Jon Davidson

Jon W. Davidson is the Legal Director of Lambda Legal, the largest and oldest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and those living with HIV. Along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the ACLU, Davidson is co-counsel in litigation challenging the denial to same-sex couples of the freedom to marry in California, and he has assisted in similar litigation being handled by Lambda Legal in New Jersey, New York, and Washington, as well as the historic Hawaii marriage case. He also co-authored the civil rights amicus brief submitted to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that resulted in same-sex couples securing the freedom to marry in that state.

Over the last 17 years of dedicating his career to fighting sexual orientation and HIV discrimination full-time, Davidson has won legal victories ranging from protecting the rights of LGBT students, to helping secure asylum for those persecuted based on sexual orientation or gender identity, to reforming anti-gay police practices, to safeguarding the jobs and insurance protections of people living with HIV. Davidson also was the co-author of California's comprehensive Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Southern California Law Center, Loyola Law School, and UCLA School of Law, where he has taught courses addressing sexual orientation and HIV-related legal issues. A 1979 graduate of Yale Law School, Davidson recently moved to New York to lead the 20 lawyers on staff in Lambda Legal's five offices.