"I'm so sad at the passing of Phyllis Lyon, a trailblazer, a fearless activist and a good friend. She truly left an indelible mark on San Francisco."
LGBTQ rights leader and icon Phyllis Lyon died Thursday in San Francisco from natural causes, officials with the National Center for Lesbian Rights said.
She was 95. Lyon was married to Del Martin and the couple was the first same-sex couple to be married in the state of California.
Then San Francisco mayor and now California Gov. Gavin Newsom officiated at the ceremony on June 16, 2008, after the couple had been together for 55 years.
Phyllis and Del were the manifestation of love and devotion. Yet for over 50 years they were denied the right to say 2 extraordinary words: I do.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 9, 2020
Phyllis—it was the honor of a lifetime to marry you & Del. Your courage changed the course of history.
Rest in Peace my dear friend. pic.twitter.com/emQYfKWQnk
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement:
“I’m so sad at the passing of Phyllis Lyon, a trailblazer, a fearless activist and a good friend. She truly left an indelible mark on San Francisco.”
In a statement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed added:
“She (Lyon) was a true champion of LGBTQ rights and San Francisco was incredibly lucky to have her leadership and activism.”
Del Martin passed away Aug. 27, 2008, in San Francisco. She was 87.
Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Friday that Covid-19 has infected 70 people at the MSC South emergency homeless...
Santa Clara County nurses are calling on the county to provide more paid leave for frontline healthcare workers who...
As the holidays approach for several religious communities, local and state leaders are urging people to “hold the line,”...
