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We also ask you to keep us accountable to our vision and mission of ensuring that every LGBTQ and HIV-positive person has the equal opportunity to live their lives in celebration of – and never limited by – their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.

It’s that time of year for lists. I should know – I’m a master of lists, especially with a new year. Go to the gym, eat healthier, keep up with my inbox, and spend more time calling friends and less time “liking” friends. Yet, every year, these good intentions get pushed aside, for that more pressing email or that extra hour of sleep. This year, I’ve decided to try something different. Instead of making a long list of specific resolutions, I am going to make just two commitments that I will apply to everything I do. My first commitment: Do better. Doing better acknowledges that I already do a lot – why add more? Instead, what if I did what I already do, just a little bit better this year? (photo: Janson at Boston Pride with his husband Adam and GLAD plaintiffs Kerry and Renee Considine) For example, it’s not that I don’t ever go to the gym – but I don’t go as often as I would like, or exert as much effort as I could when I am there. In other words, when it comes to going to the gym, I can do better. The same is true when it comes to GLAD’s work and mission. While we pride ourselves on excellence here at GLAD, and our staff is amongst the most effective and innovative in the movement, there is always more that we can do. We are committed to do even better in the new year so that no one in our community is left behind.

We are committed to do even better in the new year so that no one in our community is left behind.

Likewise, as a movement, we’ve achieved so much this past year, and we can still do better for the next. We can do better for our youth, who are disproportionately homeless or caught up in the juvenile justice system. We can do better for our elders, who often face the prospect of going back into the closet as they enter assisted living or nursing homes. We can do better for the transgender community, which still lags behind the LGB community when it comes to state-approved discrimination. And we can do better for the LGB community in ensuring that the legal gains we’ve already won actually make a difference in real people’s lives. We can do better for HIV-positive people, who still must live with one of the most stigmatized, and sometimes criminalized, medical conditions in our country. And we can do better for communities of color, who are not only a vital part of the LGBT and HIV-positive community, but who are also engaged in a struggle for racial justice. In other words, we can do better for everyone, everywhere. That is what equal justice under law looks like, and that is what GLAD is fighting to achieve.

For all of you who recently donated to our Dream Big! campaign, thank you so much!

Doing better is easier said than done, of course. And so my second commitment for the New Year is: Ask for help. After years of unrealized resolutions, I have finally recognized that I need help – and accountability – getting to the gym. And so this year, I finally hired a personal trainer, and after just one month, he is already kicking my butt!

We also ask you to keep us accountable to our vision and mission of ensuring that every LGBTQ and HIV-positive person has the equal opportunity to live their lives in celebration of – and never limited by – their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.

Here at GLAD, we encourage folks with legal issues or questions to ask us for help, of course, through GLAD Answers our legal information and referral service. And, we know we can only do better for our community by asking for your help. For all of you who recently donated to our Dream Big! campaign, thank you so much! With your support, we will be able to create an even more just world for our community. We also ask you to keep us accountable to our vision and mission of ensuring that every LGBTQ and HIV-positive person has the equal opportunity to live their lives in celebration of – and never limited by – their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status. In 2015, we at GLAD are committed to do better by our community with your help and support. Happy New Year – it’s going to be a great one!