Every day of Pride Month, Mashable will be sharing illuminating conversations with members of the LGBTQ community who are making history right now.
In the 50 years since the Stonewall uprising, America has made significant progress in the fight for LGBTQ rights. We still have a long way to go, but without the efforts of one remarkable individual, Mary Bonauto, we wouldn't have gotten as far as we are today.
For decades, the attorney, activist, and Civil Rights Project Director for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and equality, working cases around the country and playing a critical role in the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Among Bonauto's many achievements: making history serving as lead counsel in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the landmark case that led Massachusetts to become the first state to allow same-sex couples to legally marry in 2004. She also argued before the U.S. Supreme Courtin Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that led to the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015.
SEE ALSO:This young activist is fighting to keep LGBTQ youth safe from bullyingIn honor of Pride Month, Bonauto spoke with Mashable about the work she's doing with GLAD, the future milestones she hopes to see the LGBTQ community achieve, how people can get involved, and more.
The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.
Mary Bonauto: I went to a small practice in Maine after graduating from Northeastern University School of Law in 1987 and jumped into representing men with HIV — both discrimination cases and estate planning, and defending against bad and advocating for good HIV related legislation. I was one of three open lesbian attorneys in the state and soon was taking on all kinds of cases affecting our community. It was exciting, and my firm, Mittel & Heffernan, now known as Mittel Asen, was teaching me a great deal about being a lawyer. But I also couldn't resist the opportunity to work at GLAD as the first full-time attorney addressing sexual orientation related issues, so I took the job in 1990. I've been at GLAD ever since, and have grown as a lawyer and person as our communities' justice fights have expanded and deepened.
MB: GLAD's mission is to create a just society that is free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation. In addition to bringing strategic legal cases to New England State courts and in federal courts, we are active in state and federal legislative and policy advocacy, and in public education efforts to increase understanding, empathy, and support for LGBTQ equality. GLAD also supports our local New England communities by providing information about LGBTQ rights on our website, by presenting interactive workshops with community groups, and through our GLAD Answers line, where people can get free and confidential legal information and referrals.
MB: There are many people who contributed to these victories and the growing acceptance of LGBTQ people, and I never forget that. It took all of us, nationwide. For me, it’s about freeing up people to be who they are, have choices, and be part of the ever-widening circle of belonging. It’s been a ton of work, with tons more to go, and thankfully love and justice remain powerful motivators going forward.
MB: We are using all the tools we have to confront hostility from the federal government, such as our two ongoing cases challenging the transgender military ban.And as allies, we are pushing back against new and proposed rules undermining contraception and abortion access, LGBTQ healthcare nondiscrimination protections, shelter access for transgender people, vital data collection on LGBTQ youth in foster care, and more.
LGBTQ people are in the Supreme Court again, too, and in the next term that Court will decide whether to back the important rulings we’ve won — that both sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are discrimination "because of an individual’s sex." We have reasons to be very optimistic on that one since it is impossible to conceptualize an LGBTQ person without reference to "sex," and the text of the law is the key to coverage. We also continue federal policy advocacy on issues such as the Equality Act and other issues where LGBTQ people should be integrated into existing federal protections.
We continue to listen, learn, and build out the racial and economic justice lens on our work to make it more inclusive of all of us. New England is a place where we can see the intersecting efforts toward fairness and justice making a difference, even as it is very much a work in progress.
MB: Among the milestones I would like to see:
Achieving nationwide nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in jobs; housing; public accommodations; federal funding, both in the Courts and in the U.S. Congress; and an end to de jure discrimination against LGBTQ people, including ending the transgender military ban.
Ending the arguments that religious beliefs allow entities to defy nondiscrimination laws when they receive government funds to do a particular job, and individuals and businesses to pick and choose who among the public they can serve.
Understanding within our communities that we are one justice movement. LGBTQ people are part of every community and demographic in this nation, and some parts of our community — particularly people of color, those who are economically marginalized, women and trans people, and immigrants — require all of us to step up and collaborate even more in these times.
MB: Our website, notransmilitaryban.org, has up-to-date information on Trump’s transgender military ban and our efforts to fight it. GLAD is a partner on the protecttranshealth.org campaign, where people can make their voices heard in opposition to the Trump administration’s threats to remove transgender and LGB people from nondiscrimination protections in the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. House recently voted to pass the Equality Act, but we now all need to contact our senators to tell them to pass this bill that would provide explicit, comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people across the country. For those in New England, I encourage you to visit www.glad.org to learn about and support some of the state legislative issues we are engaged in this session, including access to accurate IDs for non-binary individuals; legal security for LGBTQ families; including non-married families; and advocating for inclusive sexual health education and the ability for minors to access PrEP to protect against HIV transmission. Lawyers can get involved with our lawyer referral service. And of course we have opportunities to volunteer at GLAD events and at our GLAD Answers line, and to support our work as a donor.
MB: I am learning Spanish so I can communicate directly with more people. I want to get better at quantitative data analysis so I am clear about when government agencies and others distort data. I want to learn more about AI and algorithmic justice issues because these threaten to reify existing inequalities in so many aspects of life. There’s a long list … And as I have over the last 30 years, I want to make sure GLAD’s work moves the ball with love and justice for all.
Read more great Pride Month stories:
Explore Stonewall National Monument's digital makeover and add your own story
Man designs a beautiful rainbow turban for Pride
This young activist is fighting to keep LGBTQ youth safe from bullying
TopicsActivismLGBTQ
(责任编辑：娛樂)
Old lady swatting at a cat ends up in Photoshop battle
We all have that relative who gets annoyed with the cat.
。This timeless photo of an old woman shooing
...[详细]
膠原蛋白是我們皮膚最重要的物質組成成分之一 ，是保證皮膚彈性的關鍵 ，所以大家針對皮膚鬆弛的情況 ，可以食用一些膠原蛋白進行補充。服用膠原蛋白應該要注意食用量 ，還需要了解最佳的服用時間 ，最好是時間是晚上睡覺
...[详细]
豆腐和柿子都是我們生活中比較常見的食物 ，而且我們在燉菜的時候加入一些柿子
，還可以起到調味的功效，柿子裏麵富含的維生素比較多 ，豆腐是用豆子製作出來的
，富含蛋白質，燉豆腐的時候加入一些柿子就能夠燉出番茄口
...[详细]
北方豆腐腦之所以吃起來那麽美味都是因為湯汁
，如果是湯汁做的不夠好也是會讓味道變得不是很好吃 ，不過湯汁在做法上麵也不是很困難
，隻要是熬製時間掌握好就可以讓湯汁更加的濃稠一些 ，味道也會更鮮美
，大概需要熬製
...[详细]New Zealand designer's photo series celebrates the elegance of aging
Not only is age nothin’ but a number -- it can be a asset when it comes to style. 。 That’
...[详细]
山藥中含有大量的澱粉，所以烹飪時間較長的山藥 ，吃起來口感軟糯，就算是牙口不好的人也不在話下。與此同時最常見的山藥做法莫過於山藥排骨湯，因為山藥排骨湯融合了山藥與排骨的味道，讓湯羹變得更加鮮美
，營養價值
...[详细]How to watch 'The Jinx: Part Two': Release date and streaming deals
How to watch 'The Jinx: Part Two' at a glance:BEST MAX DEAL FOR MOST PEOPLEMax With Ads annual subsc
...[详细]
生活中很多男性的酒癮是非常大的
，而且在很多應酬中都可能會大量的飲酒 ，不管從身體健康層麵還是從其他方麵來看 ，男性飲酒的危害都是非常大的 。還有些人正處於備孕的過程中 ，這個階段一定要注意控製酒的用量，避免影
...[详细]These glasses hide a fitness tracker on your face
The last time a company tried popularizing wearable tech embedded in glasses, most notably with Goog
...[详细]
男性沒有性生活中有可能是因為性功能減退或者對自己的夫妻沒有感覺 ，可以通過吸引的方法提高丈夫的性需求
，變換不同的性生活方式可以提高夫妻自己的性生活質量 ，同時
，男性沒有性需求可以吃一些補腎的食物，比如韭菜
...[详细]
女性下肢涼是什麽原因
小孩手腳發黃眼睛不黃
Richard Branson 'thought he was going to die' in bike accident