New Historical Marker — Barbara Gittings (1932–2007)

On Tuesday, July 26, 2016, Philadelphia dedicated a new historical marker for LGBT activist Barbara Gittings. She was very active in the American Library Association, which named an annual award for the best gay or lesbian novel. In the 1960s, she resided in Philadelphia with her partner, Kay Lahusen, during which time, Gittings was the editor of the first lesbian magazine, The Ladder.

On the sign:

Known as the mother of the LGBT movement, Gittings, who lived here, edited The Ladder, the first wide-spread lesbian journal. She led initiatives to promote LGBT literature in libraries and to removed homosexuality’s classification as a mental illness.

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