Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Barbara Gittings

(1932 - 2007)

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 7, 2020

1. Barbara Gittings Marker

Inscription. Known as the mother of the LGBT civil rights movement, Gittings, who lived here, edited The Ladder, the first widespread lesbian journal. She led initiatives to promote LGBT literature in libraries and to remove homosexuality's classification as a mental illness.

Erected 2016 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Communications • Women. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1963.

Location. 39° 56.987′ N, 75° 10.554′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Rittenhouse Square. It is at the intersection of South 21st Street and Locust Street, on the left when traveling south on South 21st Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 241 South 21st Street, Philadelphia PA 19103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Site in Journalism (within shouting distance of this marker); On this block in 1940 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 22nd & Walnut (about 600

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feet away); 20th & Walnut (about 700 feet away); In 1870, St. James Episcopal Church filled this corner. (about 800 feet away); 2012 Delancey Place (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach (approx. 0.2 miles away); 1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.

Also see . . .
1. Barbara Gittings. Wikipedia article (Submitted on March 9, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)

2. The stories behind Philadelphia's LGBTQ historical markers (YouTube, 3:30). A CBS Philadelphia newsclip from 6/1/2023 (Submitted on June 3, 2023.)

Additional keywords. LGBT, LGBTQ, Daughters of Bilitis, 🏳️‍🌈

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 7, 2020

2. Barbara Gittings Marker

<i>Barbara Gittings picketing</i> image. Click for full size.

Nancy Tucker (photo courtesy of Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation and New York Public Library), July 4, 1969

3. Barbara Gittings picketing

"Reminder Day picketing at Independence Hall, Philadelphia (final year for the annual demonstration)." - NYPL

Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,433 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 8, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on March 8, 2020.