No matter the results of the 2024 General Election across the US, the Boston–based GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders has the backs of the LGBTQ+ community in New England and across the country — and with a new battle-seasoned executive director, Ricardo Martinez (he/him), formerly CEO of Equality Texas, at the helm.
As CEO of Texas’ largest nonpartisan statewide LGTBQ+ political advocacy organization since 2019, Martinez has been on the front lines in one of the key battleground states in the current national wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Under his leadership, Equality Texas led advocacy efforts to defeat 96 percent of 140+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed during the 2023 state legislative session and 99 percent of 76 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in 2021.
Says Martinez in a press release today:
As someone who has done this work in Texas, a microcosm of the worst-case scenario you may be imagining right now, I know that strategic resistance leads to a path forward.
I have hope today because I believe in the power of our community. We are visionary, we are courageous, and we have imagined and achieved progress in the face of formidable opposition that some thought impossible.
The fights to come may be some of the most challenging of our lives, and we may not win every time in the short term.
But together, we will show up for each other, we will persist, and we will prevail. Because we know how to fight against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Also, at their recent Spirit of Justice Awards dinner, the organization announced a new acronym+ as they move forward into a new year with a potentially more hostile political climate.
As they explain the update:
After nearly 50 years of winning precedent-setting legal victories for our community, we are excited to announce a new chapter: GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders will now also be known as GLAD Law, rather than simply GLAD.
We know that using our long-time acronym ‘GLAD’ has occasionally caused confusion with other organizations with similar names. We’re making the switch to GLAD Law not just to clear up any confusion, but to foreground our legacy of reshaping the legal landscape to advance equality for all. GLAD Law expresses our determination that LGBTQ+ people belong – in our laws, in our Constitution, and in public life.
Our mission isn’t changing. We are as committed as ever to our roots in New England and our national impact fighting discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or HIV status.
And in today’s climate of increasing threats to civil liberties, legal advocacy, and education about decisions that impact the LGBTQ+ community are more needed than ever. No matter the challenge, GLAD Law will continue to guard against growing extremism, and we will continue to fight for you.
Looking to the future, we’re eager to continue building on GLAD Law’s legacy by working in the courts, in state legislatures, and through public education to tackle emerging threats to LGBTQ+ rights and using our voice to support policies that advance and protect the rights of our community.
We’re so excited to kick off this new chapter at such a critical time. Thank you for your support and allyship as we move forward in this work — together.
More: glad.org
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!