Dr. Lilli Vincenz (1937-2023)

Dr. Lilli Vincenz was a pioneering leader whose work as a journalist, filmmaker, and psychotherapist empowered the national gay civil rights movement. In 1965 she participated in the first gay rights protest at the White House, and in 1969 she co-founded the Washington Blade newspaper. Her documentaries recording significant gay rights marches brought visibility to the movement. A resident of Arlington County, she hosted the Gay Women’s Open House in her home near here in Columbia Heights West from 1971 to 1979. The weekly gatherings allowed lesbians, bisexuals, and women questioning their sexuality to meet in comfort and safety and fostered the development of the region’s openly LGBTQ+ community.