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Pines Profile - Richard Burns (b. 1955)
Some leaders make history from the front of the stage. Others build the institutions that make history possible. Richard Burns belongs firmly in the latter category. Over the past five decades, his vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment have helped create and strengthen many of the organizations that transformed LGBTQ+ life in America. This profile tells the remarkable story of a man whose influence has profoundly shaped LGBTQ+ life in America.
Lambda Legal: Where Fire Island History Meets the Fight for Equality
What began as a radical idea around a pool in Fire Island Pines, Lambda Legal is now the nation’s most influential LGBTQ+ legal organization. It continues to have deep roots in the Pines, with its annual fundraiser, Lambda in the Pines, being the country’s longest-running queer fundraiser. It is a shining example of the ingenuity, dedication, persistence and resilience of the Pines Community in support of the rights of LGBTQ+ people across the country.