Sallie Fiske

Sallie Maranda Fiske (c. 1928 – February 19, 2004) was an American journalist, television host, and lesbian rights activist. She was among the first women to work in broadcast journalism in Los Angeles, and she later became active in California LGBTQ+ politics, particularly in West Hollywood.

Early life and education Fiske was born in San Francisco and raised in Southern California, the daughter of journalist Frank Fiske and actress Dorothy Guthrie. After graduating from Fullerton College in the late 1940s, she worked for the May Company department store chain as a fashion buyer and in advertising and public relations. Fellow activist Ivy Bottini credited Fiske with playing an indispensable role in fundraising and strategy. After Terrigno’s campaign, Fiske served as co-chair of the Stonewall Democratic Club. She was Terrigno's lover during this time period, and she also spoke publicly against Terrigno's indictment for embezzlement. Fiske was quoted as saying, "I believe the whole thing smacks of a witch hunt. There are government agencies that are against women, against gay people, against lesbians. I am appalled."

In 1985, Fiske founded the West Hollywood Paper, a weekly community newspaper that covered local politics and LGBTQ+ issues. Although it closed after two years, she continued freelance writing and later edited Queer Blood (1994), a book about the origins of HIV.

Death Fiske died on February 19, 2004, at her home in West Hollywood at the age of 75 after a year of declining health. Her papers are preserved at the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California.

The Los Angeles Times described Fiske as a pioneering television journalist and longtime gay-rights activist. Journalist Shelby Grad described her as a mentor whose "empathy and rage at the forces she felt were killing her community" transformed those around her.

Personal life Fiske was briefly married in the 1950s and had one daughter, Deborah, and a granddaughter, Sallie.