Another GLAD case before the U. S. Supreme Court, Bragdon v. Abbott, had a happier outcome. Bennett Klein, GLAD's AIDS Law Project director, represented a woman with asymptomatic HIV infection, who was refused care in a dentist's office. The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in 1998 established that people with HIV are protected against discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act even if they do not have full-blown AIDS.

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Other Services

In addition to litigating on behalf of glbtq clients and filing amicus curiae briefs in appropriate cases, GLAD also takes seriously its mission to educate both the general public and the glbtq community.

Its Public Education Program is devoted to increasing public awareness of glbtq legal issues and disseminating information to enable individuals to exercise their rights. The organization sponsors public education forums and provides technical training for attorneys, governmental agencies, and professional groups.

GLAD also publishes a wide variety of material, including informational brochures, fact sheets, briefs and memoranda for attorneys, and both technical and general articles.

In addition, GLAD maintains an informative website, which includes a Legal Infoline on which individuals in New England may submit questions and request information. It also operates a toll-free hotline and a lawyer referral service.

Conclusion

Now a respected member of New England's legal community, GLAD has helped move glbtq citizens closer to equality. As Lee Swislow has remarked, "Our legal victories have changed the landscape of the law regarding sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. But more importantly, they have made a difference in the day-to-day lives of countless individuals."

Despite GLAD's numerous successes, however, the group remains vigilant, acutely aware that many of the gains that have been made in recent years are precarious and under assault by well-financed enemies of equal rights.

Although there are frequently social and legal barriers to overcome, adoption is an important way in which lesbian and gay male couples create families.

AIDS law comprises the legal principles contained in the body of statutes, regulations, administrative rulings, and judicial decisions that emerged in response to legal issues presented by the AIDS epidemic.

Anti-discrimination statutes and ordinances have made a real difference in the lives of millions of glbtq individuals.

Boston has seen a variety of responses to its glbtq citizens, ranging from acceptance of "Boston marriages" to vice squad raids of gay bars to joyous weddings of same-sex couples.

Vermont's Civil Union law confers all the rights, benefits, and responsibilities of marriage on same-sex couples.

While the courts of some states have been almost unremittingly hostile to gay men and lesbians involved in custody litigation, others have declared that glbtq parents have the same rights and responsibilities as other parents.

The U.S. gay rights movement has made significant progress toward achieving equality for glbtq Americans, and in the process has become more inclusive and diverse, but much remains to be done.

Hate Crimes are crimes towards persons or groups motivated by the victim's race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Those countries that allow the immigration of glbtq persons based on persecution in their home countries often raise difficulties or apply the existing laws inequitably, especially in the case of glbtq couples who apply for entry as domestic partners.

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

As the aging population has grown, more organizations have emerged that are dedicated to providing much-needed services and information, along with socialization and activism opportunities, to glbtq senior citizens.

Sodomy laws, which provided the legal basis for police harassment of sexual minorities, were conclusively overturned by the United States Supreme Court in 2003, after more than half a century of efforts at reform.

Despite some recent progress, people who do not conform to society's gender norms continue to experience discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, marriage and family litigation, medical care, prisons, schools, and hate crimes protection.

Two of the most significant Supreme Court decisions regarding constitutional liberty for glbtq people are Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) and Lawrence v. Texas (2003).

The largest glbtq legal advocacy group in the United States, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund has been fighting for the civil rights of queer Americans and people with HIV/AIDS for over three decades.

Romer v. Evans (1996) marks the first time in its history that the U. S. Supreme Court recognized lesbians and gay men as worthy and deserving of equal rights.