[1] The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was initially conceived as a secret social club, an alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment.

As the DOB gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out and to becoming politically active.

Historian Lillian Faderman declared, "Its very establishment in the midst of witch-hunts and police harassment was an act of courage, since members always had to fear that they were under attack, not because of what they did, but merely because of who they were.

"[2] The Daughters of Bilitis endured for 40 years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals.

A succession of increasingly repressive acts followed, which included the dismissal of federal, state and local government employees suspected of being homosexual; politically motivated police raids on gay bars all over the US and Canada; and the enactment of laws prohibiting cross-dressing for men and women.

More specifically in San Francisco, where the Daughters of Bilitis was later founded, police on September 8, 1954 raided lesbian bars such as Adler and Tommy's Place.

Martin and Lyon recalled later, "Women needed privacy...not only from the watchful eye of the police, but from gaping tourists in the bars and from inquisitive parents and families.

"[8] Although unsure of exactly how to proceed with the group, the women began to meet regularly, realized they should be organized, and quickly elected Martin as president.

"[11] They also designed a pin to wear to be able to identify with others, chose club colors and voted on the motto "Qui vive", French for "on alert".

Several working-class women of the original members were not comfortable with being more public and left to form two secret groups for lesbians: Quatrefoil and Hale Aikane.

[6] Historian Marcia Gallo writes of the shift in DOB members, "They recognized that many women felt shame about their sexual desires and were afraid to admit them.

"[15] When the club realized they were not allowed to advertise their meetings in the local newspaper, Lyon and Martin, who both had backgrounds in journalism, began to print a newsletter to distribute to as many women as the group knew.

[20] Barbara Gittings recalled that even years later, in preparation for a national convention, members of the DOB persuaded a woman who had worn men's clothing all her life "to deck herself out in as 'feminine' a manner as she could... Everyone rejoiced over this as though some great victory had been accomplished... Today we would be horrified at anyone who thought this kind of evangelism had a legitimate purpose.

"[21] In the 1959 mayoral race in San Francisco, challenger Russell Wolden made homosexuality a public issues, claiming that incumbent George Christopher was making the city safe for "sex deviants".

DOB leaders moved the list from its headquarters and later learned that San Francisco police had searched their office after its removal.

Two hundred women attended the conference, as did the San Francisco police, who came to check if any of the DOB members were wearing men's clothes.

[25] The attendees listened to speakers, including a debate between two attorneys about the legality and morality of gay bars, a presentation by the American Civil Liberties Union, and an Episcopal priest who "served up damnation with dessert".

[30] In the 1970s, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon reflected that by contemporary standards, the early ideals of the DOB for integration and adjustment of the lesbian into society were outmoded.

[32] But in 1962 at the Daughters' second convention, national president Jaye Bell again argued for the pragmatic approach of integration and patience with slow change in the criminal justice system.

Specifically, she wanted to align the DOB with the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), a coalition of other social and political clubs for gays and lesbians.

[37] This event has been called "San Francisco's Stonewall" by some historians;[37] the participation of such prominent litigators in the defense of Smith, Donaldson and the other two lawyers marked a turning point in gay rights on the west coast of the United States.

Gittings also ran a regular column in The Ladder that she called "Living Propaganda", encouraging women to come out to their friends and family members.

Some readers responded positively to Kameny, who in a speech declared homosexuals as normal as heterosexuals;[39] some were put off by the political tone.

In 1966, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon joined the National Organization for Women, and urged readers of The Ladder to do the same, reporting they got a family discount.

[42] It was the largest convention DOB had yet organized, publicized in mass media all over San Francisco, and attended by a large panel of nationally known speakers.

Willer noted that problems specific to lesbians were job security and advancement, and family relationships, child custody, and visitation.

[45] Longtime DOB member Helen Sandoz had taken over editing The Ladder following an interim period after Barbara Gittings left.

[48] Grier severed ties with DOB leadership and in doing so took away the Daughters' primary method of communication from the national organization to its individual chapters.

"[50] The complete surviving organizational records of the national office and the San Francisco Chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis are available to researchers as part of the Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers at the GLBT Historical Society, a nonprofit archives and research center in San Francisco.

[51] The Lesbian Herstory Archives hosts the Red Dot Collection, which consists of the library of the New York City chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.