Tulane Law Hosts Law & Sexuality Symposium Friday

Tulane’s Journal of Law & Sexuality is hosting a symposium on legal issues in the LGBT community on Friday, March 16.Titled “Reviewing the Past, Anticipating the Future,” the symposium runs from 1 to 6 p.m. at Tulane Law School’s John Giffen Weinmann Hall, 6329 Freret St., Room 157.  A reception follows in the Marian Mayer Berkett Multipurpose Room.Joining a panel on LGBT employment discrimination is Judi O’Kelley, Chief Program Officer for the National LGBT Bar Association. She has more than two decades of working on behalf of the LBGT community. While in law school in Oregon, she worked against anti-gay ballot initiatives; after graduating and entering private practice, she moved to Georgia and worked on behalf of local and national LGBT groups as a pro bono attorney, drafting and lobbying for successful non-discrimination protections and domestic partnership benefit programs for several Georgia municipalities, including Atlanta and Athens. Also, she was a plaintiff in a case that sought to strike down Georgia’s ban on same-sex unions.Among other speakers is Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director of the Human Rights Campaign who is part of a distinguished panel addressing discrimination of those with HIV. Other panels address coming out at big law firms, and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Warbelow leads a team of attorneys at the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization with more than 3 million members. Their work focuses on federal, state, and municipal policy. She also coordinates HRC's advocacy efforts as a “friend of the court“ in litigation affecting the LGBTQ community. <

Tulane Law students planned and organized the symposium, which last happened about a decade ago, with the help of Prof. of Law Catherine Hancock.“We’re so excited to once again host the Law and Sexuality symposium that will bring students, practitioners and civil rights advocates together for a productive dialogue,” said Austin Spooner (L’18), the Senior Symposium Editor.  “We have received so much support in launching this event from faculty, and we hope it becomes an annual conference that continues to move conversations forward in this area of law.”Spooner also pointed to the support of Tulane alumni who are participating in the event, including Lindsey Calhoun (L’13), an associate at Phelps Dunbar; Susan Clade (NC’71, MA’74, L’82), a partner at Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn; and Noah Kressler (L’06), an attorney with Baker Donelson.