Don Gorton

Don Gorton

Don Gorton is a Massachusetts attorney who served as a state tax judge from 1997 to 2008.

Contents

Biography

Gorton has been an advocate for LGBT equality in Boston for over 25 years. He is perhaps best known as the longtime Co-Chair of the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crime, to which he was appointed by then-Governor William Weld. The task force was given permanent status by former Governor Paul Cellucci in 1998.[1] Gorton led the task force from 1991 until the body was disbanded by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2003. He led the drafting of regulations to implement the Hate Crimes Reporting Act of 1990, and spearheaded civil rights awareness activities for the Executive Office of Public Safety.

Gorton also led the Greater Boston Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance (later the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Political Alliance of Massachusetts) from 1988-1994, and has led the Anti-Violence Project of Massachusetts since 1994. Over the years he has played a leading role in passage of the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Law and the Hate Crimes Penalties Act amendments of 1996. In the 21st century, he has concentrated on anti-bullying advocacy. In addition to co-authoring an anti-bullying best practices guide Gorton played a leading role in the 50+ organization coalition that secured passage of comprehensive anti-bullying legislation in Massachusetts in 2010.

Since 2008, he has been active in the youth-led LGBT equality movement dubbed by the New York Times as "Stonewall 2.0." He is an officer of Join the Impact MA and an officer of and regular contributor to the Gay and Lesbian Review. Gorton was elected Grand Marshall of the Boston LGBT Pride Parade in the 40th anniversary year of 2010, under the banner of "From Riots to Rights: 40 Years of Progress." He has spoken out forcefully against the practice of so-called "reparative therapy," which purports to turn gays into straights. Condemned by every leading medical and mental health professional association in the US, "reparative therapy," and the variant "praying away the gay," have been linked to depression and suicide among the LGBT people subjected to it. In 2011, Gorton authored a research study of hate crimes against the transgender community, focusing on improved law enforcement responsiveness to this underreported phenomenon.

Gorton graduated from Boston University in 1982 and Harvard Law in 1985. While attending Boston University, he was involved in progressive student politics, serving as treasurer and later president of the College of Liberal Arts Forum, the elected student government representing 5,000 undergraduates. In law school and as a young lawyer, Gorton advocated for legal aid to the poor and joined the American Bar Association Death Penalty Project, challenging a death sentence in the Alabama State Courts.

Works

  • Direct from the Field: A Guide to Bullying Prevention (co-author with Laura Parker-Roerden and David Rudewick), published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in 2008.
  • "The Origins of Anti-Sodomy Laws, Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review 10 (1998).
  • "Gay Rights in the Clash of Civilizations" (Essay), The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (ISSN 1532-1118) Vol. 9, Iss. 1 (2002-01-01)
  • "Timing of Henry VIII's sodomy law matters", The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (ISSN 1532-1118)Vol. 11, Iss. 1 (2004-01-01)
  • "What really happened at the Stonewall Inn?", The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (ISSN 1532-1118), Vol. 11, Iss. 6 (2004-11-01)
  • "A Literature of Hope for GLBT Youth," The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide Vol. 12, Iss. 6 (2005-11-01)
  • "The Hate Crime", The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (ISSN 1532-1118) Vol. 13, Iss. 3 (2006-05-01)
  • "Why Stonewall Matters After Forty Years," The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide Vol. 16, Iss. 4 (2009-07-01)
  • "Maurice and Gay Liberation," The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide Vol. 16, Iss. 6 (2009-11-01)
  • "Anti-Transgender Hate Crimes: The Challenge for Law Enforcement," The Anti-Violence Project of Massachusetts 2011
  • "How 'It Gets Better' Is Making It Better," The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide Vol. 18 Iss. 5 (2011-9-1)

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Don Chipp — 1977 Donald Leslie Chipp (* 21. August 1925 in Melbourne; † 28. August 2006 in Richmond) war ein australischer Politiker, Minister und langjähriger Gründungsvorsitzender der Australischen Demokratischen Partei, den Australian Democrats.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Don's Party — DVD cover Directed by Bruce Beresford Written by David Williamson …   Wikipedia

  • Don Chipp — The Honourable Don Chipp AO Member of the Australian Parliament for Higinbotham In office 10 December 1960 …   Wikipedia

  • Don Dunstan — Not to be confused with Donald Dunstan (Australian Governor), army officer and Governor of South Australia. Don Dunstan 35th Premier of South Australia Elections: 1968, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977 In office …   Wikipedia

  • Don Bonker — Bonker redirects here. For the videogame character, see ClayFighter. Don Bonker Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington s 3rd district In office 1975–1989 Preceded by …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen Wesley Gorton — (born 1952) is an Australian artist and founder of the Paddington Art School. He currently resides in Woolloomooloo, New South Wales.EducationStephen Wesley Gorton graduated with BA in Architecture (Honours) from Bristol University, UK in 1974.… …   Wikipedia

  • First Gorton Ministry — The First Gorton Ministry was the forty fifth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 10 January 1968 to 12 November 1969.Liberal Party of Australia ndash;Australian Country Party CoalitionCabinet*Rt Hon John Gorton, MP: Prime Minister.… …   Wikipedia

  • Second Gorton Ministry — The Second Gorton Ministry was the forty sixth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 12 November 1969 to 10 March 1971.Liberal Party of Australia ndash;Australian Country Party CoalitionCabinet*Rt Hon John Gorton, MP: Prime Minister *Rt… …   Wikipedia

  • Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal — is an essay about computer programming written by Ed Post, Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon USA. It was published as a letter to the editor in Datamation, volume 29 number 7, July 1983. The title is a parody of the bestselling tongue in cheek …   Wikipedia

  • Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes — The Governor s Task Force on Hate Crimes was an agency created by then Governor William Weld, linking representatives of the state police and local law enforcement agencies with community advocates to further the state government s commitment to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”