Don Eldridge Gorton III (May 4, 1960 – December 24, 2022) was a Massachusetts attorney who served as a state tax judge from 1997 to 2008.
He led the drafting of regulations to implement the Hate Crimes Reporting Act of 1990, and spearheaded civil rights awareness activities for the Executive Office of Public Safety.
Over the years he played a leading role in passage of the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Law and the Hate Crimes Penalties Act amendments of 1996.
In 2011, Gorton authored a research study of hate crimes against the transgender community, focusing on improved law enforcement responsiveness to this under reported phenomenon.
[3] Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Coalition to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors, advocates for passage of Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2019: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2019/Chapter8