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

San Diego Added to Southwest’s Nonstop Destinations From Fresno Airport

DON'T MISS

Clovis Man Gets 27 Years to Life for Attempted Murder of Estranged Wife

DON'T MISS

$3 Million Gift Will Mean Laptops, Solar Panels, Larger Chapel for This Fresno University

DON'T MISS

Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Is Sentenced to 4 Years and 9 Months in Sports Betting Case

DON'T MISS

NCAA Changes Transgender Policy to Limit Women’s Competition to Athletes Assigned Female at Birth

DON'T MISS

Israel Starts Planning for Palestinians to Leave Gaza Despite International Rejection

DON'T MISS

Mayor Says Fresno Needs High-Speed Rail Despite Cost Overruns

DON'T MISS

12 States to Sue Over DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems Containing Personal Data

DON'T MISS

Irv Gotti, Music Executive Who Created Murder Inc. Records, Dies at 54

DON'T MISS

ABC30 Has a New News Director. She’s a Familiar TV Face.

UP NEXT

State Farm Asks for ‘Emergency’ Insurance Rate Increases After LA Fires

UP NEXT

Lawmakers Propose $175 Million in New CalFire Funding

UP NEXT

FBI Agents Who ‘Simply Followed Orders’ in Jan. 6 Probes Won’t Be Fired, a Justice Official Says

UP NEXT

Rob Bonta Tells Politico That He’s Not Running for CA Governor

UP NEXT

LA Neighbors Have Vastly Different Post-Wildfire Rebuilding Options Due to Insurance Crisis

UP NEXT

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

UP NEXT

Hawaii Volcano Produces Tall Lava Fountaining in Latest Episode of Kilauea Eruption

UP NEXT

San Francisco Ready to Grant New Mayor Greater Powers to Battle Fentanyl Crisis

UP NEXT

CA Allocates $50M to Safeguard Policies, Protect Immigrants Against Trump

UP NEXT

Newsom Counters Trump, Orders More Stormwater Stored in Valley Reservoirs

Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Is Sentenced to 4 Years and 9 Months in Sports Betting Case

5 hours ago

NCAA Changes Transgender Policy to Limit Women’s Competition to Athletes Assigned Female at Birth

5 hours ago

Israel Starts Planning for Palestinians to Leave Gaza Despite International Rejection

5 hours ago

Mayor Says Fresno Needs High-Speed Rail Despite Cost Overruns

5 hours ago

12 States to Sue Over DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems Containing Personal Data

5 hours ago

Irv Gotti, Music Executive Who Created Murder Inc. Records, Dies at 54

5 hours ago

ABC30 Has a New News Director. She’s a Familiar TV Face.

6 hours ago

California’s EV Sales Stall. So What Happens to Landmark Mandate?

7 hours ago

31 Arrested in Fresno Human Trafficking Operation

7 hours ago

Find Your Next Career Opportunity Today at FUSD Expo

7 hours ago

San Diego Added to Southwest’s Nonstop Destinations From Fresno Airport

Southwest Airlines added a fourth nonstop destination to routes to and from Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Beginning Oct. 2, travele...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

San Diego Added to Southwest’s Nonstop Destinations From Fresno Airport

4 hours ago

Clovis Man Gets 27 Years to Life for Attempted Murder of Estranged Wife

4 hours ago

$3 Million Gift Will Mean Laptops, Solar Panels, Larger Chapel for This Fresno University

Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani arrives at federal court for bank and tax fraud sentencing on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Santa Ana, Calif. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)
5 hours ago

Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Is Sentenced to 4 Years and 9 Months in Sports Betting Case

The San Jose State University Spartans line up for the playing of the national anthem and player introductions for their NCAA Mountain West women's volleyball game against the Colorado State University Rams in Fort Collins, Colo., on Oct. 3, 2024. (AP File)
5 hours ago

NCAA Changes Transgender Policy to Limit Women’s Competition to Athletes Assigned Female at Birth

5 hours ago

Israel Starts Planning for Palestinians to Leave Gaza Despite International Rejection

5 hours ago

Mayor Says Fresno Needs High-Speed Rail Despite Cost Overruns

5 hours ago

12 States to Sue Over DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems Containing Personal Data

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

Search

Send this to a friend