The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) of Washington, D.C. is a United States not-for-profit organization that works to secure legal rights for gays and lesbians in the District of Columbia. GLAA is a non-partisan advocacy organization founded April 20, 1971 as the Gay Activist Alliance of Washington. It is the United States' oldest continuously-active organization devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights. The Alliance is a volunteer organization and has no paid staff. History The group was founded on April 20, 1971, evolving from Frank Kameny's Congressional campaign. In 1970, Congress allowed the District of Columbia to elect a non-voting representative to the House of Representatives. A group of gay activists in the District of Columbia thought that none of the candidates showed enough attention to gay issues, so with help from the Gay Activists Alliance from New York City, volunteers collected over 7,000 signatures to add Kameny as a candidate. Though Kameny was not elected, his supporters turned the political campaign into what was then called the Gay Activists Alliance. Paul Kuntzler and Joel Martin, both gay rights activists, played large roles in the creation of the Alliance, modeling it after New York's Gay Activists Alliance. Rick Rosendall, the Vice President for Political Affairs, contacted Kameny and joined in the late 1970s. In 1986, under the group's first woman president Lorri Jean, the Gay Activists Alliance changed its name to the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance. Activities The Alliance has led or been leaders in legislative efforts in the District of Columbia—including passing the Human Rights Act, repealing the sodomy law, passing the Bias Crimes Related Act (hate crimes act), passing and expanding domestic partnerships., and passing marriage equality. As Ian Lekus puts it, the organization worked to challenge the assumed meaning of community towards one that was an action rather than a group. The group also functions as a political watchdog to make sure that the District's police department and other agencies work with and not against the LGBT community. The group is also involved with lobbying and conducting research. The group has worked at the federal level regarding family medical care, the definition of "family", family leave, and child custody. In 2000, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman instituted an anti-harassment policy at all District of Columbia public schools. Many members of the group work extensively to cope with the AIDS pandemic. In 1998, they lobbied