Kay Lahusen (1930–2021), LGBTQ activist and photojournalist
by
by
2 min readKay Lahusen was an activist and photojournalist who chronicled some of the earliest U.S. protests for LGBTQ rights.
- Died: May 26, 2021 (Who else died on May 26?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania at the age of 91.
- We invite you to share condolences for Kay Lahusen in our Guest Book.
Before Stonewall
Lahusen and her partner, Barbara Gittings, were key members of the early movement to secure equal rights for the LGBTQ community. The 1969 Stonewall uprising was, for many, the moment that brought the movement to the attention of the mainstream, but even before that, Lahusen and others marched for their rights. Those early protests, in the mid-1960s, simply demanded equal rights for LGBTQ citizens. In one, Lahusen carried a sign reading “The American way: employment based upon competence, ability, training; not upon private life” – reflecting the fact that sexual orientation was not a protected class and didn’t become one until recent years.
Lahusen photographed many of these marches, and she and Gittings also produced the pioneering lesbian newsletter, “The Ladder.” Gittings edited the journal, while Lahusen wrote for it under the name Kay Tobin. She also took photos for the journal, including groundbreaking cover photographs of notable lesbians at a time when it could be dangerous to be so public about one’s LGBTQ status. Lahusen was also among those who successfully fought for the American Psychiatry Association to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.
Lahusen on recent advances in LGBTQ acceptance
“I think some of these advances, as wonderful as they are, are being taken for granted, even now. They need to be codified into law.” —as quoted in the New York Times
Tributes to Kay Lahusen
Full obituary: The New York Times
TAGS
