and she was one of the co-founders of NOW in 1966. Friedan, in turn, had been influenced by Simone deBeauvoir.

And Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pittman Hughes founded Ms. Magazine in 1971.

So I'm not sure what you mean about lesbians "starting" the Feminist revolution in the early 1970's, but it feels like you're erasing the efforts of the women leaders of the 60's.

And who is scorning the contributions of lesbian women in the movement?

but lesbians were front and center in organizing at the grass roots ... forming 'Woman's Centers' , marching in the streets. Much different from writing a book. Then they were sidelined because the visual didn't suit the movement.

old enough to remember.

https://now.org/about/history/history-of-marches-and-mass-actions/

In perhaps the first picket ever by NOW members, activists in August 1967 dressed in vintage clothing to protest the old-fashioned policies of The New York Times, which then segregated help-wanted ads by gender. In December of the same year, NOW held its first national day of demonstrations in five cities, targeting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for issuing guidelines approving of the ads.

In September 1968, New York NOW members and other women’s liberation activists picketed the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and though no bras were actually burned that day (some were thrown into a trash can), this is the event from which the myth of the bra burners evolved.

On August 26, 1970, on the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage, NOW activists organized a “Women’s Strike for Equality.” Approximately 50,000 women marched in New York and another 100,000 women participated in demonstrations and rallies in 90 cities, 42 states.

but many early members were lesbian. BTW I am old enough to remember as well.

and decades earlier, in the suffragette movement.

It didn't all start with lesbians in the 70's.

lesbians were not large in numbers, some, maybe not so much 'out' at the time but, hey, they were the also the push warriors. Then, we must agree, they were scorned because they somehow polluted the movement because of political optics. Truth.

I also remember that most gay men and women, like my father, didn't tend to be out in the 60's -- in any venue. The Stonewall riots in 1969 are thought to be the beginning of the modern movement for gay and lesbian rights.

I do recall Ti-Grace Atkinson as a high-profile lesbian in the feminist movement.

Of course, this will piss off some because, as any minority person knows, anytime we speak up and out, the majority realizes how "put upon" they actually are and how their contributions are going to be erased.

any women who ever participated and for ALL who organized. I don't care who was earliest I just know we need each other so desperately. Exclude no woman who is working for our equality. Maybe one day we will have the luxuries of sorting this all out but if we have to, have we really learned anything about equality? It makes me sad that some women feel left out, it should never ever been that way but it has been. Credit to all now, we have at least learned that much I hope. Thank you lesbian women and thank you for this post. I had never heard this.

Thank you lesbian women, thank you women of color, thank you to ALL women. I remember the excitement of the beginnings of the movement. You are all my heros.

Thank you!!!!