We are proud to announce the launch of Queer Justice, the American LGBTQ+ Museum’s first traveling exhibition created in collaboration with Lambda Legal!
For 50 years, Lambda Legal has been at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Their dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment have paved the way for progress and equality. Now, the American LGBTQ+ Museum is bringing their incredible journey to you.
Queer Justice will opened in New York City in 2023, and will make its way across the country to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Dallas throughout 2024.
Upcoming Program
Chicago | Opening Reception & Panel
Saturday, May 4, 2024 | 5:30 - 8:30PM CT
NYC | Intersections of Activism Panel
Watch a dynamic conversation exploring the critical roles organizations like ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and Visual AIDS had in the context of landmark rulings that changed the face of American law. Filmed at Queer Justice NYC, November 13, 2023.
50 Years of Lambda Legal at the Forefront of LGBTQ+ Justice
“Activists organized and one such group was Lambda Legal, founded in 1973 by a group of lawyers who understood that one of the greatest weapons we wield in the fight for equality is changing the legal landscape. They fought and continue to fight so our community is afforded the same rights and liberties as anyone else.”
- Roxane Gay
Writer, Professor and Speaker
Unprecedented Past
When Bill Thom founded Lambda Legal in 1973, the LGBTQ+ community had long been navigating a world in which they often needed protection. Yet, 1973 was a turning point in the fight back for LGBTQ+ rights, on the heels of the Lavender Scare of the 1950s, police brutality of the 1960s, and then anti-police riots across the country beginning with Stonewall. Lambda Legal joined and soon rose to the forefront of LGBTQ+ human rights advocacy with a mission to advance and protect the civil rights of LGBTQ+ and (later) HIV-positive people.
Over the next fifty years, the US government and police continued to target people perceived as LGBTQ+ through the legal system. In response, Lambda Legal has litigated more than a thousand cases, many with landmark rulings that changed the face of American law. Lambda Legal’s wins have ranged from striking down sodomy laws, to allowing gay student groups to form at universities, to helping parents adopt their children, to advocating to secure healthcare for people living with HIV and AIDS, and more.
Lambda Legal’s founders were inspired by innovative strategies used to address institutionalized discrimination, by litigators of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and by the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. Their cases established important legal principles regarding the many forms of stigma and discrimination LGBTQ+ people. Lambda Legal’s radiating effects have improved the lives of millions.
- Lauraberth Lima
Curator
