Ada Bello papers

Ada Bello was a lesbian, Cuban immigrant, chemist, and prolific activist for LGBTQ+ civil rights in Philadelphia during the latter half of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century. Bello's contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ+ civil rights in Philadelphia and the United States are characterized by early and continued involvement with groups such as the Daughters of Bilitis, the Homophile Action League, the Gay Task Force of the American Library Association, the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia (now the William Way LGBT Community Center), the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the LGBT Elder Initiative.

Bello was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1933. Her family lived in different provincial towns throughout her upbringing, and Bello then went on to attend the University of Havana from 1953 until 1956. After Fulgencio Batista closed the universities, Bello was forced to pause her studies in Cuba. In 1958 she left Cuba to continue her education at Louisiana State University (LSU).

From 1958 to 1961 Bello attended LSU, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, Bello worked in Picayune, Mississippi. In 1962, at the encouragement of a friend who had moved to Philadelphia about six months prior, Bello drove herself and her cat up to Philadelphia, where she would stay with her friend Lourdes Alvarez, another Cuban lesbian, until Bello could support herself financially.

In Cuba, Bello was closeted. She describes the Cuba of her childhood as a hostile environment for queer people; part of her impetus to leave the country had been a keen awareness of the lack of options before her as a gay woman living in Cuba. While at LSU, Bello and her friends would often drive into New Orleans to attend the gay bars. In Philadelphia, Bello would often frequent gay and lesbian bars, as well as the gay beach in Atlantic City.

In the summer of 1967, Bello became a founding member of the Philadelphia chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. The Philadelphia chapter of Daughters of Bilitis set about publishing a newsletter, which Bello co-edited along with Carol Friedman. At the time she was concerned not just with gay civil rights, but with feminism and anti-racism.

Bello remembers that even though there were more options for socializing as a queer women in Philadelphia than in her previous homes, they were under constant threat of surveillance and attack, and had to behave in clandestine ways.

As a member of the Philadelphia Daughters of Bilitis chapter, Bello challenged police harassment of lesbians. One Saturday night in 1968, the police raided Rusty's (1116 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA), a popular lesbian bar. These raids were common, but this one was unique in that over a dozen women were taken into custody. Some of these women contacted the Philadelphia Daughters of Bilitis chapter, who got in touch with the ACLU through Barbara Gittings. With this support, the group arranged a meeting with the Philadelphia police during which they challenged their harassment.

Almost a year after the formation of the Philadelphia Daughters of Bilitis chapter, the chapter was dissolved and some members, including Bello and Friedman, formed the Homophile Action League (HAL). This group was more action-focused than the Daughters of Bilitis group had been. According to Bello, this group served as a bridge between the approaches of the gay civil rights movement before and after Stonewall. During its three years of operation, HAL put out a newsletter, held public forums with politicians (such as Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp), and sponsored the first public gay dances (St. Mary's Church at 39th and Locust), among other actions. HAL was also heavily involved in the first Christopher Street Liberation Day in New York City.

In 1968, Bello became a citizen of the United States.

In 1969, she participated in the final Annual Reminder protest in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Bello went on to be closely involved in several Philadelphia gay civil rights organizations and initiatives. In the late 1970s or early 1980s, Bello joined the board of the Gay Community Center, which would go on to become the Penguin Place and finally the William Way LGBT Community Center. Bello was part of visionary planning meetings at Bill Way's apartment during the period when the community center did not have a physical address (the Center did not have a physical space from 1984 to 1988).

Bello also was a founding member of the LGBT Elder Initiative (as of 2022, known as the William Way Elder Initiative) in 2010, and served on its board of directors until 2019.

Finally, following her retirement from her chemist position at the FDA, Bello volunteered as a long-term care ombudsman through the Center at the Park from 2000 to 2019.

Bello received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Louisiana State University in 1961; and received her Master of Science degree in Chemistry from St. Joseph's University in 1971. From 1961 to 1962 she worked as a Research Chemist at the Pan-American Tung Research and Development League in Mississippi. In August of 1962, Bello started as a Technical Assistant at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1969 to 1980, she worked as a Research Specialist for the University. From 1980 to 1999, Bello worked as a Chemist for the Food and Drug Administration.

Bello passed away on March 31st, 2023, at Chestnut Hill Hospital, as a result of pneumonia and COVID-19. A memorial service was held on April 14, 2023 at Cathedral Village retirement community in Philadelphia.