Lambda Legal, the national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV, celebrated their 50th Anniversary at The Lot at Formosa in Los Angeles, Calif. and Moonlight Studios in New York on Wednesday, October 18.

Since 1973, Lambda Legal has been a pivotal in the fight against HIV discrimination, anti-gay bullying, marriage equality, social security for queer couples, identity documents for transgender people, employment discrimination, and more.

“No matter what effort has been launched to force us back into the closet or to undercut our fully lived equality – we have beaten back those efforts in the court of law.” said Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal. “Now more than ever, the LGBTQ+ community must and will stand up and fight for our rights. At Lambda Legal, we vow to keep fighting for the next 50 years to protect and advance our rights and freedoms.” 

Some landmark cases include a victory in 1983 that prevented the eviction of Dr. Joseph Sonnabend and his clinic for treating HIV-positive patients. In 1996, Lambda Legal established the rights of gay students to be protected from abuse in schools, marking a significant milestone in the fight against anti-gay bullying.

The organization’s dedicated team continues to fight anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, particularly anti-transgender policies in more than 27 states across the country challenging discrimination in healthcare, school policies and curricula, public school sports programs, access to school restrooms and other facilities, and access to accurate identity documents.

In honor of all their amazing contributions to LGBTIQIA+ rights, here are our favorite looks from the celebration! Los Angeles guests included Arisce Wanzer, Azariah Southworth, Blair Imani, Daniel Franzese, Jeff Consoletti, Moises Zamora, and Rose Montoya. New York guests included Alex Newell, Benjamin Freemantle, Daria Dee, Desmond is Amazing, Dimitri Moise, Gabe Gonzalez, Jeff Hiller, Michael Judson Berry, and Murray Hill.

Los Angeles:

New York