the ladder
The Ladder was not the first lesbian magazine in the United States, but it was the first lesbian magazine to not be published anonymously and to gain recognition, praise and readership on a large scale. The first (known) lesbian magazine, Vice Versa, was published only from 1947-48, and was printed under the name Lisa Ben, an anagram for “lesbian.” The anonymous author printed several copies by hand and passed them out at local bars. The format of Vice Versa - a combination of personal essays, letters, poetry, etc. - was one that The Ladder and later publications modeled. Although Vice Versa was not nearly as controversial, nor recognized, as The Ladder came to be, it laid the foundation for lesbian magazines and other publications nationwide, beginning with The Ladder, which carried the torch for the lesbian, and consequently the entire LGBT community, cause.
The Ladder was published from 1956-1972. It was headed by the four lesbian couples that formed the Daughters of Bilitis, the first national lesbian organization. Like Vice Versa, The Ladder employed an array of modes of expression in order to rationalize and champion the lesbian fight for equal rights and recognition in society. According to Malinda Lo, “the magazine was titled The Ladder to symbolize a means to escape from the “well of loneliness” (popularized by Radclyffe Hall’s famous novel) that was largely understood to be the life of a lesbian.” The magazine, in the spirit of its predecessor, printed essays, letters to the editor, and more, offering a robust inventory of styles; however, because in 1956 homosexuality was still overwhelmingly taboo, so much so that not printing anonymously was a feat in and of itself, the magazine was quite conservative. It offered advice to lesbian women, such as how to dress to avoid harassment from the police (which meant dressing to conform to heteronormative style norms). In a different vein, however, it also offered advice pieces on how to become your most authentic self in a world where members of the lesbian community were constantly being told they were fraudulent or wrong outright.
Another one of the main goals of The Ladder, in addition to offering advice to the lesbian community, was to give a woman voice to the LGBT movement, which had largely been dominated by a male narrative until this time. ONE and The Mattachine Review were also prominent gay publications at this time, but they focused largely on gay men (and, presumptively, gay white men). It, in some ways, prescribed to a “politics-of-respectability” mindset, that is to say that it was equally (if not more so) focused on altering the perception of lesbians in society, rather than encouraging lesbians to be themselves - fully. Although the magazines and other lesbian publications of today may have adopted an alternate message focused solely on the self-perception of lesbians in society, in 1956, this move was strategic and political, as it had to be. The publication inadvertently was involved in the politics of elections from time to time, but it never took on a very political role, especially in its early days. From time to time, the editors disagreed about the degree to which their radicalism should manifest itself. Ultimately, the magazine stayed moderately conservative until it ceased publication in 1972. The magazine was run, from its inception, entirely by volunteers that printed it and generous donors.
After The Ladder went out of print in 1972, a plethora of publications followed its example and spread messages of hope, politics, and sexuality. For example: Lesbian Tide, Amazon Quarterly, Dyke, Sinister Wisdom, Sisters, Tribad, and So’s Your Old Lady. The tradition of women actively fighting oppression lives on today through these publications.