Alongside Lambda Legal’s high-profile cases challenging the lawlessness of the Trump Administration, Lambda Legal is meeting the moment with a bold policy agenda to confront the countless attacks against our communities by forging a future where LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV can thrive.
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV, unveils more of its visionary “New LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights.” Inspired by the legacy of the original “Homosexual Bill of Rights”, this policy push is part of Lambda Legal’s five-year Strategic Plan, “Rising Together,” that is designed to meet the unprecedented challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities across the country. Beginning this month, Lambda Legal will release a series of new educational materials, videos, and storytelling from people impacted by these policies.
“At a time when LGBTQ+ communities and everyone living with HIV face coordinated attacks in legislatures, courts, schools, workplaces, and health care systems, Lambda Legal is focused on forging the future that our community deserves. That’s the heart of our New Bill of Rights”, said Cathryn Oakley (she/her), Deputy Legal Director for Policy at Lambda Legal. “Our movement succeeds when we pair bold legal advocacy with courageous storytelling that illuminates who we are. The New LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights is ambitious, but it is what we deserve –and Lambda Legal doesn’t back down from a worthy fight.”
“In the past decade, we have faced unprecedented assaults on our civil rights,” said Kevin Jennings (he/him), CEO at Lambda Legal. “That’s why we are launching Lambda Legal’s Bill of Rights to confront these attacks. Our new Bill of Rights lays out not only what we need to protect but also a visionary agenda for what kind of America we want to see in 25, 50, or 100 years. And it is possible. When our community developed the first Bill of Rights in 1968 it sounded like wishful thinking, but today, 50 years later, all of those goals – such as abolishing sodomy laws –were achieved or even exceeded. When our movement has organized and fought, we have won – the right to love, to serve our country, and to marry. Our Bill of Rights blueprint comes at the right time as a call to action to declare what’s possible.”
The LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights builds on decades of progress to confront today’s realities. It centers five interconnected priorities:
- HEALTH: Quality, affordable, and culturally competent health care that allows all LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV to thrive.
- EDUCATION: Public education that respects and cultivates the full potential of every student.
- OPPORTUNITY: A Society of Opportunity that offers all LGBTQ+ people meaningful and dignified access to the American economy and our society.
- FAMILY: A Culture of Belonging for LGBTQ+ people and their families.
- DEMOCRACY: A Constitutional Republic that truly represents and serves LGBTQ+ individuals.
Launching our call for a New Bill of Rights complements Lambda Legal’s broader Strategic Plan, which aligns the organization’s litigation, public education, advocacy, and movement-building efforts around securing lasting protections and expanding opportunity for LGBTQ+ communities nationwide. The Strategic Plan and LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights serve as a guide for advocates, community members, policymakers, and allies who share a commitment to advancing equality, justice, and belonging for all.
Lambda Legal’s recent litigation includes nine high-profile lawsuits against the Trump Administration, including against the transgender military ban, ensuring access to gender affirming care as well as access to school sports, the last two reaching the Supreme Court in the past two years.
To learn more about “Rising Together” Lambda Legal’s Strategic Plan and the New LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights, visit www.lambdalegal.org/strategic-plan.
To support the work ahead towards “Rising Together” and our new LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights, please visit www.lambdalegal.org/RisingForEquality.
Read The Advocate’s exclusive interview with Kevin Jennings and Cathryn Oakley on the New LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights: Lambda Legal borrows right’s playbook for LGBTQ+ equality | Advocate.com