Editing Judith Light (section)

== Activism ==
After being inspired by the [[LGBTQ+]] community, Light began advocating for people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s. She was one of the first celebrities to advocate against the social stigma encountered by LGBTQ+ people and those with AIDS.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://pridesource.com/article/74516-2/|title=This Light of Ours: Judith Light Reflects On LGBT Advocacy & How the Gay Community Taught Her To Be Courageous|last=Azzopardi|first=Chris|date=2015-12-10|work=Pride Source|access-date=2018-06-29|language=en-US}}</ref> She has served on the boards of the [[Matthew Shepard Foundation]] and the [[Point Foundation (LGBT)|Point Foundation]], a support organization for students discriminated against based on sexual orientation or gender.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://jwa.org/people/light-judith|title=Judith Light | work=Jewish Women's Archive | first=James S. | last= Fell|access-date= August 31, 2018}}</ref>

Through her role in [[Transparent (TV series)|''Transparent'']] as the ex-wife of a transgender person, Light raises these issues to a broad audience. She reported "It's something that we really haven't talked about before in pop culture, we haven't talked about transgender issues, we haven't talked about mature people's sexuality."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/judith-light-66-spent-years-prominent-lgbt-activist-article-1.2455841|title='Transparent' star Judith Light, 66, spent years helping to break new ground as LGBT activist|last=Kaplan|first=Don|date=2015-12-04|work=Daily News|access-date=2018-06-29|location=New York|language=en-US}}</ref>

In an interview with the magazine [[Out (magazine)|''Out'']], Light stated:<blockquote>“It was the LGBTQ community that inspired me to be the kind of person I wanted to be. I wanted to be authentic and courageous, and for so long I wasn't. When I began doing a lot of advocacy work in the early '80s for HIV and AIDS, I saw the community and the way the community was operating against all odds, against a world and a culture and country that gave them nothing and denigrated them. ... I looked at this community and said, 'This is breathtaking. This is the kind of world and people I want to be around. These are the kind of people I want to be working with."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2015/12/10/judith-light-i-wasnt-courageous-until-i-met-gay-community|title=Judith Light: 'I Wasn't Courageous Until I Met the Gay Community'|date=2015-12-10|work=Out|access-date=2018-06-29|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>In 2018, Light discussed the similarities between the beginnings of the [[LGBT movements|LGBT rights movement]] and the [[Me Too movement]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/06/18/judith-light/|title=Judith Light draws parallels between gay rights movement and #MeToo|last=Cooper|first=Mariah|date=2018-06-18|work=Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights|access-date=2018-06-29|language=en-US}}</ref>

In addition to LGBT and AIDS activism, she has spoken publicly to encourage [[vaccination]] against the flu as a way to protect vulnerable populations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-judith-light-20171014-htmlstory.html#|title=Here's why you're about to see actress Judith Light everywhere, talking about flu shots | work=The Los Angeles Times | first=James S. | last= Fell| date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>