Barbara Gittings ( right ) with longtime partner Kay Tobin Lahusen. Photo by Patsy Lynch
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Barbara never was a librarian or, technically, an archivist. But for 15 years, she served on the American Library Association's Gay Task Force, compiling bibliographies of gay and lesbian books. And she and her partner of 46 years, Kay Tobin Lahusen, bought a condo next door to house their collection of gay history memorabilia, over 300 boxes. Once, she chided a gay man for leaving his job at a bookstore ( to work at an AIDS organization ) , citing the need to get more gay books on the shelves.
These were just a few of the memories shared at the April 28 memorial service for gay-rights pioneer Barbara Gittings, who died Feb. 18 after a long battle with breast cancer.
About 200 gathered for the service, held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which featured friends, colleagues and community leaders from The Rev. Elder Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, to Karen Faulkner, who sang with Gittings in the Philadelphia Chamber Chorus. Community members also spoke of their appreciation for Gittings, including being one of the first people to sue the government for discrimination.
Several officials and politicians also attended the event, including Steve Glassman, chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; Dan Anders, nominee for Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; and Philadelphia mayoral candidates Tom Knox and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-2nd Dist.
Philadelphia Gay News ( PGN ) publisher Mark Segal and Debra D'Alessandro, host of WXPN's 'Amazon Country,' served as masters of ceremonies for the event.
The first speaker, pioneer Frank Kameny, co-founder of the gay-rights organization the Mattachine Society, noted Gittings' membership in the Daughters of Bilitis—she was editor of the DOB's 'The Ladder' from 1966-69 and founded the New York chapter—and called her 'a force to be reckoned with.'
He also spoke about Gittings' preference for using 'gay' and how she resisted male and female separatism, believing that working together would be more effective in furthering their goals of equal treatment for homosexuals.
Joe Solmonese, president of the gay activist organization Human Rights Campaign, spoke in appreciation of Gittings' advocacy, calling her a 'mother to all of us.' He added, 'Our greatest tribute is to carry on the fight for equality.'
Longtime friend Jan Weatherford remembered Gittings' enjoyment of Weatherford's sunroom ( for bird watching ) , fresh-grown vegetables and fresh compost ( to take to her condo herb garden ) . Weatherford also spoke about their battles with breast cancer and how Gittings' always asked how her treatment was progressing with the knowledge of someone who had been through it. She summarized Gittings' attitude this way: 'It's not about the dying; the dying will take care of itself. It's about the living.'
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, reminisced about Gittings' time on the organization's board and her efforts to build a national gay-rights movement. Foreman told of the organization's early days, from deciding 'What did we want?' to dealing with anxieties about money and paying for health insurance. Foreman called Gittings an anchor who was 'the epitome of a public-minded activist' and 'unfailingly kind and considerate,'—though, 'One did not even think of telling Barbara 'no.''
Author of 'Different Daughters,' a history of the Daughters of Bilitis, Marcia Gallo recalled Gittings as a fellow Wilmingtonian who had a phenomenal sense of humor. Gallo also noted her generosity, particularly with researchers such as herself. Gallo told the audience that after Gittings took over editorship of 'The Ladder,' the newsletter was never the same. Under her leadership, it was the first publication to prominently print 'lesbian' on the cover.
Faulkner, a tenor who knew Gittings through 30 years of singing together on the Philadelphia Chamber Chorus, shared how Gittings recruited her, even though she didn't know how to sing. Later, Gittings told her that singing was essential to her mental health.
MCC founder Perry concluded the memorial, observing what a difference people can make. He spoke about three things for which history will remember Gittings: her hope that, in using her real name to speak out for gay rights, she demonstrated that she knew who she was—even though she knew that she'd have problems; her belief that the community needed healing, getting gays all healed on the same day; and her secular belief in heaven: though not religious, she was spiritual and believed in getting a helping of heaven on earth.