Daughters of Bilitis (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Australian arm of the Daughters of Bilitis was formed in Melbourne
in late 1969, and is considered Australia
's first gay rights group. It was inspired by the American Daughters of Bilitis
movement. After a few months, the group rejected the increasing radicalisation of its American counterpart, and renamed itself the Australasian Lesbian Movement.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in late 1969, and is considered Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's first gay rights group. It was inspired by the American Daughters of Bilitis
Daughters of Bilitis
The Daughters of Bilitis , was the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. It was formed in San Francisco in 1955, conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment...
movement. After a few months, the group rejected the increasing radicalisation of its American counterpart, and renamed itself the Australasian Lesbian Movement.
See also
- LGBT rights in Australia
- List of LGBT rights organisations
- Coalition of Activist Lesbians AustraliaCoalition of Activist Lesbians AustraliaThe Coalition of Activist Lesbians Australia was formed in Australia in 1994 to work towards the end of discrimination against lesbians. COAL lobbies the Australian Commonwealth and other state and territory Governments to remove discrimination against lesbians...
(COAL)
Further reading
- Lucy Chesser, "Australasian Lesbian Movement, ‘Claudia’s Group’ and Lynx: ‘Non-Political Lesbian Organisation in Melbourne, 1969-1980”, Hecate: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Women’s Liberation, vol. 22, no. 1, 1996, pp. 69-91.
External links
- Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives holds the records of the Daughters of Bilitis / Australasian Lesbian Movement.