Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders
Encyclopedia
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is a non-profit legal rights organization in the United States. The organization was founded in 1978, and works toward ending discrimination based on sexual orientation
, HIV
status, and gender identity and expression.
GLAD is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and serves the entire New England
area of the United States. Services it provides include litigation, advocacy, and educational work in all areas of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) civil rights and the rights of people living with HIV. The organization also operates a telephone hotline and website.
In 2003, GLAD received national attention for its work in winning marriage
rights for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. It successfully argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples was a violation of the state constitution.
Beginning in March 2009, GLAD has filed Federal Court
challenges to Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act
that prevents the federal government from providing certain federal rights and benefits and assigning certain responsibilities to individuals in same-sex marriages, including Gill v. Office of Personnel Management
, Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
, and Pedersen v. Office of Personnel Management
.
On June 30, 2011, EqualityMaine and GLAD announced plans to place a voter initiative in support of same-sex marriage on Maine's November 2012 ballot.
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
status, and gender identity and expression.
GLAD is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and serves the entire New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area of the United States. Services it provides include litigation, advocacy, and educational work in all areas of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) civil rights and the rights of people living with HIV. The organization also operates a telephone hotline and website.
In 2003, GLAD received national attention for its work in winning marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
rights for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. It successfully argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples was a violation of the state constitution.
Beginning in March 2009, GLAD has filed Federal Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
challenges to Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
that prevents the federal government from providing certain federal rights and benefits and assigning certain responsibilities to individuals in same-sex marriages, including Gill v. Office of Personnel Management
Gill v. Office of Personnel Management
Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management 699 F.Supp.2d 374 is a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts...
, Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services 698 F.Supp.2d 234 is a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts...
, and Pedersen v. Office of Personnel Management
Pedersen v. Office of Personnel Management
Pedersen et al. v. Office of Personnel Management is a lawsuit filed on November 9, 2010, in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut...
.
On June 30, 2011, EqualityMaine and GLAD announced plans to place a voter initiative in support of same-sex marriage on Maine's November 2012 ballot.
See also
- Straight allyStraight allyStraight ally is a colloquial term that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ social movements, and challenges homophobia. A straight ally believes that LGBT people suffer discrimination and thus are socially disadvantaged...
- Gay %26 Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and GaysParents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and GaysParents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a socio-political group of family members and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Its mission statement describes the goals of PFLAG as promoting health and well being of LGBT persons as well as actively supporting...
(PFLAG) - LGBT rights in the United States
- Mary BonautoMary BonautoMary Bonauto is an American lawyer and civil rights advocate who has worked to eradicate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She began working with the Massachusetts-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders organization in 1990...
– works with GLAD
External links
- Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders — official website