The Ladder (magazine)

The Ladder was the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the United States. Published from 1956 to 1972 (bimonthly in 1971 and 1972), The Ladder was the primary monthly publication and method of communication for the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the first lesbian organization in the US. It was supported by ONE, Inc. and the Mattachine Society, with whom the DOB retained friendly relations. The name of the magazine was derived from the artwork on its first cover, simple line drawings showing figures moving towards a ladder that disappeared into the clouds.

The DOB disbanded in 1970 due to internal disputes, and two of the magazine's original editors joined the National Organization for Women and encouraged the readers of The Ladder to do the same. The DOB president Rita LaPorte took possession of the 3,800-member mailing list of the magazine and effectively took over the magazine as well. LaPorte and Barbara Grier continued to publish it until September 1972 when they ran out of funds. There was a controversy about the unauthorized use of the mailing list, with claims that it was stolen.