This past weekend, I attended the Black Tie Dinner in Dallas, Texas. The annual dinner is the nation’s single largest fundraiser for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. As a former summer intern for Lambda Legal—the nation’s oldest and largest national legal organization working to safeguard and advance the civil rights of LGBT individuals and those living with HIV—I wanted to be a part of this exciting event and contribute to the ongoing fight for equality for all Americans. The proceeds from this event were going to benefit Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and nearly twenty other organizations committed to securing and protecting equal rights for LGBT Americans.
Although the nation’s eyes are focused on the presidential election tomorrow, some other key issues are also at stake. Voters in four states—Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington—will also be deciding whether to recognize equal rights of lesbian and gay couples in those states. The Supreme Court will likely be announcing soon which case challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act they will review, and the outcomes in these elections may very well influence the Court’s decision on that front.
As the election draws ever closer, we can make guesses and predictions, quote polls and cite studies, but in the end, all we can do is wait and see. Although there have been, and will be, setbacks along the way, I think the America I live in today is a better place than it was yesterday, thanks in no small part to organizations like Lambda Legal, HRC, the ACLU, and others who fight every day for “liberty and justice for all.”
