Guest Blog: Bridget Wilson Pays Tribute to Paula Ettelbrick
A gracious presence has left us with the death of Paula Ettelbrick. Paula was a pioneering attorney for the LGBT community for three decades.
Paula worked for organizations including the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund , the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Empire State Pride Agenda, and most recently, the Stonewall Community Foundation. She was also an adjunct law professor.
I met Paula in the late 1980’s. She was first a staff attorney and then the Legal Director for Lambda Legal between 1988 and 1993. She was one of the rare individuals in the leadership of LGBT organizations who saw the importance of ridding the military of the regulations that barred our service. During her time at Lambda, she strongly supported the litigation that helped move the cause forward. She stood behind then-Lambda Attorney Mary Newcombe in her vigorous litigation of Dusty Pruitt’s and Grethe Cammermeyer’s cases. That was so important to advancing the changes we pursued. For years, many in the community leadership considered “gays in the military” an insignificant issue at best or one that would be doomed to failure and making bad law.
Paula appreciated my passion for this issue. She had a clear understanding of the class issues raised by military service, especially in an all volunteer force. The boys from Choate and the girls from Emma Willard were not joining the Army to get an education. She heard me, and even quoted me on that one.
I have worked with many individuals over the years of fighting military homophobia, but none more gracious, ethical and kind than Paula. She helped to move our cause of inclusion forward. She deserves a salute from all of us in the military and vets community for what she did to lend a hand when the issue was not so accepted in the larger community. Rest in peace, Paula - and thank you.
10-10-11 By Bridget Wilson, Attorney, Rosenstein, Wilson & Dean |
