David Buckel

David Stroh Buckel (June 13, 1957 – April 14, 2018) was an American LGBT rights lawyer who worked with Lambda Legal on a number of their notable cases.

[3] Buckel was a senior counsel and marriage project director at Lambda Legal, the American organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities.

[11] In 2006, Buckel argued before the Supreme Court of New Jersey in Lewis v. Harris that "for the government to use the label 'civil union' is a considered choice of language that assigns us a second-class status.

"[2][20] As the earth around Buckel was burned in a nearly perfect circle, The New York Times speculated that he had made a ring of soil to prevent the fire from spreading.

[2] Buckel's family and friends later said that in the time prior to his death, he had grown increasingly distraught at the politics surrounding climate change in the United States, particularly the environmental policy of the Trump administration, and had experienced further distress after sustaining a back injury that limited his workload.

[23] Two weeks before his suicide, he had begun sending a fellow volunteer at the Red Hook Community Farm information on "how to complete paperwork, annual reports and other documents that would need to be turned over to city agencies" as well as labeling various fixtures and equipment at the facility, but had denied that he was planning on retiring when asked.

"[24] In a statement to the Huffington Post, Camilla Taylor, senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, stated, "His thoughtful and engaging advocacy broke through many stubborn misconceptions and showed it was possible and necessary for our movement to speak up for bullied, ostracized LGBT young people.

"[4] Susan Sommer, a former attorney for Lambda Legal, called Buckel "one of the architects of the freedom to marry and marriage equality movement.

[19] In February 2024, Aaron Bushnell died as a result of self-immolation protesting the United States’ policies on supporting Israel during the Gaza-Israel conflict.