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Madeline Davis

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Madeline Davis
BornJuly 7, 1940
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 28, 2021(2021-04-28) (aged 80)
Amherst, New York, U.S.
Alma materUniversity at Buffalo
Organizations
Notable workBoots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community
SpousesAllen Romano (m. 1960s; div.)[1]
Wendy Smiley
​
(m. 1995)​

Madeline Davis (July 7, 1940 – April 28, 2021) was an American LGBT activist and historian.[2] In 1970 she was a founding member of the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier, the first gay rights organization in Western New York.[3] Davis became the first openly lesbian delegate at a major party national convention, speaking at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.[4] The same year, she taught with Margaret Small the first course on lesbianism in the United States, titled "Lesbianism 101" at the University at Buffalo.[5]

In 1993, she co-authored Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community, a history of gay women in Buffalo, New York, that won awards from the American Sociological Association,[6] the American Anthropological Association[7] and the Lambda Literary Foundation.[8] She also participated in the founding of the HAG Theatre Company, the first all-lesbian theater company in the U.S., in 1994.[9]

Early life

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Madeline Davis was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 7, 1940,[10] to a factory worker at Ford Motor plant and a homemaker, Harriet, who had attended nursing school.[11] She was the oldest of three children and described a happy upbringing in Buffalo's East Side,[10] describing herself as a "nice Jewish girl".[11]

At 16 she got a job at the North Jefferson branch of the Buffalo Public Library.[11] She graduated from Bennett High School in 1958[10] and earned a college scholarship, where she got a job working as a page at Lockwood Memorial Library.[11] In the 1960s Davis graduated with a degree in English and a Master of Library and Science degree from the University at Buffalo.[11] Around this time, Davis also began singing regularly at Buffalo's beatnik coffeehouses and.[11]

Politics and research

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Davis was a founder of the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier in 1970 and eventually became president of the organization.[10] She began by organizing a library for the group but, lacking publications, she and other members created Fifth Freedom, the earliest magazine for the LGBT community in western New York.[5] In the 1970s, Davis organized "Legislative Night", at which local candidates for public office, for the first time in Buffalo political history, answered questions and sought endorsements.[10] Davis marched and spoke at the first gay rights rally at the New York State Capitol in 1971, and participated in the original effort to lobby that state's legislature on behalf of the gay rights movement.[5] As part of the Political Action Committee of Mattachine, she confronted the Buffalo Vice Squad on the issue of entrapment and gay bar raids.[10]

In 1972, she became the first openly lesbian delegate in a major political convention when she was elected as a George McGovern delegate for New York's 37th Congressional district[12] to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Miami, Florida.[4][13] At the DNC, Davis was the first lesbian to urge the party to include gay rights as part of the 1972 platform of the Democratic Party.[14][15] Davis became a member of the Democratic Committee, and worked within the party for the acceptance of gays and lesbians.[4]

In 1972, while studying for a master's degree in women's history, Davis, with Margaret Small, taught the first course on lesbianism in the United States: "Lesbianism 101" in the American studies department at the University of Buffalo.[5] About 20 students enrolled and up to another 20 audited the course.[16] Davis taught a renamed version of the course, "Woman + Woman", in 1978, with a focus on lesbian history.[14] The interview tapes from this course's final project were used as a foundation for the Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, begun in 1978, seeking to document the lives of older lesbians.[5]

In 1973, Davis organized a Pride workshop for friends and families of gays and lesbians, which later became the local PFLAG chapter and continued to chair yearly Pride workshops on GLBT history and culture.[10] The day before the 1976 DNC, she spoke at a protest near Madison Square Garden about the criminalization of homosexuality.[17]

In 1988, she addressed the American Library Association's 95th conference, on AIDS in the workplace.[4] Davis lectured on women's history, sex, and gender issues at a number of universities.[4]

In 1993, with Elizabeth L. Kennedy, Davis co-authored Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community, gathering 14 years of research into the history of gay women in Buffalo from the 1930s to the 1960s.[18][19][20][21] Based on oral histories of 45 women,[22] the book won awards from the American Sociological Association, the American Anthropological Association and the Lambda Literary Foundation,[8][7][6] and was reprinted on its 20th anniversary.[5] Davis published numerous journal and magazine articles on sexuality and women's history, as well as short stories and poetry.[4]

In 2001, Davis founded the Buffalo Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Archives, which collects and preserves the history of Buffalo and western New York's gay communities.[23] The archives were moved to the E. H. Butler Library at Buffalo State College in 2009 and called the Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York. The archives house the largest collection of LGBTQ+ documents in the region.[24][23] Retired in 1995 from her day job as a chief conservator[22] and head of preservation in the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System,[4] Davis worked as a writer, archivist, historian, political activist, and director of the archives.[25]

In 2009, Davis was the subject of the documentary film Swimming with Lesbians, directed by David B. Marshall. The documentary outlined her work with the archives as well as her personal life and that of her close friends.[26] The film won the Mary Elizabeth Knight Award (a juried award for best local film) at the 2009 ImageOUT film festival in Rochester, New York.[27]

In 2012, Davis was inducted into The Advocate's Hall of Fame.[28] Davis was the inductee representing 1972, the year she became the first openly gay delegate to a major party's national convention.[4]

Davis continued to be involved in politics, and served as the vice president for community liaison for Stonewall Democrats.[10]

Music

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Following her 1971 speech at the gay rights march in Albany, Davis wrote a poem titled, "From the Steps of the Capitol, 1971" as well as a song "Stonewall Nation" on the way home, inspired by the protest crowd.[5] The song was recorded, released (with the poem) as a record to raise funds for the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier,[16] and became the first gay liberation record.[5] In 2018, music website Pitchfork named it to a list of "50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride".[29]

Davis continued to perform women's music throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, Davis produced a tape of original lesbian music titled Daughter of All Women which included the songs "Stonewall Nation" and "Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold," which would later form both the title and the epigraph of the history book she co-wrote with Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy.[30] She also organized and performed benefit concerts for the gay community in Buffalo. Over the course of her career, she composed over 45 songs, most with gay and lesbian themes.[4]

Additionally, in 1994, Davis co-founded Black Triangle Women's Percussion Ensemble.[4] In the early 2000s, she continued to perform on djembe, conga, and other Afro-Caribbean instruments with the percussion group, Drawing Down the Moon.[4]

Theater

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In 1971 Davis wrote, directed and produced Liberella, a feminist comedy reimagining a Cinderella who runs away with the fairy godmother.[31] She was a founding member of HAG Theatre, the first all lesbian theater company in the U.S.[4] In 1988, she became a member of Buffalo United Artists.[4] In 1993, she received an Artie Award nomination for her portrayal of Mary Mallon in the one-woman drama, Cookin' With Typhoid Mary by Carolyn Gage, directed by Margaret Smith.[4]

Personal life

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In her twenties, Davis became aware of her sexual orientation as a lesbian but married a man because of social pressure.[11] He knew of her relationships with women but they ultimately divorced after a year and a half for other reasons.[11]

In 1990, Davis moved to Kenmore, New York, to care for her aging mother.[10]

In 1995, Davis and Wendy Smiley married at Temple Beth Zion in the first same-sex marriage performed in the Buffalo Jewish Community.[10] Davis and Smiley first met in 1974 when Smiley heard Davis perform in a coffeehouse.[10] The couple renewed their vows several times, including in 2011 after New York State recognized same-sex marriages.[10]

Davis was a reiki master, with a specialty in animal healing.[10] With Smiley, she began work on breed rescue for Keeshond dogs.[10]

After undergoing gastric bypass surgery (GBS) in 2000 out of concern for her health, Davis founded a GBS support group that became a network of 13 GBS support groups in four counties.[10]

Davis moved to Amherst, New York, in 2006.[10] She suffered a stroke in January 2021 and died on April 28, 2021, in her home in Amherst.[10]

Awards

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Publications

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  • Davis, Madeline; Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky (1986). "Oral History and the Study of Sexuality in the Lesbian Community: Buffalo, New York, 1940–1960". Feminist Studies. 12 (1): 7. doi:10.2307/3177981. JSTOR 3177981.
  • Nestle, Joan, ed. (1992). "The Femme Tapes". The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader. Boston: Alyson Books. ISBN 1-55583-190-7. OCLC 25412061.
  • Nestle, Joan, ed. (1992). "'They Was No One to Mess With': The Construction of the Butch Role in the Lesbian Community of the 1940s and 1950". The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader. Boston: Alyson Books. ISBN 1-55583-190-7. OCLC 25412061.
  • Davis, Madeline D.; Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky (2014) [1994]. Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-66397-3. OCLC 880147850.
  • Califia, Pat; Sweeney, Robin, eds. (1996). "The Piercing". The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications. ISBN 1-55583-281-4. OCLC 35449573.
  • Harris, Laura; Crocker, Elizabeth, eds. (1997). "Forever Femme: A Soap Opera in Many Acts and an Agony of Analysis". Femme: Feminists, Lesbians, and Bad Girls. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-91873-1. OCLC 36186830.

References

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  1. ^ Windsor, Annabelle (June 18, 2021). "Madeline Davis, Who Spoke to the Nation as a Lesbian, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  2. ^ "LGLC - LGLC - Madeline Davis". lglc.ca. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "LGLC - LGLC - August 22 Toronto Three hundred […]". lglc.ca. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Commencement 2016: Madeline D. Davis to Receive SUNY Honorary Doctorate". Buffalo State University. May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rock, Kristy (June 26, 2019). "Madeline Davis: Revolutionist of Record". Qween City. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Jessie Bernard Award". American Sociological Association. May 29, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "The Ruth Benedict Prize". AQA. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "6th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. July 14, 1994. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  9. ^ AJ (June 1, 2021). "'Well, I'm a Lesbian:' Remembering Madeline Davis". AfterEllen. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Anderson, Dale (April 29, 2021). "Madeline Davis, 80, trailblazing gay and lesbian activist and historian". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Continelli, Louise (March 28, 1993). "Marching to a Different Beat: Madeline Davis Gains Attention as an Activist, Author and Scholar". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  12. ^ Weisman, Steven R. (June 16, 1972). "5 Gay Candidates Are in State Contests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Self, Robert O. (2012). All in the family : the realignment of American democracy since the 1960s (First ed.). New York: Hill and Wang. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-8090-9502-5. OCLC 768728945.
  14. ^ a b Iovannone, Jeffry J. (June 14, 2018). "Madeline Davis: Lesbian Delegate". Queer History For the People. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Martin, Michel (July 21, 2014). "Longtime LGBT Activist Reflects On The Early Days Of Her Advocacy". NPR. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Skir, Leo (March 26, 1973). "Madeline Davis". Gay. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  17. ^ Davis, Hamilton E. (July 12, 1976). "Tensions are Gone". The Ithaca Journal. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Freedman, Estelle B. (June 7, 1993). "Won't You Come Out Tonight? (cover story)". Nation. 256 (22): 774–776.
  19. ^ Simmons, Christina (1994). "Review of Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community". The American Historical Review. 99 (4): 1416–1418. doi:10.2307/2168964. ISSN 0002-8762. JSTOR 2168964.
  20. ^ Boyd, Nan Alamilla (1994). "Review of Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community". Gender and Society. 8 (3): 472–474. doi:10.1177/089124394008003014. ISSN 0891-2432. JSTOR 189720. S2CID 220474607.
  21. ^ Cvetkovich, Ann (1995). "Review of Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community; Cherry Grove, Fire Island: Sixty Years in America's First Gay and Lesbian Town". Signs. 21 (1): 212–215. doi:10.1086/495059. ISSN 0097-9740. JSTOR 3175139.
  22. ^ a b Delombard, Jeannine (October 24, 1993). "Buffalo Gals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "The Madeline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Digital Archives". Digital Commons at Buffalo State. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  24. ^ Dunbar, Hope M. "E. H. Butler Library: Archives & Special Collections: Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York [ca. 1920-2018]". library.buffalostate.edu. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  25. ^ Singer, Mark (August 13, 2012). "Platform". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "Swimming With Lesbians: An Historical Film". Buffalo Rising. July 22, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  27. ^ "Local Filmmaker Award". ImageOut. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  28. ^ "Commencement 2016: Madeline D. Davis to Receive SUNY Honorary Doctorate". SUNY Buffalo State. May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  29. ^ "50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride". Pitchfork. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  30. ^ Davis, Madeline (January 4, 1983). ""Stonewall Nation," Daughter of All Women Album". Music & Songs. The Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York, Archives & Special Collections Department, E. H. Butler Library, SUNY Buffalo State. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "New Sexual Life Styles". Playboy. September 1973. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
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