Comprehensive Campaign

Dear Friends,

Since our founding 50 years ago, Lambda Legal has always been about freedom. The freedom to love who you love, which we won at the Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas in 2003. The freedom to marry who you want, which we won at the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. And the freedom to be who you are, which we continue to fight for today.

But today, freedom is under attack in America. A wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is sweeping across nearly every state in our country, threatening to roll back a half century of work and our hard-won rights. Once again, Lambda Legal is the last line of defense for our community.

This is a dark time. We are in a fight about the fundamental values of our nation. Will there truly be liberty and justice for all? Or will we be told who we can or can’t love, or even who we can be? Fighting back against hate requires nothing less than a bold and unprecedented response.

That’s why Lambda Legal is launching UNSTOPPABLE FUTURE, the largest campaign in the history of our movement. Yes, our goal is ambitious, but necessary to defend against anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, win new protections for the most vulnerable populations, and prepare for the fight ahead.

We are united, ready, and invite you to join us as a philanthropic partner at this critical moment for our community. Together we can shape a future with full legal and lived equality for everyone in our country.

Kevin Jennings Chief Executive Officer

Anne Krook Co-Chair

John Stafstrom Co-Chair

Heather Steans Co-Chair

Robert

Garcia Co-Chair

Unprecedented Wins for Equality

For over 50 years, Lambda Legal has worked tirelessly to represent love in the face of hate, truth in the face of pernicious lies. To represent democratic values of a society where everyone is free to love who they want and be their authentic selves. To litigate cases that tackle the most pressing problems of the present day and set critical precedents for our future.

Despite our history as a small organization, we have had an outsized impact on LGBTQ+ equality.

People v. Onofre

Struck down New York’s sodomy laws

Nabozny v. Podlesny

Held schools responsible for protecting students

Lawrence v. Texas

Struck down remaining U.S. sodomy laws

Obergefell v. Hodges

Made same-sex marriage the law of the land

Eller v. Prince George’s County Public Schools

Won historic settlement for trans teacher

Harrison v. Austin

Won settlement for HIV+ people in the military

Why Now?

The fight for LGBTQ+ equality and justice is more urgent than ever. LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV are under attack—again and again and again, as history seems to repeat itself. Protections are in danger of being rolled back and too many people remain disenfranchised.

The numbers are staggering! Since 2022...

Over 1,200 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in 48 different state legislatures

Over 130 laws have been enacted in 24 different states1

This assault on our rights demands a forceful response from Lambda Legal because in too many of those states there simply aren’t enough votes to stop dangerous legislation from becoming law, meaning that it falls to Lambda Legal–the community’s last line of defense–to get them struck down in court.

Virtually every major advance for LGBTQ+ rights since 1973 has come through litigation, and Lambda Legal has been at the forefront of that litigation. Doing so successfully requires ample resources, and the unfortunate truth is that LGBTQ+ organizations like Lambda Legal receive only 23 cents of every $100 awarded by U.S. foundations. 2 Lambda Legal has achieved amazing advances on a constrained budget, but now we must expand our resources to meet the challenge of the moment.

The Alliance Defending Freedom raises nearly $100 million annually and has more than 75 attorneys on their legal team. A conservative donor recently gave $1.6 billion to the Marble Freedom Trust which is run by an activist who helped “engineer the conservative dominance of the Supreme Court.”3 With an annual budget of approximately $25 million, 6,900 hours of pro bono legal services, and a legal team of 36,4 Lambda Legal is David to these Goliaths.

While we won’t stop, neither will the attacks on our community. The far right will continue its relentless efforts to introduce anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the country, forcing us to deplete our resources and burn out our stretched-thin attorneys, weakening our ability to fight back and defend our rights. We must urgently invest in our capacity and narrow the gap with those who strive to defeat us. Marriage equality, trans rights, employment protections, healthcare equity, parental rights, safety at school, and so much more are at stake. Lambda Legal must remain UNSTOPPABLE!

+ Grow our legal team dedicated to fighting the repeal of our freedoms

+ Defeat harmful state legislation

+ Litigate to prevent the implementation of enacted anti-LGBTQ+ laws

+ Create an Emergency Litigation Fund to rapidly respond to crises as they arise.

+ Add staff attorneys in each of our regions who are dedicated to advocating and litigating for vulnerable populations across the country

+ Build a Pro Bono Attorney Clearinghouse that further expands our legal capacity to take on more cases

+ Grow our programming and legal resources designed to protect LGBTQ+ youth.

+ Extend programs and advocacy that support transgender/gender-nonconforming people

+ Increase bandwidth to support inquiries to our National Legal Help Desk – the only one in the country to address discrimination based on gender identity, HIV status, and sexual orientation

+ Expand legal educational resources to support the most vulnerable populations.

+ Contribute to valuable research that will further support the needs of LGBTQ+ communities, such as our Safe Havens and Protected and Served? reports on discrimination in the legal system

Defending Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Attacks

When Maryland English teacher Jennifer Eller began transitioning to live authentically as the woman she is, she was subjected to verbal abuse from students and was instructed by school administrators to stop wearing dresses. She transferred schools, but the abuse only escalated. Despite multiple reports filed by Jennifer, school administrators and district officials ignored her complaints. In 2018, Lambda Legal and Arnold & Porter filed a lawsuit against the Prince George’s County Public Schools on Jennifer’s behalf, and in 2022, the case settled in her favor. The settlement included policy and training changes to protect transgender students and staff.

Some of our greatest legal successes have safeguarded the right to happiness and peace of mind for LGBTQ+ people. We must do everything within our power to prevent that work from being undone.

INVESTMENTS IN OUR CAPACITY: DEFENDING AT THE STATE LEVEL

Across the country, states are pursuing ways to make discrimination legal, particularly through religious exemption laws. For example, one such law in Virginia would give people the right to refuse to sell houses or rent apartments to LGBTQ+ people or to deny them entry to homeless shelters. A 2024 law enacted in Tennessee would give government officials the right to refuse to perform weddings for same-sex couples.

Bills just like this have been introduced in 48 states and been enacted in 24. Lambda Legal can only take on a fraction of them. That gap in our ability to fight back could be fatal to LGBTQ+ equality and justice.

By hiring more lawyers, growing our legal team, and creating a robust pro bono program, we can increase our litigation docket capacity to defend against harmful state legislation and prevent a rollback of the rights we have won over the last 50 years.

Will you help defend against

C.P. was assigned female at birth, but with the love and support of his parents and the recommendations of his health care providers, he began receiving gender-affirming care as a teenager. Three years into his treatment, C.P. and his family were told that some of his care would no longer be covered because of discriminatory changes to his mother’s employer-sponsored health plan. Lambda Legal delivered justice to C.P. by establishing that the insurance company could not exclude coverage for medically necessary, gender-affirming care due to restrictions from employers. At the same time, we established a new protection for anyone in the same situation as C.P. who is being denied gender-affirming care because of employer discrimination.

Stories like C.P.’s demonstrate how urgent it is for Lambda Legal to be able to ensure that every member of the LGBTQ+ community gets the basic protections they need and deserve to live full and rewarding lives. Your support can increase our presence where it matters the most.

INVESTMENTS IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS: YOUTH + TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

LGBTQ+ children and teens are over-represented in foster care, juvenile justice systems, and homeless settings. The child welfare systems designed to protect them often do the opposite, increasing the risk of physical violence, substance abuse, unsafe sex, and suicide. Schools remain hostile places where LGBTQ+ youth are routinely harassed, and the enactment of “don’t say gay or trans” laws restrict programming to improve school climates.

Transgender/GNC people, regardless of age, also suffer persistent inequalities that threaten their health, wellbeing, and safety. Access to health care and public facilities for trans people is under legislative assault nationwide, and violence against trans people is so widespread that it has been deemed an “epidemic” by the American Medical Association.

We are working to combat inhumane attacks on these groups and win legal and physical protections by expanding our Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Nonbinary + Transgender Rights Project.

Wining New Protections

Will you help win new protections for the most vulnerable among us?

Preparing for the Future

Kelly Easter had long dreamed of raising an adopted child, and she hoped to adopt a refugee who would benefit from the protection and stability of a loving home. But for more than two years, she was denied the right to adopt solely because she is a lesbian, even though she was working through a federally funded program. Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit and the adoption agency changed its policies, securing Kelly the right to adopt and preventing further discrimination by the agency.

Too often, discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community takes root where there isn’t constant oversight. It is up to Lambda Legal to shine a bright light on these injustices and ensure continued progress towards full equality.

INVESTMENTS IN OUR CAPACITY: EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

Who would have guessed in the heady days after the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court in 2015, that a few years later we would face an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in dozens of states? History can go backwards as well as forward, and we must prepare for an uncertain future by strengthening Lambda Legal’s ability to accurately assess a challenging political and cultural landscape and build capacity to fight years-long legal battles.

We must build an Emergency Response Fund to ensure Lambda Legal has the resources to rapidly respond to crises as they emerge and commit to fights that take years—even decades—to win.

INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION: SERVING + ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITIES

Lambda Legal is the “go to” resource for those experiencing discrimination. Each year, approximately 5,000 calls come into Lambda Legal’s Help Desk –the only national resource of its kind, staffed fully by licensed attorneys – from people reporting discrimination and seeking legal guidance. Over 400,000 unique users availed themselves of the “Know Your Rights” initiative in 2022, utilizing publications such as the Spanish version of our “Basic Facts About Being LGBTQ+” (the most visited page on our entire web site).

Ensuring that the Help Desk can respond to thousands of desperate callers and expanding our educational resources for the community will require additional personnel, and we must leverage new technologies to reach a new generation.

Will

you help us become stronger tomorrow than we are today?

Lambda Legal’s story began over 50 years ago with a band of volunteer lawyers who believed they could break ground for LGBTQ+ people through the American justice system. Today, Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization fighting to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals and everyone living with HIV, through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.

Ensuring the legacy of our donors’ impact is sustained for generations to come will strengthen our long-term financial sustainability and allow us to continue to fight for our community for the next 50 years and beyond. To help us realize our vision for fully lived equality, Lambda Legal is launching a transformational legacy challenge.

Lambda Legal’s Unstoppable Future Legacy Challenge is a unique opportunity to maximize the impact of your legacy gift - whether through a will, trust, retirement account, or other giving vehicle - by qualifying your future gift for an immediate grant equal to 10% of the estimated value of your intended bequest, up to $100,000. Through the challenge, you can leverage your future gift to unlock immediate funding today, ensuring Lambda Legal is able to fight current threats while defending our community for decades to come.

Will you ensure Lambda Legal is prepared for the multigenerational fight ahead?

Our Campaign to Win Equality

Unstoppable Future: Our Campaign to Win Equality is our answer to ensure Lambda Legal can defend against anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, win new protections, and prepare for the fight ahead. This is a monumental effort, and that is why we are launching the largest comprehensive campaign in the history of our movement. Your investment as a philanthropic partner in our mission will help us achieve so much — both today, and for generations to come:

Defend, Win, Prepare Today: $72 Million

Investments in Our Capacity to Defend + Win

Growing Our Legal Team

2020: 36 members

2026 Goal: 51 members (42% Growth)

Building a Pro Bono Attorney Clearinghouse

2020: 6,900 hours

2026 Goal: 10,500 hours (52% Growth)

Hiring New Litigators

2020: 19 litigators

2026 Goal: 28 litigators (47% Growth)

Increasing our Litigation Case Docket Capacity

2020: 60 cases

Investments in Education + Community

▪ Serve 5,000 Help Desk Inquiries Annually

▪ Engage + Educate 500,000 Community Members Annually through the “Know Your Rights” Initiative

Prepare for the Fight Ahead

▪ Establish an Emergency Response Fund so Lambda Legal can respond to crises as they arise and support the most vulnerable populations

+Secure Our Future: $108 Million

Ensure Lambda Legal has the resources needed for the multi-generational fight ahead by securing new transformational bequest intentions with the legacy challenge.

UNSTOPPABLE FUTURE

2026 Goal: 112 cases (86% Growth) Comprehensive Goal

$180 Million

Increasing our impact depends on growth, and that growth depends on generous donors like you. We invite you to play a leading role in an organization whose unstoppable future is inseparable from the movement for LGBTQ+ rights and everyone living with HIV.

What we do today affects future generations. With your help, we can level the playing field against our most threatening opponents and move closer to equality, respect, health, and justice for all.

$10,000,000+

+ Contact us about creating a customized naming opportunity

$5,000,000 - $9,999,999

+ Opportunity to fund and name a signature program, regional office, executive position, or signature initiative of Lambda Legal

$1,000,000 - $4,999,999

+ Opportunity to fund and name a legal position or regional director, a critical component of Lambda Legal’s expansion

+ Press Release highlighting principal investment in Lambda Legal’s growth

$500,000 - $999,999

+ Ability to designate funding to support one of Lambda Legal’s thematic programs

+ Opportunity to feature donor’s story in campaign materials

$250,000 - $499,999

+ Ability to designate funding to support one of Lambda Legal’s regions/offices

$100,000 - $249,999

+ Donor ’s name featured on Campaign Donor Wall in Lambda Legal’s Headquarters and Regional Offices

+ Donor ’s name included in campaign recognition materials

$25,000 - $99,999

+ Donor ’s participation recognized on campaign website

The

fight won’t wait. Your opportunity is now. Join us today!

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. To learn more about the campaign, naming opportunities, or to begin the process of making your multi-year leadership gift, please visit lambdalegal.org/unstoppablefuture or email campaign@lambdalegal.org.

LAMBDA LEGAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Kevin Jennings, Chief Executive Officer

Josh Pushkin, Chief Development Officer

Michelle Riley, Board Chair

Lauren Mutti, Board Chair Emeritus

CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS

Anne Krook

Heather Steans

John Stafstrom

Robert Garcia

CAMPAIGN CABINET*

Andrew Mitchell-Namdar

Christopher Cormier Maggiano

Clark Pellett

Ian Tzeng

Jayne Baron Sherman

Kevin Cathcart

Kevin Hager

Michelle Riley

Roberta Conroy

Ronna Stamm

Wendy Chang

lambdalegal.org/unstoppablefuture