Bilzin Sumberg hosted a wine and cheese reception this Monday to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month. “Celebrate” in this context has a double meaning. Brian Adler ran through the history of Pride Month and taught me aspects of the movement that I never considered. From Pride Month’s inception–beginning with the Stonewall Riot–members of the LGBTQ community have used positivity and acceptance as a form of resistance. My previous understanding was that the movement essentially served as a single-issue platform: to fight for the acceptance of gay marriage. But I was completely wrong. The community through Pride Month has successfully fought for greater HIV/AIDS research, for anti-discrimination legislation (such as the Matthew Shepard Act), for more inclusion of the LGBTQ community in the military, and various other initiative pushing for equality. There is much more work that needs to be done, but certainly a lot to celebrate.
After the history lesson, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Levine Cava gave a speech to the firm. Commissioner Cava has be a lifelong champion for social and human rights, so it was great learning about her mission and all she has done for my community. Hearing her speak also showed me how much our local representatives actually impact our daily lives. Overall, this was a great event and I loved seeing how many attorneys from Bilzin Sumberg came to celebrate.