Beth Elliott

Beth Elliott (born 1950) is an American trans lesbian folk-singer, activist, and writer. In the early 1970s Elliot was involved with the Daughters of Bilitis and the West Coast Lesbian Conference in California. She became a controversial figure when members of these groups felt she didn't qualify as a woman and rejected her inclusion.

Elliott served as vice-president of the San Francisco chapter of the lesbian political group Daughters of Bilitis from 1971 to 1972, during which she served as editor of the chapter's newsletter, Sisters. When she first joined in 1971, her right to join was heatedly debated because of the gender she was assigned at birth. Yet she was accepted and served until late 1972 when accusations of sexual harassment from former friend, lesbian separatist, and anti-trans feminist activist, Bev Jo Von Dohre, led to a decisive vote. The result was 35 to 28 against the inclusion of Elliott and all trans women from the group. When Del Martin announced the 35–28 vote, the entire editorial staff of Sisters walked out, leaving the group over the decision.

Beth Elliott continued her involvement in the women's movement and helped to create the West Coast Lesbian Conference which took place in April 1973. She was on the organization committee and was asked to perform as a singer in the conference's entertainment program. However, on the first night when she took the stage she met considerable opposition. Lesbian separatist group, The Gutter Dykes, had leafleted in protest of Elliott's presence, claiming she was a man, and approached the stage with hostility. Other performers, Jeanne Cordova, Robin Tyler, and Patty Harrison, have stated that they responded by defending Elliott and established the need for a vote on whether Elliott's performance should continue. It took over an hour to count the roughly 1,300 attendees and resulted in a reported two-thirds in favor of Elliott's performance. Some accounts state 3:1 in Elliott’s favor while others state it as a bare majority Elliott gave a brief performance and went on to leave the conference. The following day, keynote speaker Robin Morgan gave her address, which she had altered after the events of the previous night. In the speech, titled "Lesbianism and Feminism: Synonyms or Contradictions?" Morgan referred to Elliott as a "gatecrashing...male transvestite" and, using male pronouns, charged her as "an opportunist, an infiltrator, and a destroyer-with the mentality of a rapist."

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