Robin Tyler is a pioneer within the grassroots movement of the LGBTI civil rights fight. She has played a seminal role in the struggle for equal right both in her current role as Executive Director of The Equality Campaign and as the first lesbian plaintiff to sue the state of California challenging the ban on same sex marriage. Robin & Diane was the only couple to receive a license in Los Angeles County on Monday, June 16, 2008 the evening before licenses were available to the public at large. They were married that day surrounded by loved ones, friends and the media in front of the Beverly Hills Courthouse where they had previously been denied their license.
This lawsuit is not the first time Tyler has stood up to pave the way for equal rights. In the 1970’s, Robin was the first openly-out of the closet gay or lesbian comic on stage, on national television, on records and in concerts, colleges and clubs. She has been called the ‘mother’ of gay comedy. In 1994 Robin Produced the first International Gay Comedy Festival which took place in Sydney, Australia, in conjunction with Sydney Gay Mardi-Gras. In 2002, Robin was featured in Paul Cain’s book “Leading the Parade,” which included conversations with America’s most influential lesbian and gay citizens.
In 2007, she revived “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom”- her one-woman, award-winning comedy show about growing up a Jewish lesbian, and wanting to get married.
Additionally, Tyler has produced 25 major outdoor Women’s Music & Comedy Festivals 1993 Marches on Washington for LGBT rights.