VITAL FACES The Gay Pioneer Elizabeth Schwartz is honored with the 2012 Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award Words by Martin Haro For years, I have known of importance of gay couples Elizabeth Schwartz, but not of protecting themselves and loved her work. ones through estate planning and binding contracts. She is most A real shame, I’ll admit, since I’ve passionate about fairness when it shared a handful of dinners with the comes to these matters – both from lady, whose partner of 10 years is the outside and within. Too often, the longtime Miami Herald writer the very same gay couples that Lydia Martin. Martin and I would be clamor for marriage rights take invited to the some of same press advantage of the lack of protections. events here and there, and I often would see Schwartz with her, “A legal parent will deny rights of playing the role of plus one. a non-legal parent. A partner with the deed to the house and all of the I can’t help but imagine, assets will kick the ex to the curb however, that in her role as a “gay because the law doesn’t recognize law” attorney who for 15 years has the relationship,” she said. helped enrich the lives of countless “Sometimes people, left on their LGBT individuals and families, own, won’t do the right thing.” Schwartz has enjoyed her share of the spotlight. When I heard that Schwartz and Martin had known each other for years before they By practicing therapeutic come Oct. 6 The National Gay and started dating. They say that, One day, things just clicked. jurisprudence, Schwartz often Lesbian Task Force will present manages to help clients see the Schwartz with the 2012 Eddy McIntyre Effecting change in the world was always bigger picture rather than focus on “getting Community Service Award at its Sparkle on her mind, though, and it was in 1994, a theirs.” It is because of this dedication to event at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, I year after leaving Penn, that she had an her community to that she’s getting the knew I had to learn about her double-pronto. epiphany while at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. McIntyre Award. (Sparkle, a.k.a. the Miami Recognition If what she wanted was to help make social Dinner, is now in its 16 th year.) change, she should go to law school. “Elizabeth is a pioneer – she’s an advocate and a fighter,” said Michael Bath, I’m glad I did, as I find myself a new fan “I was very anti-establishment, but I the Task Force’s Miami events director. “The of my once-anonymous tablemate. She realized that with a law degree you can work recipient of the Eddy McIntyre Community obviously exemplifies the values for which within the establishment to change the Service Award is chosen by all the past she’s receiving the award to a T. The rules,’’ she said. She enrolled at UM and recipients, and hers was the only name put McIntyre is named in honor of the late gay- began her law studies. forth in 2012. It was unanimous and rights activist and arts philanthropist who extremely well deserved.” supported organizations like the old Dade While she was invested in fighting a Human Rights Foundation, SAVE Dade, number of social causes, she realized her Schwartz – who is also a founding Pridelines Youth Services, and the Miami heart was in working specifically with the member of the Aqua Foundation for Women, Light Project. gay and lesbian community, which was up president-elect of the Miami Beach Bar against numerous challenges on the legal Association, chair of the City of Miami Like McIntyre before her, the Miami front. In her 15 years of practice, she has Beach’s Human Rights Committee and is a Beach-born, Hollywood-raised attorney has served on countless boards and taken on member of the National Center for Lesbian given plenty of her time and efforts to further legal challenges too numerous to detail, but Rights’ National Family Law Advisory her community’s fight for equality. Among rejoices in how far our community has come Council – could not be more humbled by the her passions? Working to help overturn on the local, state, and national level. honor, for she knew and loved McIntyre. Florida’s 1977 ban forbidding gays and lesbians from adopting children, which finally “There’s still a huge battle ahead of us,” “It truly is such an honor to receive an happened two years ago. she said. “Marriage equality is next on the award in Eddy’s name,” she said. docket, but what I would like to see across “It is one of the great privileges of my the board is accepting our families no matter Looking ahead at the future, she says career and life to work with gay families,” what they look like.” only one thing would make her happy (other said the attorney, who graduated from the than still having Martin and their dog University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Schwartz has focused her practice on the Buttercup in her life): being obsolete. communications and minors in art history representation of the LGBT community in “I hope that in 20 years there’s no need and Afro-American studies. family formation and dissolution matters. She has lectured extensively about the for me in this ‘gay law’ arena,” she said. ML MIAMI LIVING 29.