Section History and Member Benefits

The Section was first proposed as the Gay and Lesbian Law Section and was voted down by the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas in April 1996. View the article in The BAHR Reporter.

The Section was next proposed as the more inclusive Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Issues Section and was provisionally approved by the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors in April 1998. The Section completed its provisional status and was finally approved by the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors in April 2000. 

The Section's formation was featured by the State Bar of Texas in its historic timeline showing key points in the Bar's 75 year history. The Section was the first of its kind in any state bar association in the nation. 

In 2010, the Section changed its name to the LGBT Law Section. The term "LGBT" is now part of the mainstream vernacular when it was not when the Section was founded. The Council of Chairs' Executive Committee, the Council of Chairs, the Board of Directors' Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors all unanimously voted to approve the name change. The name change took effect on June 11, 2010 by the unanimous vote of the Section members at its annual meeting in Fort Worth, Texas.

Our Section co-founders are Phyllis R. Frye, Mitchell Katine, Connie Moore, Anne M. Pike and Charles A. Spain.

• Subscription to LGBT Law Notes;
• Discounted membership to the National LGBT Bar Association;
• Discounts to all Section sponsored State Bar of Texas CLE programs, including co-sponsored TexasBarCLE webcasts;
• Access to the LGBT Law Section Texas Bar Connect;
• Receive periodic e-mail alerts regarding matters of concern to members of the Section and informing you of opportunities to participate in committees; and
• Networking at annual meeting reception and other section events.

LGBT Law Notes reports on LGBT and AIDS/HIV legal developments. It tracks significant new legislation, court decisions, administrative rulings and executive actions and highlights publications of interest. In addition, it serves as an information exchange about job postings in the public interest, lesbian/gay rights legal field and relays information about conferences and publication opportunities. Its focus is primarily U.S. law, but also reports on global developments from time to time. Law Notes is edited and chiefly written by Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, author of “Sexuality and the Law: An Encyclopedia of Major Legal Cases” (Garland, 1993) and numerous articles on lesbian/gay and AIDS legal issues with a staff of volunteer writers consisting of lawyers, law school graduates and current law students. Published monthly (combined July/August summer issue).