Most Famous Lesbian Couples

Much of our history has shown that as a nation we have not tolerated same sex relationships, and until recently those who were involved in them hid the facts from the public eye. In recent years however that has changed and this has brought to light many famous lesbian couples, whether because of their own celebrity or their relationship to famous people. Finding the stories of these ladies is not always easy as many of them kept their "secrets" and took them to the grave; for many, very little is known about them. Here are six well known lesbian couples and a little bit about them.

· Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas are perhaps one of the first notable lesbian couples in modern history. As their relationship grew so did Stein's involvement in the gay/lesbian movement. The two of them were so deeply in love with each and the relationship so close that renowned author Hemmingway called them husband (Stein) and wife (Toklas). The two were together as a couple from 1907 until Stein's death in 1946.

· Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin are founding members of the first lesbian organization in the U.S. called the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco in 1953. They have been together for 58 years and are writers of many books about lesbians, and are very active in the lesbian and women's rights movement. They were the first lesbian couple to get married in San Francisco in 2004.

· Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner hid their relationship from the public eye for many years while they co-wrote most of Lily's comedy routines. Although they never had a formal "coming out", Lily now talks freely about their relationship and the profound effect that it has had on her career. When asked about her sexuality and what turns her on by the Seattle Times, Lily replied; "Jane Wagner".

· Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter met at a date in 1998 and have since become one of the more talked about couples in Hollywood. They now run a cruise line specifically targeted towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. They married each other in San Francisco on February 26^th, 2004 during that brief period where such marriages were allowed. Together they have three adopted children and one that Kelli gave birth to.

· Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have been a couple since December of 2004 and are open about their love for each other. Quoted in People magazine Ellen says; "we are just supposed to be together". On her TV show May 16^th 2008 Ellen made the announcement that since it was now legal for the two of them to get married that "for the first time, I am getting married" which, they did on August 16^th 2008.

· Mary Cheney and Heather Poe have been together for almost ten years, despite her father and President G.W. Bush's stance on gay/lesbian marriage. IN fact they are both outspoken advocates on gay/lesbian rights. They live happily together with their son Samuel David Cheney just outside Washington D.C. And although the laws do not allow for it they both say that in their minds they are already married.

History is filled with lesbians and their stories of courage and hardship as they have endured years of public scorn, families that have shunned them and laws that repress their love for each other. Through it all they have persevered in the hopes that one day they might be able to show the whole world that their love is just as real as that of any heterosexual love.