Mary Bonauto

Bonauto, a lawyer, is civil-rights director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.

As someone who works day by day to try to achieve justice and equality for gay people, and people with HIV and AIDS, I still see a climate of fear. We have laws in this state that protect people on the job regardless of their sexual orientation or HIV status. But there are many gay people who are still not comfortable with being out and open and honest about who they are. We also find that there is ongoing job discrimination. There are times when I wonder if our Puritan heritage is still too evident.

One of the more hopeful things I see is the respectful relationship that has developed between the gay community and the Boston Police Department and the district attorney's office. Certainly there have been times over the years when there were rogue police officers who did not appreciate that gay people are full citizens in this city. But I would say that both the Boston Police Department and the district attorney's office have made good-faith efforts to communicate with the gay community and to hear our concerns.

Hate crimes as a whole have gone down in the city. However, the perpetrators of hate crimes are, increasingly, young people. That to me suggests that the wrong messages are getting out to young people about the equality of all citizens and the need to live and let live.

It is still incredibly difficult to be a young gay person, to be a gay or lesbian adolescent. Gay-youth suicide is an enormous problem. It is still very hard for gay kids to find role models. There are very few politicians and community leaders in Boston who are openly gay and lesbian. And I think part of the problem, too, is that gay issues are still dealt with in a censored fashion in the schools, particularly in the curriculum.

Until gay people are seen as part of the present world, as well as part of history and art and literature, rather than a special subject, we're going to have this idea that gay people are Other, and are just really not part of our community.

<-- Gail Snowden | William Bratton -->