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Daughters of Bilitis

Australia's first political organisation for homosexuals, Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) ('Bilitis' refers, esoterically, to the lesbian poetry of Sappho), formed in early 1970 after two Melbourne lesbians were put in contact by the US DOB. For two years, relying on a sympathetic curiosity from the media, it worked to influence opinion-makers, as well as providing social support for lesbians. In mid-1970, DOB rejected the US group and its radicalisation, renaming itself the Australasian Lesbian Movement (ALM). This marked a retreat from political activity, which increasingly fell to Society Five and Gay Liberation. The ALM operated as a social group until its demise in 1973.

Graham Willett