Stella Rush (April 30, 1925 – July 25, 2015), also known by her pen name Sten Russell, was an American journalist and

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

activist. She was a regular reporter for the gay rights magazine ''

ONE 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' (1954–1961) and the lesbian rights magazine ''

The Ladder A ladder is a runged climbing aid. Ladder, The Ladder, or Ladders may also refer to: Art, entertainment and media Film and television * "Ladders" (''Community''), the first episode of the sixth season of the sitcom ''Community'' * ''Ladders'', a ...

'' (1957–1968).

Early life and education

Rush was born on April 30, 1925, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Her father died when she was two years old, and she spent her childhood moving repeatedly between Los Angeles and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

with her mother. She graduated from

Dorsey High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School is a high school located in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school serves Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Village, Jefferson Park, West Adams a ...

in 1943. Rush attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

for two years and transferred to the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

for her third year; she left without graduating and took up a job at the

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is a tire company founded by Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled ...

Political activism

After graduating from Dorsey High School in 1943, she worked as an aircraft draftsman for

North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...

until 1945. Rush's career as a gay rights activist began as a writer for ''

'' magazine, joining the organization in 1953. She wrote her first article, a first-person account of the Los Angeles gay scene, in 1954 under the pseudonym "Sten Russell". She was a regular reporter for ''ONE'' until 1961. She became involved with the

Daughters of Bilitis The Daughters of Bilitis , also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesb ...

(DOB), a lesbian rights organization, in 1957, and was a co-founder and treasurer of the organization's Los Angeles chapter.

Involvement with The Ladder

She served as the Los Angeles reporter for its official publication, ''

''. She mainly reported on conferences, seminars, and new research into homosexuality, and also published poems in the magazine. She ceased working with the DOB in 1968, following the organization's merger with the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

, because she disagreed with the rhetoric of the feminist movement and felt that the campaign for women's rights victimized men.

Personal life

Rush was bisexual. She was in a relationship with

Helen Sandoz Helen Jane "Sandy" Sandoz (November 2, 1920 – June 7, 1987), also known by her pseudonym Helen Sanders, was an American lesbian rights activist and writer. She was involved in the Daughters of Bilitis and its official publication, ''The Ladder'', ...

for thirty years; they met in 1957 and lived together in

Silver Lake, Los Angeles Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe in honor of Sir Walter Scott. In 1907, the Los Angeles Water Department built the ...

, until Sandoz's death in 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Stella 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American lesbian writers American LGBT rights activists Activists from California Writers from Los Angeles American reporters and correspondents American magazine journalists American women non-fiction writers Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Daughters of Bilitis members 20th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers 21st-century American women writers American bisexual writers