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Lee Swislow Joins GLAD New England Outreach Initiative GAY & LESBIAN ADVOCATES & DEFENDERS SummerBriefs Summer 2005 GLAD Staff Lee Swislow Joins GLAD Lee Swislow Executive Director as Executive Director Bruce Bell Hotline Coordinator Lee Swislow, a top non-profi t executive with extensive experience Brianna Boggs Development Assistant advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people Mary Bonauto and those with HIV and AIDS, joined GLAD as its new executive Civil Rights Project Director director effective May 23, 2005. Gary Buseck Legal Director “We are thrilled and fortunate to have Lee join us during this Eric Carreno extraordinary period of success for GLAD,” said board president Mark C. Kelley. “She has Office Manager Carisa Cunningham a deep and accomplished management background and a passion for social justice. Lee is Director of Public Affairs just the person to lead GLAD in its ground-breaking fi ght for equal justice under law.” and Education Emily Douglas Swislow came to GLAD from the Justice Resource Institute, where as Vice President Bilingual Client Advocate for Health Programs and Executive Director of the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center she Stephen Farrand Maine Education oversaw a broad array of programs providing services to underserved populations, with a Coordinator focus on adolescents and young adults. Michele Granda Staff Attorney “Joining a cutting-edge LGBT organization with arguably the fi nest legal team in Beth Grierson the country is very exciting,” said Swislow. “It’s a great time for GLAD to build on its Director of Operations and Foundation Relations strengths and fortify its position advancing the legal rights of LGBT people and those Alexis Hill with HIV and AIDS. GLAD’s accomplishments are disproportionate to its size – it’s the Outreach Director little engine that could.” Amy Killelea Litigation Assistant Swislow said a top priority will be GLAD’s New England Outreach Initiative. “To win Bennett Klein rights and sustain those wins, we need to enlarge the circles of support for LGBT rights Senior Staff Attorney Lee Swislow ❱❱ continued page 2 Janet Lawn Development Director Jennifer Levi Senior Staff Attorney Karen Loewy Staff Attorney Marie Longo New England Outreach Initiative: Associate Director of Development Expanding Circles of Support Andrew Pang Interim Executive Director With the creation of several new positions, in the political arena and in the court of Margaret Pearl Database and Gifts GLAD launched an unprecedented multi- public opinion,” said Executive Director Coordinator state New England Outreach Initiative. Lee Swislow. “Legal victories alone are not Daniel Redman Litigation Assistant Building on lessons learned before, during, enough if they can be undermined by vocal Robbie Samuels and after Goodridge, GLAD will collaborate minorities. Special Events Manager with state-level organizations to build “As the only state with marriage Kate Strangio Litigation Assistant public environments that support and equality, Massachusetts is a magnet for Shane Tattan sustain advances in LGBT legal rights. national right-wing mobilization. We Development Support Staff Alex Wood “A mobilized community played a have to mobilize equally as well as our Litigation Assistant critical role in sustaining Goodridge, both opponents, and support efforts in other Jessica Young Litigation Assistant Circles of Support ❱❱ continued page 4 From the Executive Director Lee Swislow My fi rst month at GLAD has been both exhilarating and sobering. It’s fantastic to be working at such a historic time with what I think is the best LGBT legal team in the country. But it’s also clear that the national anti-gay movement is focusing their enormous energy and vast wealth on stopping progress in Massachusetts. In just a few short weeks: ■ The National Review published an article attacking The Cambridge Democratic Mary Bonauto and her undergraduate alma mater, City Committee presented the 2005 Hamilton College, which gave her an honorary degree; Henry & Ruth Morganthau Humanitarian ■ National anti-gay groups came to Massachusetts to award to Mary Bonauto, GLAD’s Civil picket the high school graduations of communities that Rights Project Director. have supported diverse families in their schools; and ■ A coalition of national right-wing groups announced Lee Swislow ❱❱ continued from 1 a new drive to put an anti-gay, anti-marriage equality in every state in New England. We’ll work in cooperation with constitutional amendment on the Massachusetts ballot local partners to tell the stories of our lives and show everyone in 2008. the humanity of LGBT people.” Make no mistake – it’s very important to our opponents Swislow has an undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts to isolate Massachusetts, and to take marriage away from Institute of Technology, a nursing degree from Laboure Junior the thousands of couples who have wed since May 17, College, and a master’s degree from Northeastern University. 2004. Marriage in Massachusetts lets the whole country Prior to JRI, she served as the chief operating offi cer and chief know that marriage equality IS a possible dream, that nursing offi cer at the Cambridge Health Alliance where she was married same-sex couples can live in complete harmony responsible for the clinical operations and support services, and in their communities and in their neighborhoods, and oversaw a successful merger with Somerville Hospital in 1996. that politicians can vote for marriage equality and still be Swislow was the head nurse of Boston City Hospital’s AIDS re-elected! In addition, marriage in Massachusetts is an Clinic from 1985-1989. “AIDS has always affected a diverse inspiration for LGBT people around the country. No wonder population and it has a devastating impact,” she said. “It’s a the attacks from our opponents are so relentless. signifi cant piece of my life’s work. I am seeing ways that society Our new Outreach Initiative is one tool we will use and the community are trying to distance themselves from the to stop the right-wing agenda from encroaching on LGBT pain and pretend that it is no longer a threat. But we need to be rights in New England. We are working throughout New constantly vigilant.” England to enlarge circles of support for our rights and An accomplished athlete, Swislow holds a Black Belt in help build strong, locally-based movements. Where we Taekwondo, and fi nished fi rst for her age group during the can – in Connecticut, for example, with Kerrigan-Mock Cambridge Health Alliance Inaugural 5K Fun Run/Walk in 2000. v. Department of Public Health – we are working towards That same year, she fi nished fi rst in her age group during the Race complete marriage equality. to the Face 10-mile triathlon in Franconia, NH. GLAD has been opening the doors to LGBT civil She lives in Cambridge with her spouse, Denise McWilliams, a rights since 1978. With your help, I’m looking forward to lawyer who serves as director of public policy and legal affairs at achieving more victories and meeting all challenges. ❱ AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. They have an 19-year- old son and celebrated their one-year anniversary as a married couple in June this year. ❱ 2 equal justice under law Maine Passes Non-Discrimination Law By Mary Bonauto “It’s the law!” declared Gov. John Baldacci of Maine on March 31, York testifi ed (by letter) that an innkeeper yelled at them that as he slowly (with many ceremonial pens) but triumphantly signed they “hated women” and asked them to leave the inn when she a bill ending discrimination against LGBT people in employment, realized they were gay. housing, education, public accommodations and credit. Allies including a school superintendent, Attorney General “A small number of people were in the room, but thousands Steven Rowe, and a Catholic priest spoke clearly and forcefully around the state heard those words and can take them to heart,” as well. But the person who brought down the house was Rachel said Betsy Smith, Executive Talbot-Ross, President of the Director of EqualityMaine, NAACP in Portland. An African- the lead grassroots lobbying On June 28, right-wing groups American and 9th generation organization responsible for announced that they had gathered enough Mainer, she asked legislators passage of the law. signatures to put a question on the to summon the courage to do As GLAD’s representative what is “righteous and moral,” November ballot to repeal Maine’s to EqualityMaine’s special and invoked the example of her legislative committee, anti-discrimination law. Steve Farrand, father who had co-sponsored known as Legislative Action GLAD’s Maine Education Coordinator, the fi rst gay-inclusive non- 2005, I helped draft what will work with Maine Won’t Discriminate discrimination bill in Maine. we think is the strongest to defeat the ballot question. For more Opponents spoke from non-discrimination law yet talking points prepared by information, email [email protected]. seen in Maine. With a small right-wing legal groups and group of Maine attorneys and Concerned Women for America, EqualityMaine’s lobbyists par excellence (Moose Ridge Associates), hitting every hot button issue: the slippery slope to incest and we found people who were willing to testify about their personal pedophilia, teaching about gay people in schools, special rights experiences of discrimination and answered every possible for gay people, predators in women’s bathrooms, and last but question legislators had about the bill. certainly not least – civil unions and marriage. The Christian Civic Making discrimination visible was key. A cruel irony arose League is pursing this last argument aggressively to persuade from voter repeals of two previous non-discrimination legislative tentative voters not to follow through on their commitment to efforts (in 1998 and 2000). Those repeals, which generated fear non-discrimination. Of course, there is no legal relationship in our community and emboldened those who discriminate, were between the two issues, and what opponents really object to is nonetheless regarded as confi rmation that there is no problem treating gay people fairly under law in any area of life.
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