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- The ABA Stonewall Award refers to a professional honor within the legal community
- The award is associated with the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- The first Stonewall Awards were presented at the 2013 ABA Midyear Meeting in Dallas
- The reported 2013 recipients reflect different roles in legal advocacy
- The event is best understood as recognition rather than a legal ruling
- Sources
Key Facts
- Federal and state: The ABA Stonewall Award is an honor presented within the legal profession and is separate from any statute, regulation, or court judgment.
- Federal and state: The award is presented by the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
- Federal and state: ABA materials describe the award as recognizing lawyers who have advanced LGBTQ people in the legal profession and championed LGBTQ legal causes.
- State level: The first Stonewall Awards were presented during a reception at the 2013 ABA Midyear Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
- Federal and state: The ABA Journal identified Mary L. Bonauto, Matt Nosanchuk, and Mia F. Yamamoto as the first three Stonewall Award recipients.
- Federal level: A GLAD announcement described Matt Nosanchuk as serving as associate general counsel for legal counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the time of the award.
- State level: The ABA Journal described Mia F. Yamamoto as a criminal defense lawyer and human rights activist in Los Angeles.
- Federal and state: ABA descriptions connect the award’s name to the Stonewall Inn and the events in New York City that became a turning point in the LGBTQ rights movement.
The ABA Stonewall Award refers to a professional honor within the legal community
The phrase “Stonewall Award” can refer to different awards in different fields, so context matters. The topic here is the American Bar Association Stonewall Award, which ABA materials describe as recognizing lawyers for advancing LGBTQ people in the legal profession and championing LGBTQ legal causes.
The award is associated with the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
According to ABA news materials, the award is presented by the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. In ABA descriptions, the award’s name refers to the Stonewall Inn in New York City and the events there in June 1969 that became a turning point in the LGBTQ rights movement.
The first Stonewall Awards were presented at the 2013 ABA Midyear Meeting in Dallas
Reporting by the ABA Journal described the first Stonewall Awards as being presented on Feb. 9, 2013, during a reception at the 2013 ABA Midyear Meeting in Dallas, Texas. That coverage identified the first three recipients as Mary L. Bonauto, Matt Nosanchuk, and Mia F. Yamamoto.
The reported 2013 recipients reflect different roles in legal advocacy
The ABA Journal described Mary L. Bonauto as the civil rights project director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders in Boston, Matt Nosanchuk as a government attorney, and Mia F. Yamamoto as a criminal defense lawyer and human rights activist in Los Angeles. A GLAD announcement about the award similarly identified Bonauto as GLAD’s Civil Rights Project Director and stated that Bonauto was honored alongside Nosanchuk and Yamamoto at the Dallas reception.
The event is best understood as recognition rather than a legal ruling
Based on the way the ABA describes the Stonewall Award, the 2013 presentation is most accurately understood as professional recognition for legal work and leadership connected to LGBTQ equality. The information available in the sources describes who was honored, which ABA body presented the award, and where and when the award was presented.
