Barbara Gittings
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Barbara Gittings (July 31, 1932 – February 18, 2007) was an American
LGBTQ activist A list of notable LGBTQ social movements, LGBTQ rights activists who have worked to advance LGBTQ rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically. Albania * Xheni Karaj, founder of Aleanca LGBT org ...
. She started the New York chapter of the
Daughters of Bilitis The Daughters of Bilitis (), also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was initially conceived as a secret soc ...
(DOB) in 1958, edited the national DOB magazine '' The Ladder'' from 1963 to 1966, and worked closely with Frank Kameny in the 1960s on the first picket lines that brought attention to the ban on employment of gay people in the
United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
, the largest employer of the country at the time. In the 1970s, Gittings was most involved in the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
, especially its Task Force on Gay Liberation, in order to promote positive literature about
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
in libraries. She was a part of the movement to get the
American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
to drop homosexuality as a
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
in the early 1970s.Warner David. CityPaper.net. April 22–29, 1999; accessed November 4, 2007. She was awarded an
American Library Association Honorary Membership Honorary Membership conferred by the American Library Association is the Association's highest award. "Honorary membership may be conferred on a living citizen of any country whose contribution to librarianship or a closely related field is so outs ...
, and the ALA named an annual award for the best LGBTQ novel the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award.
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
also named an activist award for her.


Early life and education

Barbara Gittings was born to Elizabeth (née Brooks) Gittings and John Sterett Gittings, Jr. in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria, where her father was serving as a United States
diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
. Barbara Gittings and her siblings attended Catholic schools in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
. At one point in her childhood, she considered becoming a
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
. Her family returned to the United States at the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and settled in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. Although aware of her attraction to other girls, Gittings said she first heard the word "homosexual" when she was rejected for membership in the National Honor Society in high school based on what a teacher believed were her "homosexual inclinations." While majoring in drama at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, Gittings developed a close friendship with another female student, prompting rumors that the two were lesbians, which led Gittings to examine her own sexual orientation, meeting a psychiatrist who offered to cure her. A close friend suggested they see less of each other so as not to further encourage the rumors about them. She began to read as much as she could on the topic, finding very little; much of what she found described homosexuals as deviants, especially in medical texts. She ended up failing out of Northwestern.


After college

At age 17, she returned from Northwestern "in disgrace" after failing out of school and unable to tell her family why.Tobin, p. 208. She found some more information on lesbianism in novels like '' Nightwood'', '' The Well of Loneliness'', and '' Extraordinary Women''. Soon thereafter, her father discovered ''The Well of Loneliness'' in her bedroom; in a letter, he instructed her to burn it. Gittings took a night course in
abnormal psychology Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought, which could possibly be understood as a mental disorder. Although many behaviors could be considered as abnormal, this branch of ps ...
, where she met a woman with whom she had a brief affair. At age 18, she left home to be on her own and moved to
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Gittings began to hitchhike on weekends to New York City, dressed masculinely, to visit gay bars since she knew of none in Philadelphia. However, Gittings found little in common with the women she met in the bars; she also once witnessed a gay male acquaintance get beaten up after leaving a bar.


Activism in the 1950s and 1960s


Daughters of Bilitis

In 1956, Gittings traveled to
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
on the advice of
Edward Sagarin Edward Sagarin (September 18, 1913 – June 10, 1986), also known by his pen name Donald Webster Cory, was an American professor of sociology and criminology at the City University of New York, and a writer. His book ''The Homosexual in America: ...
, to visit the office of the new ONE Inc., an early
homophile Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been '' sodomite'', '' Sapphic'', '' Uranian or Urning'', '' homop ...
organization. While in California, she met Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who had co-founded the
Daughters of Bilitis The Daughters of Bilitis (), also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was initially conceived as a secret soc ...
(DOB) in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. In 1958, Martin and Lyon asked Gittings to start a chapter of the DOB in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, which she did; fewer than a dozen women responded to her notice in the
Mattachine Society The Mattachine Society (), founded in 1950, was an early national gay rights organization in the United States, preceded by several covert and open organizations, such as Chicago's Society for Human Rights. Communist and labor activist Harry Ha ...
newsletter asking for "all women in the New York area who are interested in forming a chapter of the DOB" on September 20, 1958. Gittings served as the chapter's first president for three years, from 1958 until 1961. While she was president attending members numbered between ten and forty per meeting. They met twice a month and often invited doctors, psychiatrists, ministers, and attorneys to address their meetings, even if their message was disparaging to lesbians. Gittings admitted that early meetings and writings in the Daughters of Bilitis urged their members not to upset mainstream heterosexual society. The New York chapter of the DOB distributed a newsletter to about 150 people, which Gittings worked on. During this time, she spent ten years as a
mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a co ...
operator for an architectural firm. In 1959, after using company envelopes to mail the newsletter out, someone wrote to the firm to notify them that a newsletter about lesbianism was being distributed. She was not fired but was cautioned to be more careful.


''The Ladder''

From 1963 to 1966, Gittings edited the DOB's magazine, '' The Ladder.'' Articles and essays in ''The Ladder'' sometimes carried viewpoints of medical professionals speaking negatively about homosexuality, since it was difficult to get psychiatrists and doctors to address homosexuality in any form. However, Gittings was profoundly influenced by Frank Kameny's advocacy against homosexuality being viewed as a sickness, and began to diverge from the DOB's policies. Gittings began to implement changes in ''The Ladder'' that included adding the subtitle "A Lesbian Review" and featuring photographs of actual lesbians on the cover. Gittings distributed ''The Ladder'' in six bookstores in New York and Philadelphia; one
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
store displayed the magazine prominently, selling 100 copies a month. The focus of the magazine shifted to tackling more controversial issues for debate.


Protests

Gittings participated in many of the earliest LGBT actions in the United States. In 1965, Gittings marched in the first gay picket lines at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, the
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
, and
Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...
to protest the
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
's policy on discrimination of homosexuals. Leaflets were distributed to passersby that described their reasons for picketing. The evening prior to the group's picketing the State Department, Secretary of State
Dean Rusk David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909December 20, 1994) was the United States secretary of state from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the second-longest serving secretary of state after Cordell Hull from the ...
announced the pickets at a press conference. Gittings connected the high-profile visibility with a "breakthrough into mainstream publicity." From 1965 to 1969, she and Frank Kameny led the Annual Reminder, picketing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, until the
Stonewall Riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...
in June 1969. After the riots, the annual Gay Pride Parade commemorating the riots took its place. Differences between Gittings' political stance and that of the DOB leadership began to show, and came to a culmination in 1966 when she was ousted as the editor of ''The Ladder'' for. One source claims it was for the lateness of one issue, but another source claims it was because she removed the "For Adults Only" on the cover of the magazine without consulting the DOB. In November 1967, Gittings and Kameny worked together as co-counsels in hearings held by the
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
to discredit expert witness Charles Socarides, who testified that homosexuals could be converted to
heterosexuality Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or ...
, and to criticize the DoD's policy that known homosexual employees could be fired. Kameny and Gittings dressed conservatively, but wore buttons that said "Gay is Good" and "Pray for Sodomy", with increased publicity being their goal. Although neither was an attorney, at the end of their cross-examination, the Department of Defense removed Socarides from their lists of expert witnesses. Gittings made hundreds of appearances as a speaker in the late 1960s, continuing her mission to convince the public that homosexuality was not an illness.


Activism in the 1970s and later


American Library Association

In the 1970s, Gittings continued her search for resources in libraries that addressed homosexuality in a positive, supportive way. She joined the Task Force on Gay Liberation that formed in 1970 in the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
, the first gay caucus in a professional association, and became its coordinator in 1971. She staffed a kissing booth at the national convention of the ALA in Dallas in 1971, underneath the banner "Hug a Homosexual," with a "women only" side and a "men only" side.Bullough, p. 247. When no one came to the booth, she and
Alma Routsong Alma Routsong (November 26, 1924 – October 4, 1996) was an American novelist best known for her lesbian fiction, published under the pen name Isabel Miller. Early life Alma Routsong was born Elma Louise Routsong in Traverse City, Michigan, on ...
kissed in front of rolling television cameras. Gittings described it as a success, despite most of the reaction being negative, due to the increased visibility on television news. Gittings spent years working with libraries and campaigning to get positive gay and lesbian-themed materials into libraries and to eliminate
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
and
employment discrimination Employment discrimination is a form of illegal discrimination in the workplace based on legally protected characteristics. In the U.S., federal anti-discrimination law prohibits discrimination by employers against employees based on age, race, ...
. She wrote "Gays in Library Land: The Gay and Lesbian Task Force of the American Library Association: The First Sixteen Years", a brief history of the Rainbow Round Table.


American Psychiatric Association

In 1972, Gittings and Kameny organized a discussion with the
American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
entitled "Psychiatry: Friend or Foe to Homosexuals: A Dialogue", where a panel of psychiatrists were to discuss homosexuality. When Gittings' partner Kay Tobin Lahusen noticed that all the psychiatrists were heterosexual, she protested. A gay psychiatrist in Philadelphia agreed to appear on the panel in heavy disguise and with a voice-distorting microphone, calling himself "Dr. H. Anonymous". This was John E. Fryer, and he discussed how he was forced to be
closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...
while practicing psychiatry. Gittings read aloud letters from psychiatrists she had solicited who declined to appear for fear of professional ostracism. In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (''DSM''; latest edition: ''DSM-5-TR'', published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a com ...
. She held exhibits at American Psychiatric Association conventions in 1972, 1976, and 1978; her last one was called "Gay Love: Good Medicine".


Other

Gittings made an appearance on ''
The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'' is an American talk show that was hosted by Phil Donahue. The show ran for twenty-nine seasons from November 6, 1967, to September 13, 1996, in which it broadcast 6,715 episodes. Before it was placed in syndication ...
'' in 1970 and on ''
The David Susskind Show ''The David Susskind Show'' is an American television talk show hosted by David Susskind which was broadcast from 1958 to 1986. The program began locally in New York City in 1958 as ''Open End'', which referred to the fact that the program was op ...
'' in 1971, along other lesbians, including
Lilli Vincenz Lilli Vincenz (September 26, 1937 – June 27, 2023) was a German-born American lesbian activist and the first lesbian member of the gay political activist effort, the Mattachine Society of Washington (MSW). Vincenz served as the editor of the o ...
and
Barbara Love Barbara Joan Love (February 27, 1937 – November 13, 2022) was an American feminist writer and the editor of ''Feminists who Changed America, 1963–1975''. With the National Organization for Women, Love organized and participated in demonstr ...
. They were among the first open lesbians to appear on television in the US, and debated long-held
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...
s about gay people. In 1977, she gave a presentation at the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
called "Gay Liberation Is for Children Too", about the importance of development of non-sexist and non-homophobic
children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
. The event was sponsored by the University of Manitoba's Students' Union and Gays for Equality. She helped start the National LGBTQ Task Force, then called the National Gay Task Force. She also inspired nurses to form the Gay Nurses Alliance in 1973.


Legacy

Gittings appeared in the documentary films ''Gay Pioneers'', '' Before Stonewall'', ''
After Stonewall ''After Stonewall'' is a 1999 documentary film about the 30 years of gay rights activism since the 1969 Stonewall riots directed by John Scagliotti. It is the sequel to the Scagliotti-produced 1984 film ''Before Stonewall'' and is narrated by mus ...
'', ''Out of the Past'', and '' Pride Divide''. In 1999, Gittings was honored for her contributions to the LGBT movement at the seventh annual PrideFest America, in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. She was sometimes described as the "
Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...
" of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. In 2001,
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
honored Gittings with the first Barbara Gittings Award, highlighting dedication to activism. Also in 2001, the
Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the 16th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the ...
announced its Barbara Gittings Collection of books dedicated to gay and lesbian issues. There are approximately 1500 items in the collection, making it the second largest gay and lesbian collection of books in the US, after the San Francisco Public Library. In 2002, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
renamed one of their three book awards the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award. In 2003, the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
rewarded her with lifetime honorary membership. In 2004, Gittings received the Michele Karlsberg Leadership Award from the Publishing Triangle. The
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
"Pride and Progress" mural by Ann Northrup, located at William Way LGBT Community Center, features an image of Barbara Gittings. In 2006, Gittings and Frank Kameny received the first John E. Fryer, M.D. Award from the
American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
. In October 2006, the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
acquired a sign she carried in her picketing in 1965, donated by Frank Kameny. In 2007, readers of ''
The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...
'' included Gittings on a list of their 40 favorite gay and lesbian heroes. Gittings and her partner Kay Tobin Lahusen donated copies of some materials and photographs covering their activism to the
Cornell University Library The Cornell University Library is the library system of Cornell University. As of 2014, it holds over eight million printed volumes and over a million ebooks. More than 90 percent of its current 120,000 Periodical literature, periodical ti ...
's Rare and Manuscript Collections. In 2007, Lahusen donated their original papers and photographs to the
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
. The
University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
Department of Special Collections and University Archives received a donation of over 1,000 of Gittings' and Lahusen's books in 2007, named the Gittings-Lahusen Gay Book Collection. On October 1, 2012, the city of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
named a section of Locust Street "Barbara Gittings Way" in Gittings' memory. Also in 2012, she was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates
LGBTQ history LGBTQ history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love, diverse gender identities, and sexualities in ancient civilizations, involving the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) peoples and cult ...
and
people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
. In 2016, a historical marker in remembrance of her was erected in Philadelphia, at the intersection of South 21st Street and
Locust Street Locust Street is a major historic street in Center City Philadelphia. The street is the location of several prominent Philadelphia-based buildings, historic sights, and high-rise residential locations. It is an east–west street throughout Ce ...
, by the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's heritage. The commission cares for hist ...
. In June 2019, Gittings was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument. Two episodes of the podcast Making Gay History are about her and Lahusen.


Personal life

Gittings sang in choral groups for most of her life, spending over 50 years in the Philadelphia Chamber Chorus.Bullough, p. 250. She and her life partner, Katherine Lahusen aka Kay Tobin, met in 1961 at a picnic in
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. Gittings and Lahusen were together for 46 years. In 1997, Gittings and Lahusen pushed the
AARP AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38  ...
to grant couple's membership to them, for a reduced price on
health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
. One of their last acts as an activists was to come out in the newsletter published by the
assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States. Still, the setting i ...
facility they resided in.


Death

On February 18, 2007, Gittings died in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania after a long battle with
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
. She was survived by her life partner, Kay Tobin Lahusen, and her sister, Eleanor Gittings Taylor.


General references

* Baim, Tracy. (2015) ''Barbara Gittings: Gay Pioneer''. CreateSpace; * Bullough, Vern, ed. (2002) ''Before Stonewall: Activists for gay and lesbian rights in historical context''. Harrington Park Press; * Gallo, Marcia. (2006) ''Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement''. Carrol & Graf Publishers; * Katz, Jonathan. (1976) ''Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A''. Crowell; * Marcus, Eric. (2002) ''Making Gay History: The half-century fight for lesbian and gay equal rights.'' Perennial Press; * Tobin, Kay and Wicker, Randy. (1975) ''The Gay Crusaders''. Arno Press;


References


External links

* *
Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen collection, 1965-2007
via
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen collection
held by the John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center
Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen gay history papers and photographs, 1855-2009 (bulk 1963-2007)
held by the Manuscripts and Archives Division,
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gittings, Barbara 1932 births 2007 deaths American Library Association people American magazine editors American women magazine editors Daughters of Bilitis members Deaths from breast cancer in Pennsylvania Former Roman Catholics American lesbian writers LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania American LGBTQ journalists American LGBTQ rights activists Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Political activists from Pennsylvania Activists from Philadelphia American librarianship and human rights Journalists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people