All Podcasts
The Best Interest of Children: Babets v. Johnston
GLAD fought against an anti-gay foster care policy in Massachusetts in 1985. Don Babets and David Jean became the center of a media frenzy and reluctant pioneers in advancing the rights of gay parents when two foster children were removed from their care after a story appeared about the family in The Boston Globe. Though the children were never returned to the Babets-Jean home, their suit resulted in changes in policy, focusing on the best interests of the children rather than the sexual orientation of the parents.
Attorney Ben Klein Explains the CT Marriage Equality Decision
On October 10, 2008, Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples in the Constitution State deserve marriage. Not domestic partnerships or civil unions, but full and equal marriage and the respect and security that only marriage provides.
The ruling, in GLAD’s case Kerrigan & Mock et al v. Connecticut Department of Public Health, makes Connecticut the second state in New England—and the third in the United States—to swing open the doors to true equality for lesbian and gay couples.
Here, attorney Ben Klein, who argued the case before the Connecticut Supreme Court, describes the moments leading up to hearing the Court’s ruling, and provides analysis of the decision. Plaintiffs Janet Peck and Carol Conklin also share their thoughts.
Get more information on this decision here.
Yes This Was Real: In re Nancy Walsh
Even at times of overwhelming national tragedy, gay people can be treated unfairly. On September 11, 2001, Nancy Walsh of New Hampshire lost her partner, Carol Flyzik, on Flight 11. GLAD applied for and won for Nancy compensation from the federal September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, and also assisted Nancy as she sought Carol’s death certificate, and dealt with probate issues.
Not in My School: Doe v. Yunits
Katrina Harrington was in seventh grade at South Junior High in Brockton, Massachusetts when she started having trouble at school. Like most girls her age, Trina wore skirts and hair accessories, and started wearing makeup. But unlike other students, she was disciplined for how she dressed. By eighth grade Trina had to have her clothing approved every morning by the school’s principal; if he didn’t approve, he sent her home. Eventually, Trina stopped going to school altogether.
Trina HarringtonTrina was not able to get an education because she is transgender, and the school did not like how she dressed. GLAD took Trina’s case and, in 2000 - in the first reported decision in a case brought by a transgender student - the Massachusetts Superior Court ruled that schools cannot interfere with a student’s education by enforcing stereotypes of how boys and girls should look.
What Men and Women Should Look Like: Rosa v. Park West Bank
GLAD represented Lucas Rosa, a transgender person who was told when applying for a bank loan to go home and change clothing to appear more masculine. In a precedent-setting decision, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said that sex discrimination laws apply when individuals are discriminated against because of their failure to conform to gender stereotypes of how men and women are supposed to look and act.
Tuxedoes for Two
Like many high school seniors in May of 1980, Aaron Fricke was making plans to go to his prom in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Because he wanted to bring a male date, the school said no. With GLAD’s assistance, Aaron sued – and won. At a time when few gay high school students had the courage to be out, this case was a milestone. Aaron and attorney John Ward tell the story.
What a Good Family Can Look Like: Adoption of Susan
The “lesbian baby boom” in the 1980s not only changed the dynamics of childbearing and parenting, it also introduced a new set of legal questions and challenges for families. How could parents best protect children if only one was a legal parent? Could a non-biological parent establish a legal relationship with a child she or he was raising?
In GLAD’s 1993 case, Adoption of Susan and a companion case, Adoption of Tammy, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the unmarried partner of a child’s biological parent can adopt the child and become a second legal parent without the biological parent giving up his or her rights.
Susan plaintiffs Maureen Brodoff and Ellen Wade describe their fight to ensure their four-year-old daughter, Kate, had the protection of a legal relationship to both her moms, and attorney Mary Bonauto talks about securing rights for LGBT parents.
A Culture-Shifting Moment: Bragdon v Abbott and HIV Discrimination
When Dr. Randon Bragdon of Bangor, Maine refused dental care to Sidney Abbott in 1994 because she had HIV, his attitude reflected widespread fear and misinformation about the disease. GLAD represented Sidney, suing and ultimately winning at the U.S. Supreme Court. The landmark victory established that people with HIV are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act.