In June, the LGBTQ+ community comes together to celebrate Pride month. It is a time to reflect on the strides the LGBTQ+ community has made throughout history. With still much progress to be made, we at the University of Houston Law Center want to do our part by recognizing and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month marks a time of deep historical significance for the LGBTQ+ community, commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that began in New York City on June 28, 1969. After police raided the Stonewall Inn, a known LGBTQ+ bar, the outcry was immediate. At the time, there were not many safe spaces that welcomed LGBTQ+ individuals, and the violation of the Stonewall Inn caused major harm to the community. These protests lasted for days and sparked a national wave of activism and passion around fighting for the LGBTQ+ community and equality. One year later in 1970, on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first Pride parade was held in New York City. Today, according to The Washington Post, one in six adults are LGBT. And this number could continue to grow. |
As we acknowledge and celebrate Pride Month, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight an outstanding alumna who has blazed past barriers and continues to make her mark in the field of law. Judge Phyllis Frye, who graduated from the UH Law Center in 1981, was the nation’s first openly transgender judge and to this day is only one of two openly transgender judges in the U.S. Prior to studying law, Judge Frye, attended Texas A&M University to study engineering, and eventually joined the U.S. Army. However, after facing discrimination and harassment, she left to pursue a joint Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degree at the UH Law Center. |
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At first, Judge Frye experienced challenges in growing her career due to her transgender identity. After struggling financially, she successfully represented a man who was arrested outside a gay bar. After this, she began to represent more clients and eventually became a judge. Judge Frye currently works as an associate judge and runs her own private law practice, where she specializes solely in transgender law. She is also a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and is frequently praised as the grandmother of the transgender movement. Judge Frye is a nationally recognized icon of the LGBTQ+ community and has even been profiled in the New York Times. To read more about Judge Frye’s remarkable journey, please read this feature article.
As allies of the LGBTQ+ community, the Law Center will pause to reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of LGBTQ+ alumni, faculty, students and staff as well as make a concerted effort toward further progress and equality. If you would like to join the Law Center's LGBTQ+ Alumni group, please contact Associate Dean of Alumni and Community Relations Sondra Tennessee at stennessee@uh.edu. |
Sincerely, Leonard M. Baynes
Dean & Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center |
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