Phyllis Lyon Wiki – Phyllis Lyon Bio

One of the founding members of the Daughters of Bilitis and one half of the first same-sex couple to be legally married in San Francisco in 2004, Phyllis Lyon, has passed away.

Lyon is a pillar of the San Francisco LGBTQ community and a civil rights pioneer.

She co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis, the nation’s first lesbian organization and was a journalist who began her career as a reporter in 1946.

Phyllis Lyon Age

He was 95 years old.

Phyllis Lyon Wife Del Martin

When Newsom served as mayor of San Francisco, he officiated the wedding between Lyon and her late partner Del Martin in 2008. They were the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the city.

Lyon and her wife, Del Martin, were the first to be married by Gavin Newsom during the so-called Winter of Love in Feb. 2004 at San Francisco City Hall after 54 years together.

Phyllis Lyon Career

Lyon began her career as a reporter after earning a degree in journalism from UC Berkeley in 1946. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1924, she made her way to the Bay Area and met her partner for life, Martin, in 1950. The couple moved to an apartment in the Castro in 1953, and in 1955 joined three other lesbian couples in founding the country’s first lesbian civil rights organization, The Daughters of Bilitis, according to the San Francisco Bay Times newspaper.

Phyllis Lyon Family

Friend Kate Kendall celebrated Lyon’s 95th birthday with her in November and tells the Bay Times that her family wishes to thank all of Lyon’s devoted caregivers in her final years.

Lyon is survived by her sister Patricia Lyon, daughter Kendra Mon, son-in-law Eugene Lane, granddaughter Lorri Mon, grandson Kevin Mon, his wife Ellen, and great-granddaughter Kexin Mon.

Phyllis Lyon Death & Cause

Phyllis Lyon has died of natural causes at age 95, Sen. Scott Wiener announced in a statement on Thursday.

Tributes

We lost a giant today,” Sen. Wiener said. “Phyllis Lyon fought for LGBTQ equality when it was neither safe nor popular to do so. Phyllis and her wife Del Martin played a crucial role winning the rights and dignity our community now enjoys. We owe Phyllis immense gratitude for her work. Rest in power.”

“I’m very sad to learn of the death this morning of Phyllis Lyon,” writes legendary LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones. “I met Phyllis and Del in 1972 and it changed my life. Two of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known.”