Summer breeze makes you feel GLAD

More than 300 people enjoyed cool ocean breezes and a sunsoaked, late-day view of Provincetown Harbor as Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) celebrated its 30th anniversary at its annual Summer Party at the foot of the Pilgrim Monument on July 26.

As children dined on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grown-ups sipped cocktails, snacked on cheese and crackers and fruit and veggies as they perused a buffet of silent auction items that included everything from cast-off designer duds from the daytime soap Guiding Light and gay romance novels to weekend getaways and black-and-white prints chronicling the drama of May 17, 2004, the day that the GLAD-won Goodridge decision took effect in Massachusetts.

In her remarks to the crowd, GLAD Executive Director Lee Swislow recalled the early days of the organization's work - which focuses on advancing LGBT legal rights throughout New England - when lesbian and gay schoolteachers marched in pride parades with paper bags over their heads to maintain their anonymity in the face of job discrimination, there was no language for gender identity discrimination and gay parents were losing custody of their children.

"What a difference three decades make," Swislow said to applause, noting that all six New England states now have laws protecting gay people and HIV-positive people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Additionally, Swislow pointed out, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont provide explicit protections for transgender people, and across the region, students can freely form gay/straight alliances and same-sex couples can jointly adopt children.

"And most unbelievably of all from a perspective of 30 years ago, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire have civil unions and we have marriage in Massachusetts."

Many of those gains came as a result of GLAD's legal advocacy and litigation, most notably marriage equality here in Massachusetts and Vermont's pioneering civil unions law, which was created in the aftermath of GLAD's marriage lawsuit in the Green Mountain State.

Swislow called 2008 a "pivotal year in winning equality," noting that November's presidential election would also determine the make-up of the U.S. Supreme Court "for decades to come." Given that liberal-leaning Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are well into their retirement years and Republican presidential nominee John McCain has pledged to appoint conservatives in the mold of Justice Antonin Scalia and Chief Justice John Roberts, should McCain win the election, "the Supreme Court that currently is a place that has shown sympathy to our issues will become a far less friendly place," said Swislow.

Swislow also mentioned the importance of assisting marriage equality advocates in California to defeat an anti-gay marriage amendment that will be on the ballot in November. Should the LGBT community be successful there, she predicted, "the battle for marriage equality in this country will be essentially decided. The momentum from California will almost certainly carry over to the states that are already close to the freedom to marry for all," such as New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Connecticut. To that end, a group of GLAD donors recently got together and within five minutes raised $34,000 to contribute to the ballot amendment fight in California, Swislow announced to rousing applause from the crowd. The fundraising spurt was prompted by GLAD donor Scott Davenport, who chipped in $15,000 and encouraged other donors to step up to the plate.

Comedian Kate Clinton then followed Swislow to the dais to help GLAD raise some cash for its own coffers with a live auction, where a coveted pair of Red Sox tickets went for a whopping $850.00.

Noting that GLAD's Summer Party coincided with the start of Family Week, Clinton quipped, "I've rented two small children just to be part of the festivities (at which point a man in the crowd called out, "Want a third?")
"I've got a double wide stroller on hold," she added, "it also doubles for me as a walker."

Demonstrating an impressive ability to ad-lib, Clinton recovered nicely when she was interrupted mid-shtick by the bellow of a foghorn out on the harbor. "Excuse me, the burrito," she said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Oh it's gotten to that level," she added as the crowd continued to chuckle. "Sorry Lee."