First Nationally Distributed Lesbian Publication in America, The Ladder, 1965-68 Archive

[LGBTQ] The Ladder early archive of 4 issues dating 1965-1972. The Ladder, the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the United States. This archive includes: [1] March 1965 (Vol. 9 No. 5 & 6), [2] May 1965 (Vol. 9, No. 8), [3] Oct-Nov. 1968 (Vol. 13, No. 1 and 2), and [4] April/May 1972 (Vol. 16 No. 7 & 8). Each measuring 8.5" x 5.5" inches and averaging 26 pages each issue. Articles included in these issues discuss sociology, gender norms, women's liberation, one article discusses the popularity of pants emerging in women's fashion, poetry and book reviews. The Ladder included poems, essays, short stories, editorials, advertisements, (truncated) and news from a community of lesbians nationwide without previous access to one another’s support. It was supported by ONE, Inc and the Mattachine Society, both mainstays of San Francisco’s gay counterculture during that time. The Ladder included essays and poems that articulated and analyzed the quality of lesbian life in America. In an address by Shirley Willer, President of Daughter of Billitis, she asserts that, "The problems of importance to the lesbian are job security, career advancement, and family relationships" (Nov. 1966, pg. 17). An incisive look at mid-century lesbian life. One magazine has some minor water rings on the cover and on a few of the lower white margins on some pages. Others are clean and bright, overall in very good condition. (Inventory #: 21433)