b'EMBRACED AT MINTZworkers were being shunned or fired. Whenshouldmakesureitdidnttakepeopleby aMintzattorneywasdiagnosedwithHIV,surprise. The message was clearI didnt Mintz contacted Linette, who was then theneedtokeepDonsandmyrelationshipa AIDS Coordinator for the City of Boston. Thissecret in this firm. Richards advice made me was most likely 1986. She was asked to trainfeel accepted and reinforced that my being the firm on how to make the firm hospitablegay was not going to affect my position at for the employee, in order to retain him. Shethe firm. did a two-day in-service training for Mintz, which was mandated for all of its employees,Notlongafterthatlunch,Donbecame and in turn Mintz made a significant donationthe first same-sex partner to attend a firm to the AIDS Action Committee. How could Iretreat. It was probably the Members retreat not love this firm? she asked.inspring1992.Richardhadtoldmethat anyonewhohadanissuewiththiswould I joined the firm in the spring of 1990.not be hostile and make us uncomfortable. Q:What was your experience once youAs it turned out, the people I thought might have a problem turned out to be the most joined Mintz? How and when did youwelcoming. We were clearly welcomed, and come out at Mintz?Don(notsurprisinglyforthosewhoknow Steve:AfterjoiningMintz,Icontinuedthehim) had a great time. He noted especially policy of not bringing up my sexuality unlessthatRichardswife,Evvajean,hadtakenit asked. I went to lunch one day with Richardupon herself to make him feel integrated into Mintz, who took a particular interest in mythe spouses and significant others group. personal life because he knew I was in theHe felt totally welcomed from the moment midst of a divorce (my first marriage) whenhe arrived. Iarrivedatthefirm.IhadtoldhimIwas gettinginvolvedwithsomeone,pronounsDon coming to the retreat was a watershed obscured. He asked me how my relationshipfor the firm. It was really a test of the firm, or wasgoing.Tellmeabouther,heasked.at least the Members. This is a firm that, from Consistentwithourdisclosurepolicy,Iday one, was fine with my being gay.responded: Actually, Richard, its a him, notQ:What was the environment like at that her. Richard was about 75 years old at thetime for LGBTQ lawyers?time, and from a very different generation. Afteramomentarypause,hesaid,IfthisSteve:Mysensewasthatitwasvery was10yearsago,Iwouldhavehadsomedifferent at many other firms, less accepting. real difficulty with this conversation. But youOne of our gay associates told me that Dons know what, so tell me about him. At the endattendanceattheretreatwaspowerfully of the conversation, he told me that whenimportant as a statement, and I heard similar (not if) I took Don to a Members retreat, Isentimentsfromseveralassociates.Their p. 13'