Michael Adams (lawyer)

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Michael Adams
Born1961
Lowell, Massachusetts
EducationHarvard University (BA)

Stanford University (MA in Latin American Studies)

Stanford Law School (JD)
Occupation(s)U.S. Attorney and LGBT+ Civil Rights Activist
TitleCEO of SAGE (Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders) (since 2006)
Spouse
Frederick A. Davie
​
(m. 2004)​
RelativesPatricia Tradd (mother)

Ronald Tradd (stepfather, d. April 2020) Paul Adams (father)

Sally Adams (stepmother)

Michael Adams (born 1961) is an attorney and LGBT+ civil rights advocate in the United States. He has been the CEO of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders in New York City since 2006.

Early life and education[edit]

Michael Adams grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in government from Harvard University in 1984 and his involvement in human rights issues began at this time.[1] He was active in campus campaigns to promote human rights in Latin America and to oppose the then-current United States policies in Central America.[1]

His senior honors thesis adviser was Assistant Professor Terry Karl, who in 1983 filed a sexual harassment complaint against her colleague in the government department, Jorge Dominquez, in what became a groundbreaking case. In 2021, Harvard formally apologized to Karl.[2] Adams spoke out publicly in support of Karl, for which the government department threatened him with legal action.[3]

He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School in 1990 and an MA in Latin American studies from Stanford University.[4]

In 2004, Adams married Frederick A. Davie, his partner since 1998. A Presbyterian minister, Davie is the executive vice president of Union Theological Seminary. He served on President Barack Obama's transition team and was appointed by Obama to the White House Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He is currently the Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which provides civilian oversight to the New York City Police Department, and is a Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, appointed by Senator Charles Schumer.[5]

Career[edit]

He worked in litigation at Clarence & Snell in San Francisco, before moving to the American Civil Liberties Union, first as a staff attorney and then as the litigation director of its lesbian & gay rights and AIDS projects. In 2001, he became the deputy legal director of Lambda Legal.[6] Much of his litigation career involved issues affecting LGBTQ+ people and families, such as civil rights and recognition of victims of Nazi persecution.[7]

Adams litigated several cases which ended the enforcement of anti-sodomy laws criminalizing same-sex sexual activity in several jurisdictions.[8] He also argued cases in several states that established "family recognition" for same-sex couples, such as custody and adoption.[9] These cases were argued in Arkansas,[10] Florida,[11] Mississippi,[7] New Jersey,[9] and Virginia.[12]

In 2002, he became Lambda Legal's Director of Education and Public Affairs.[13] In this role, he was responsible for national public relations and community education programs on LGBT+ rights.[14]

Adams served as an adjunct professor at the UC Berkeley School of Law and as a grantmaking consultant to the Ford Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[15]

SAGE[edit]

In 2006,[16] Adams became the chief executive officer of the non-profit SAGE (Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders).[17] Established in 1978, SAGE provides advocacy, supportive services, and consumer resources to older LGBT+ adults. The organization's emphasis is on policy advocacy and promoting legislation that promotes the ability of LGBT+ adults to age with dignity and respect.[18] In 2014 SAGE undertook a multi-year project to embed racial equity in its external work and within the organization as part of a long-term commitment to build racial equity and contribute to the dismantling of white supremacy.[19]

SAGE also provides cultural competency training to health care and nursing care providers with a SAGECare credential[20] and in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, it sponsors a Long-Term Care Equality Index to measure the level of equitable and inclusive care for LGBT+ people in long-term care residences.[21] It has a number of initiatives addressing specific issues of LGBT+ elders, including the National Resource Center on LGBT+ Aging,[22] an HIV/AIDS long-term survivors network,[23] an emergency hot-line and telephone support system,[24] and a national housing initiative.[25]

Advocacy[edit]

A significant focus of Adams's work is on intersectionality and racial equity. SAGE is a founder of the Diverse Elders Coalition, which comprises six national advocacy organizations representing and advocating for the combined interests and concerns of racially and ethnically diverse elders, older American Indians and Alaska Natives, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) elders. Adams has stated that this focus is important not only because there are shared issues among the groups and combining forces is strategically effective, but also because, as the demographic of older Americans changes, people on the intersections of diversity are a growing part of SAGE's constituency.[26]

Adams also has been active in international issues. In 2017, he was part of a delegation testifying before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and has become an active member of a coalition working with LGBT+ elders in Latin America. SAGE has worked with several organizations in Latin America and Asia to secure funding for cross-cultural advocacy, services, and research. This focus is informed in part from Adams's previous experience and academic training in Latin American studies.[27]

Honors and awards[edit]

Adams is the board chair of the American Society on Aging.[28] He is the 2019 recipient of the National Council on Aging’s Change Agent Award.[29]  In 2016, he was named an “Influencer in Aging” by PBS's Next Avenue.[30] Adams has twice been named one of the “100 most influential LGBT leaders” by OUT Magazine'.[31] He has served as the vice president of the board of directors of LiveOn New York.[32][better source needed] He has served on advisory councils for AARP[33] and the New York City Department for the Aging.[34]

Publications[edit]

Michael Adams's publications include (partial list):

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b “Paradigm Shifter.” Harvard Magazine.  May–June 2018.  https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2018/05/paradigm-shifter  Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. ^ “‘Harvard Failed Her:’ University Apologizes to Scholar Who Endured Harassment.”  The Chronicle of Higher Education.  (February 4, 2021).  https://www.chronicle.com.  Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  3. ^ “Harvard Crimson Turns with #MeToo Tide.”  The Advocate.  (March 28, 2018). https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/3/28/harvard-crimson-turns-metoo-tide.  Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  4. ^ “Lambda Adds Seasoned Civil Rights Litigator to Its Staff.” Lambdalegal.org.  https://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ny_20010320_lambda-adds-seasoned-civil-rights-litigator Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  5. ^ “Frederick A. Davie, Executive Vice President.”  https://www.utsnyc.edu.  Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. ^ "Lambda Adds Seasoned Civil Rights Litigator to Its Staff".
  7. ^ a b “Mississippi Punishes Four Year Old Because He Has Lesbian Moms.” www.lambdalegal.org. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  8. ^ “In Historic Settlement with ACLU, Maryland Clears Last of Its Sodomy Laws from the Books.” https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/historic-settlement-aclu-maryland-clears-last-its-sodomy-laws-books .  Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  9. ^ a b Smothers, Ronald (1997-10-23). "Court Lets Two Gay Men Jointly Adopt Child". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  10. ^ “ACLU Challenges Arkansas Policy Banning Gay and Lesbian Foster Parents.” www.aclu.org. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  11. ^ “ACLU Sues Florida over ban on gay and lesbian adoption.” www.aclu.org. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  12. ^ Masters, Brooke A. (2001-12-06). "Gay Woman Sues Va. to Allow Adoption". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  13. ^ “Michael Adams, Chief Executive Officer.”  https://www.sageusa.org.  Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  14. ^ “Michael Adams, Chief Executive Officer.” www.sageusa.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  15. ^ “Lambda Adds Seasoned Civil Rights Litigator to Its Staff.” www.lambdalegal.org. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  16. ^ "Panel 3: The Role of Funders Amidst a Pandemic." SAGE. SAGE, 2020. https://www.sageusa.org/national-lgbt-elder-housing-virtual-institute-2020/panel-3-role-donors-admist-pandemic/. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  17. ^ "Michael Adams". 17 August 2018.
  18. ^ “Fighting for LGBT Elders Since 1978,” www.sageusa.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  19. ^ Lindsay, Drew. “How a White Nonprofit CEO Rewired His Brain as His Organization Overhauled Itself in a Racial-Equity Effort.” Philanthropy.com. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 5, 2021. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/how-a-white-nonprofit-ceo-rewired-his-brain-as-his-organization-overhauled-itself-in-a-racial-equity-effort.
  20. ^ “SAGECare Teaches Elder Care Providers the Importance of Fostering a Welcoming Community,” www.aarp.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  21. ^ “Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, “Long Term Care Equality Index Promises to Provide Tools to Address Concerns of LGBTQ Residents,” (June 24, 2020), www.mahealthyagingcollaborative.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  22. ^ “National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.” SAGE. SAGE. Accessed January 18, 2022. https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/national-resource-center-on-lgbt-aging/.
  23. ^ “HIV & Aging Policy Action Coalition (HAPAC).” SAGE. SAGE. Accessed January 18, 2022. https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/hapac/.
  24. ^ “Sage National LGBT Elder Hotline.” SAGE. SAGE. Accessed January 18, 2022. https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/sage-national-lgbt-elder-hotline/.
  25. ^ “National LGBT Housing Initiative.” SAGE. SAGE. Accessed January 18, 2022. https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/national-lgbt-housing-initiative-2/.
  26. ^ Adams, Michael, "An Intersectional Approach to Services and Care for LGBT Elders,"https://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/pdfs/S21_Gene_40_2_Adams_94-100.pdf Generations, Journal of the American Society on Aging, Vol. 40:2, (Summer 2016), pp. 94-100.
  27. ^ Adams, Michael, “LGBT Older Adults in Latin America: An Emerging Movement,” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, (December 7, 2019), www.revista.drclas.harvard.edu/lgbt-older-adults-in-latin-america/. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  28. ^ “ASA Board of Directors,” www.asaging.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  29. ^ "Trailblazers in Aging Awards – National Council on Aging," https://www.ncoa.org/page/trailblazers-in-aging-awards. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  30. ^ “2016 Influencers in Aging.” Next Avenue. Next Avenue, November 10, 2020. https://www.nextavenue.org/2016influencers/.
  31. ^ “American Society on Aging Names Karyne Jones, Michael Adams to Board Positions,” www.seniorhousingbusiness.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  32. ^ "Form 990 6-30-19," https://allison-nickerson.squarespace.com/financial-information. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  33. ^ “ASA Board of Directors,” www.asaging.org. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  34. ^ “Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz to Convene First State Senate Aging Advisory Council,” www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
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