Distinguished Service Award for Richard F. Silber, Esq.

Presented by former GLAA President Mindy Daniels

GLAA 28th Anniversary Reception
Charles Sumner School
Thursday, April 22, 1999

It has been nearly four years now since the August night when Tyra Hunter died. As she lay gravely injured from a car accident, a Fire Department employee, who was supposed to provide emergency medical care, instead taunted her with crude epithets and withdrew care for several minutes after he discovered Tyra's male genitalia. She died a few hours later at DC General after further incompetent and neglectful treatment.

Unfortunately, the abuse did not end that night. Rather than seriously investigate the case and take steps to discipline those involved and to prevent such a travesty from ever happening again, the government simply circled the wagons. When Tyra's mother Margie sought justice in court, the government spent taxpayer dollars defending those involved.

Fortunately for all of us, Margie found an able and tenacious attorney in Rick Silber. For over three years Rick has been tireless, aggressive, and thorough in seeking justice for Tyra. The goal has been simple: to make it clear that transgendered citizens — just like anyone else — are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, and that public servants, paid with our taxes, must be held accountable when they illegally discriminate against those they are sworn to serve.

Last December, a jury of DC citizens awarded Margie Hunter 2.9 million dollars in her discrimination and wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Since then, however, the city filed a Post-Trial Motion to Dismiss with Judge Gardner in which they claim, among other things, that no district citizen has the right to sue the government for violating the DC Human Rights Law.

That is only the latest in a long series of outrages coming from the city's attorneys in the Office of the Corporation Counsel. This thick response brief from Rick Silber, which rips the government's case to shreds, is only the latest example of his superb and tireless efforts on behalf of Margie Hunter.

Rick's work in this case is not yet done, but we pause tonight to recognize that his advocacy — which has already been vindicated by a jury of District citizens — is in the finest tradition of those who have striven to ensure that our judiciary enforces our nation's promise of Equal Justice Under Law. If that principle does not ultimately prevail in this case, we will all be diminished.

It is therefore my honor — particularly as an attorney practicing in the District myself — to present this Distinguished Service Award from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington to Richard F. Silber, Esquire. Congratulations.