MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through the rest of February. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Age: 49
Community: Newton and Boston
Her story: Patience Crozier is the director of family advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, a Boston-based organization that serves the LGBTQ community in New England and nationally through litigation, public policy, advocacy and education.
Crozier began working on LGBTQ issues as a high school student, when she was a founding member of her school’s GSA, or gay-straight alliance, club.
As an adult, she worked as a clerk in family court and later at a small family law firm that served a lot of LGBTQ clients. Through these experiences, she realized that family justice issues felt the most pressing to her.
“I was able to see first-hand the tremendous harm that children suffer because of a lack of legal protections and the discrimination that LGBTQ people face in our family court system, in name change, divorce, guardianship, child welfare cases and beyond,” she said.
Since joining GLAD in 2016, Crozier has focused on working for equality for LGBTQ families and youth, including parentage protections, adoption, transgender family law, juvenile justice and child welfare. She has helped draft and pass laws to protect children and families in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
More recently, she helped draft the Massachusetts Parentage Act, a bill that would establish equal access to family protections for LGBTQ parents if passed.
“Massachusetts law is very outdated, which means many children aren’t secured to their families and LGBTQ parents have to go through expensive, humiliating extra steps to protect their children,” she said. “I work to transform laws so that all children are treated equally.”
Crozier said her connection to the community has made her work feel purposeful and helped her keep going through challenges.
“We are in this for the long haul, and it is challenging work – take care of yourself and keep hope,” she said.
In her words: “I’ve come to know many children, parents, grandparents and family members throughout the Commonwealth. Each has their own story of why (the Massachusetts Parentage Act) and equality is important. They are so wonderful, generous with their time and deeply committed to improving the Commonwealth for future generations. … My advice to others pursuing this work is to remain connected with community and to have them inform your work.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
