Betty G. Miller

Betty G. Miller, who signed many of her later paintings “Bettigee,” was a lesbian at a time when it was not just socially unacceptable, but also illegal. Despite knowing since childhood that she was attracted to women, Miller did almost no artwork expressing her feelings about, or experience with, being gay.

Instead, she is best known for expressing her deaf experience. The second half of the 20th century was a period of transition in which society became more accepting of homosexuality, and Betty began to relax and feel freer. She had a commitment ceremony in February 1988 with Nancy Creighton when gay weddings were not yet legal.

Miller died in December 2012, just a few months before the United States Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional for the US federal government to ban same-sex marriage.