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GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Announces Ricardo Martinez as Incoming Executive Director

Current CEO of Equality Texas will bring battle-tested leadership experience to one of the nation’s foremost LGBTQ+ litigation organizations at a pivotal moment in the fight to secure civil rights protections for queer and transgender people and families

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) today announced Ricardo Martinez (he/him), current Chief Executive Officer of Equality Texas, as the organization’s incoming Executive Director beginning September 4, 2024. 

As CEO of Texas’ largest nonpartisan statewide LGBTQ+ 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% of 140+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed during the 2023 state legislative session and 99% of 76 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in 2021. 

“Following a robust nationwide search in partnership with Koya Partners, GLAD’s Board of Directors is proud to announce Ricardo Martinez as the organization’s next Executive Director,” said GLAD Board President Shane Dunn. “Ricardo’s accomplishments at Equality Texas in a tumultuous political environment showcase his leadership strengths and vision. He has demonstrated a commitment to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities along with a willingness to be in the trenches organizing at the grassroots and grasstops levels.

“GLAD is doubling down on our commitment to challenging emerging anti-LGBTQ+ laws across the country, defending and expanding upon the rights and progress we’ve achieved over the past half century, and advocating for positive policy and legislative change. We could not be more excited to have Ricardo join GLAD at this moment, to bring his vision and battle-tested experiences in the heat of some of the fiercest fights for LGBTQ equality we’ve seen to date. GLAD shares our highest admiration and appreciation for the entire team at Equality Texas and their critical ongoing work in our collaborative justice movement,” Dunn added. “Ricardo will be a transformational leader during a pivotal time of organizational growth at GLAD and at a critical moment for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and families across our nation. I also want to thank Richard Burns, GLAD’s Interim Executive Director since October and a long-time movement leader, for his leadership and support as we prepare for this next phase.”

“It has been an honor to lead Equality Texas’ outstanding, dedicated team over the past 5 years to foster deep connections with our Texas community and fight back against hundreds of hostile anti-LGBTQ+ bills. That experience has also given me a profound understanding of the impact of the law on LGBTQ+ people and our families, and a deep recognition that legislative advocacy and litigation must work hand in hand to achieve justice and protect our rights,” said Martinez. “While it is difficult to leave the people and work I love in Texas, I am energized to be joining an organization that has been at the forefront of advancing and defending the civil rights of LGBTQ people and people with HIV for nearly half a century. GLAD’s strategic legal advocacy has made positive impacts for LGBTQ+ people across the country for decades, myself included, and I am proud to have the opportunity to lead and support the work of such an inspirational team in this moment when the defense of LGBTQ+ civil rights in the courts is more critical than ever.”

During Martinez’ tenure at Equality Texas, he significantly increased staff capacity and financial support to meet the current moment and deepened advocacy for and with communities across the state. Under his leadership, Equality Texas developed a network of 300 LGBTQ-serving organizations and allies, launched the Queer Texas Crisis Fund to provide emergency relief to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and partnered with the White House to schedule state-wide pop-up clinics and provide vaccine information and access during the height of MPOX spread.

“Ricardo leaves Equality Texas and the Equality Foundation stronger, and thanks to his leadership, we are better positioned than ever to lead the fight for equality for LGBTQIA+ Texans,” said Kevin Haynes, Equality Texas Board Chair and & Brad Nitschke, Equality Texas Foundation Board Chair. “Please join us in wishing Ricardo the very best in his future endeavors and thanking him for his invaluable service and leadership. While we will all miss Ricardo, we are delighted that this move will help strengthen the bond with GLAD, and we look forward to a productive future together.”

“During a time when LGBTQ people are fighting for our lives, we need leaders like Ricardo who are dynamic and steadfast in their convictions more than ever,” said Imani Rupert-Gordon, President of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “Ricardo has a rich understanding of what it takes to win, and I am confident he will lead GLAD in a way that will both meet the current moment and be influential in building a stronger movement for the future.”

In addition to leading Equality Texas, Martinez has contributed to the growth and impact of organizations including PENCIL, Summer Search, GLSEN, and Stand for Children, and has a proven track record of engaging supporters to propel the critical LGBTQ+ rights advocacy needed at this moment. 

A first-generation immigrant who moved with his family from Mexico City to New York as a child, Martinez will be the first Latino leader of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. Joining GLAD will bring him closer to his Brooklyn home and family as he relocates to New England. Martinez is a graduate of Stony Brook University and holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The New School for Public Policy, Management, and Environment. He has been recognized as an emerging LGBTQ Leader by the Obama Administration and received Stony Brook University’s 40 Under 40 award for civil service and activism.

GLAD has benefited greatly from the leadership of Interim Executive Director Richard Burns following former Executive Director Janson Wu’s move to the Trevor Project last October. Burns will continue in his Interim role through Martinez’s transition in September.  

About GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders

Founded in Boston in 1978, GLAD is at the forefront of civil rights litigation and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people and people with HIV across New England and around the country. GLAD led the legal marriage equality movement, securing the first state court victory with the landmark Massachusetts Goodridge v. Department of Public Health ruling 20 years ago and arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court to secure national marriage equality with the Obergefell decision in 2015. 

GLAD started the first Transgender Rights Project at an LGBTQ+ legal organization in 2008, secured significant early court rulings establishing the rights of transgender students and affirming transgender nondiscrimination protections under sex discrimination laws, and remains at the vanguard of transgender rights advocacy.

In 1998 GLAD secured a Supreme Court ruling affirming that people with HIV are protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

GLAD has recently welcomed four additional attorneys to its legal team to expand its capacity to meet the current moment and to protect and advance LGBTQ+ legal rights for the long term. 

GLAD’s current litigation and legislative docket includes challenging dangerous state laws banning access to established medical care for transgender adolescents; fighting politically motivated attacks on public schools and ensuring LGBTQ+ students can receive an equal education; advancing legal security for LGBTQ+ families and their children through updated state parentage laws; defending the rights of transgender workers including in equal access to healthcare coverage; protecting and expanding access to PrEP to address racial disparities in access and to end the HIV epidemic; and robustly defending the freedom to marry.

About Equality Texas

For nearly 50 years, Equality Texas has been on the frontlines of the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality in Texas. In recent years, Equality Texas has held the line against over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills. Beyond advocacy in the Texas Legislature, Equality Texas words to connect community members with resources, educate the public about LGBTQIA+ issues, and train leaders for future generations.