Lesbian activist Del Martin dies at 87

Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day that California's same-sex couples gained that right, died Wednesday. She was 87.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Martin died at a hospital, two weeks after a broken arm exacerbated existing health problems.

Her wife, Phyllis Lyon, was with her.

"Ever since I met Del 55 years ago, I could never imagine a day would come when she wouldn't be by my side," Lyon, 83, said in a statement.

"I also never imagined there would be a day that we would actually be able to get married," she added. "I am devastated, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed."

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of San Francisco, said Del and Phyllis were instrumental in getting gay marriage legalized.

"We would not have marriage equality in California if it weren't for Del and Phyllis. They fought and triumphed in many battles," Pelosi said. "Through it all, their love and commitment to each other was an inspiration to all who knew them."

Martin and Lyon were married at City Hall on June 16. Mayor Gavin Newsom, who officiated the wedding, singled them out to be the first gay couple to legally exchange vows in the city, in recognition of their long relationship and their status as gay-rights pioneers.

"The greatest way we can honor the life work of Del Martin, is to continue to fight and never give up, until we have achieved equality for all," Newsom said Wednesday.

Martin and Lyon were among the two dozen couples who were plaintiffs in the lawsuits that led the state Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage in May.

Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955 called the Daughters of Bilitis after a book of lesbian erotic poetry published in Paris. The group evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization.

Martin in 1970 wrote an influential article in the Advocate magazine that criticized what she saw as the gay rights movement's persistent chauvinism. She and Lyon together wrote "Lesbian/Woman," a 1972 book that argued lesbians should be seen for more than their sexuality and simultaneously offered a frank, no-nonsense account of lesbian relationships.

A year later, Martin became the first out lesbian to serve on the board of directors of the National Organization for Women, even though opponents within the group feared the impact of having a leader that many in the mainstream still viewed as socially deviant.

Martin was born in San Francisco and had a daughter from a four-year marriage to her college sweetheart.

She is survived by Lyon; her daughter, Kendra Mon, and two grandchildren.

Newsom ordered American flags at City Hall and the rainbow flag in the Castro District to be flown at half-staff. Plans for a public memorial are pending.

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