Daughters of Bilitis Talmadge first learned about the
Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco when a friend invited her and her then-girlfriend to a house party at
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon's home. Of the 8 women who had originally been part of the DOB, Martin and Lyon were the only remaining members when Talmadge attended the party. Discussion between the attendees of this house party transferred the focus of the DOB from a social group to an activist agenda. The political and social climate fostered a general fear of homosexuality, silencing of homosexual and lesbian voices, and a generation of young lesbians who did not know their rights in front of the law. Talmadge sought to educate young lesbians that it was not against criminal law to be a homosexual, as long as one was not caught performing what were then illegal sexual acts. The DOB continued efforts to create safe meeting spaces for lesbians, but also started efforts to educate both their own people and the general public. Police often used this law to arrest and hold patrons of gay bars. In a raid just outside San Francisco city limits during which 97 patrons were arrested, a woman sought legal aid from the Daughters of Bilitis. Talmadge and Del Martin called in legal representation and advised that all of the defendants plead not guilty and demand a jury trial. When brought into court, all defendants were accused of a violation which was not explained beyond its numerical code. All but four women pled guilty, were fined, and walked away with permanent records. The four women who pled not guilty had their cases dismissed, and later found out they had almost been charged with
prostitution. Following this incident, Talmadge began efforts to educate lesbians to their legal and
civil rights, and well as procedures and scripts to follow upon arrest and in the courts. These education efforts strove to eliminate disinformation about what individuals were required to give or tell to authorities and to make it harder for police to intimidate gay or lesbian defendants into pleading guilty for crimes they did not commit. Only the officers of the organization had to publicize their first and last names, which led Talmadge to use the Welsh spelling of her name, Billie Tallmij, as a way of protecting her identity. Talmadge made several public appearances, notably traveling to speak in
Estes Park, Colorado at their request, in order to help foster a better understanding between the local community and lesbian college students on a nearby campus. The Ladder, the DOB's newsletter bearing several of Talmadge's own writings, was widely quoted in the legal briefings leading to the Supreme Court
One, Inc. v. Olesen decision that determined homosexual writings did not violate
obscenity laws. In 1960, Talmadge helped organize the
Daughters of Bilitis National Convention in San Francisco. The convention was advertised in the Ladder, which contained certain rules of entry, including a mandatory dress code requiring skirts. Talmadge has been labeled an "accommodationist" due to her part in encouraging lesbians to wear clothing which did not make them easily identifiable. At the time, laws prohibiting people from appearing in public in apparel customarily worn by the opposite sex were in effect in certain areas of the United States. Following the national convention, Talmadge became heavily involved in the formation of the Los Angeles chapter of the DOB. Talmadge invested a significant amount of time and personal income into fostering growth in the DOB, taking the title of Vice President in 1958. Talmadge phased out of activity with the Daughter of Bilitis in 1965 as it became more focused on political ideology rather than helping individuals. Following her affiliation with the DOB, Talmadge pursued more counseling training with another group of homosexual activists. She continued trying to educate gay and lesbian youth to find the humor in terrible situations, believing that laughter was often the best way to combat trauma. Talmadge became a personal friend of Dr.
Evelyn Hooker, one of the pioneers of studies on homosexual men which argued that homosexuality was not a mental disorder. Talmadge could not get Dr. Hooker to perform similar studies on lesbians due to how the connotations of a woman studying homosexual women would impact Hooker's professional reputation and the validity of her previous work. Instead, Talmadge worked to coordinate and participate in the first
Kinsey Institute studies on lesbians.
Council on Religion and the Homosexual In the early 1960s, Talmadge and the other officers of the DOB conducted a survey regarding the religious standings of their membership. This survey found that many, like Talmadge herself, continued to be religious but had stopped attending church services after they began identifying as lesbians. They found it was particularly hard for
Mormon women to reconcile their identities with their religion. Talmadge began reaching out in search of ministers that would work with and welcome lesbians into their churches, but found very few willing to do so. Talmadge and other members of the DOB began writing scathing letters challenging these beliefs and urging ministers to come speak with them in order at attempt resolving the gap between
religion and
homosexuality. This led to the organizing of the
Mill Valley Conference from May 31 to June 2, 1964, in which 17 gay men and 4 gay women, of which Talmadge was the spokesperson, spent three days in a Methodist church with a collection of ministers in order to facilitate discussion. Talmadge spoke last, asking questions such as where lesbians were mentioned in the Bible. Following group discussion sessions, the ministers were taken on a tour of the local gay bars and told that because lesbians and gay men could not meet out in the open, they were forced to frequent these bars. Many ministers left admitting they felt unqualified to speak on the subject of homosexuality. Out of the three-day conference came the formation of the
Council on Religion and the Homosexual. == Publications ==