As a first-generation American of Filipino immigrants, longtime civil rights attorney Glenn Magpantay has forged a 30-year career of service and advocacy for racial justice and the rights of both immigrants and the LGBTQI+ community. A graduate of the New England School of Law in Boston, Magpantay is the former director of the Democracy Program Director for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and also the co-founder and former executive director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. He has brought 15 briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, testified before Congress, and continues to write insightful articles, public reports, and media commentary. In a recent article, Magpantay cited statistics noting how 32% of Asian Americans across the country reported being called a racial slur; 29% said they were verbally harassed or abused; and 41% believed they would be victims of physical attack because of their race, ethnicity or religion. Reflecting his wish to help change that disturbing situation, he accepted a 2023 appointment to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the independent, bipartisan federal agency to advise Congress and the White House on civil rights laws and policy. As the first Asian and only LGBTQ+ person on the Commission, he now has an important seat at the table in the battle against the rise of hate crimes and anti-Asian and anti-LGBTQ discrimination across the country. Magpantay’s life partner is Christopher Goeken, executive director of the Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of New York. They have one son.
“Our country has yet to ensure the promise of civil rights for everyone… That is our task.”
Glenn D. Magpantay
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