Our Story
Since the 1980s, this organization has supported Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ legal community and paved the legal path for gay rights in Philadelphia and the United States.
In 1986, a group of approximately 25 attorneys came together to establish the organization “Philadelphia Attorneys for Human Rights” (PAHR) to advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the Greater Philadelphia area. The organization adopted such an ambivalent name because, especially at this time during the apex of the AIDS crisis, it was considered virtually career-ending to be “out.” The organization had to be extremely careful about protecting the identities of its members, some of whom even refused to receive communications from PAHR lest they be accidentally “outed”.
In 1992, PAHR’s membership decided that the local climate was becoming a safer place to actively advocate for gay rights and changed the organization’s name to the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, or GALLOP. However, GALLOP did not formally incorporate until 1997, at which time its newsletter still advertised its commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality of its membership.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, GALLOP wrote, helped to write, or co-signed onto amicus curiae briefs advocating for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, including parental rights and marriage equality. When GALLOP hosted the 2002 National LGBT Bar Association’s annual Lavender Law Conference, its members, in particular now-judge Tiffany Palmer, organized the first-ever Lavender Law Career Fair for students. The Career Fair attracted 30 employers and around 200 students in 2002 but has since become a staple of Lavender Law that attracts over 175 employers annually.
GALLOP’s membership continued to be active in the Philadelphia legal community, in part by hosting state and local political candidates during election years at its annual May Garden Party. Cletus Lyman has hosted the Garden Party since around 1992 and welcomed many distinguished candidates for office. These candidates include now-Justice Kevin M. Dougherty, who attended the Garden Party while running for the Philadelphia bench for the first time, and Lynne Abraham, former Philadelphia District Attorney.
The organization continued to grow and evolved through the Bush and Obama years, until its membership, in 2019, voted to reaffirm its commitment to serving all members of the LGBTQ+ community and amend its name once again to the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association. The Association continues to build on its rich history, established by such prominent members as the Hon. Ann Butchart, Hon. Abbe Fletman, Hon. Daniel Anders, Hon. Tiffany Palmer, Hon. Christopher Mallios, Hon. Idee Fox, State Representative Brian Sims, Cletus Lyman, Larry Felzer, the late David Rosenbaum, the late Cheryl Ingram, and many more.
Let’s get to work.
Please consider helping our organization continue to thrive by making a donation.
Or, get involved by joining one of our Committees.
