About: Our Impact
Since 1978, GLAD’s bold litigation has achieved scores of precedent-setting victories on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV.
A school community embraces a transgender teacher; a lesbian couple gets married in Texas; a gay teenager is treated with love by his foster family; a Ugandan activist gets asylum in the US; a worker living with HIV keeps his job. Because of GLAD.
Each time GLAD argues a case or tackles an issue, we tear down more outdated laws and stereotypes that have denied LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV basic protections and opportunities in every area of daily life.
Equal Justice
GLAD will not let stand any laws or regulations that seek to make LGBTQ+ people a second-class community. And our work connects with the struggle of all marginalized communities for equity and equality. Through the gains we make on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, we serve our collective effort to make our democracy more inclusive, more representative, and more just.
Economic & Life Opportunities
All of us deserve the chance to thrive on our own terms. For LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV, however, there are still too many doors to economic and life opportunities closed. Our legal efforts aim to bring down barriers and stop discrimination wherever it happens: at the workplace, at the cash register, while looking for housing, or in the classroom.
Safety & Peace of Mind
It is not possible to build the life we want if we’re in fear for it. For too long, harassment, violence, and harm have been part and parcel of the LGBTQ+ experience, to a level that we should find unconscionable. Our goal is not just to address the causes of violence, but to hold institutions accountable for protecting LGBTQ+ people where we live, work, and play. The way we see it, physical safety is not enough; we’re working to foster the peace of mind we all need to thrive.
Health & Wellbeing
Whether we’re challenging laws that criminalize transgender healthcare, pushing insurers to cover lifesaving and life-enhancing treatments, or holding states accountable to the mental health needs of their most vulnerable residents, GLAD is fighting for the well-being of all.
Family
The right to form and live as a family is not only natural but essential – for our community and for all humanity. And yet, our fight for the equality, safety, and dignity of LGBTQ+ families continues, whether to expand reproductive freedom, protect parental relationships of all stripes, or gain legal status for multi-parent arrangements. We’re bringing about a future where everyone can pursue family life as they see fit, with the recognition and respect we all deserve.
Affirmation & Dignity
We find meaning in the ways that we belong: to our families, our communities, and our nation. Nevertheless, many LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV find themselves at the margins of America, made to feel like outsiders by laws and practices that – directly or indirectly – put our worth and identity into question. Maybe it’s a school curriculum that denies our existence, public records that don’t recognize us, or rules that treat us like second-class citizens because of our gender identity. At GLAD, we’re using the law to make it possible for all of us to find our dignity and feel valued for who we are.
