face of the movement.

Lyon and Martin, who had by then been together more than 50 years, were secretly swept into the clerk’s office. They exchanged vows before a tiny group of city staff members and friends, according to a 2008 Associated Press story. Afterward they went to lunch, just the two of them.

“Of course, nobody down there knew, so we were left to be by ourselves like we wanted to be,” Martin said. “Then we came home.”

“And watched TV,” added Lyon.

California’s Biggest Political Leaders Expressed Their Sorrow

A wedding portrait of the couple cradling each other in pastel-colored pantsuits with their foreheads touching drew worldwide attention.

Later that year, the state Supreme Court voided the unions before overturning the state’s ban on gay marriage in 2008. They wed again, among the first couples to do so in the state. Del Martin died weeks after their second wedding at age 87.

“I am devastated to lose Del, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed,” Lyon said at the time.

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.

California’s biggest political leaders expressed their sorrow Thursday and thanked Lyon —and her late wife — for their tireless efforts to make the city a better place.

“All those who were blessed to know Phyllis and Del remember the extraordinary love that they had for each other,” said U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is from San Francisco, in a statement. “As we mourn the loss of our dear Phyllis, we find peace in knowing that she and Del are together again.”

Lyon was born Nov. 10, 1924, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She grew up in Sacramento, California, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was editor of the heralded Daily Californian newspaper.

Lyon was a police reporter in Fresno and a reporter at the Chico Enterprise-Record during the 1940s, according to Kendell.

Family and friends are planning a celebration of her life.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

DON'T MISS

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

DON'T MISS

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

DON'T MISS

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

DON'T MISS

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

DON'T MISS

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

DON'T MISS

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

DON'T MISS

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

UP NEXT

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

UP NEXT

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

39 minutes ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

43 minutes ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

49 minutes ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

57 minutes ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

58 minutes ago

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

1 hour ago

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

1 hour ago

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

2 hours ago

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

2 hours ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

Moscow has issued a stern warning against President Trump’s recent threats of military action against Iran, calling such rhetoric R...

29 minutes ago

29 minutes ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

The Fresno Police Department will conduct an enforcement operation on April 7, 2025, to target drivers violating the hands-free cell phone law, aiming to reduce distracted driving. (Shutterstock)
32 minutes ago

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Federal Reserve in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
33 minutes ago

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

39 minutes ago

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

43 minutes ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

49 minutes ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

A hand-embroidery dress fabric made in India, costing a couple hundred dollars per yard, is sold at the Francia Textiles fabric store in the Fashion District in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
57 minutes ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

58 minutes ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend