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Remembering Del Martin
Del Martin (far left) and Phyllis Lyon (center) are presented with a Cetificate of Honor from the City San Francisco in January 1978. Supervisor Harvey Milk stands behind them along with supervisors Carol Ruth Silver (second from right) and Ella Hill Hutch (far right). (photo: Daniel Nicoletta
By Roma Guy
Del Martin, who passed away on August 27 at the age of 87, was a rare, fiery, thoughtful lesbian with stamina and the progressive political smarts to go for it.
When I was community organizing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, on projects that would become the Women’s Building and La Casa del las Madres, long-time partners Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon urged us on.
In a meeting at the informal Lesbian Caucus in their home, Del was emphatic that we not only focus on our lesbian agenda, but on core gender violence issues that all women face. At the time (1976), she was writing “Battered Women,” a work focused on violence against women. For her it was important that a lesbian write about violence against gender, because our vision had to be a vision beyond our sexuality. For a young lesbian it was gems like this that kept us going and our spirits grounded.
Del’s intense focus and beguiling humility gave us permission during five decades of troubled times to give voice to our fury against all kinds of oppression and turn our tears into robust energy. Del listened and we cared. We are thankful for her long life and will truthfully miss her evermore.
Memorial services for Del Martin are being planned but were not available by press time. For information contact romaguy@sbcglobal.net.
Roma Guy is a long-time lesbian activist and community organizer.
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