Purple Day, Movie Night

Remember to wear purple on Wednesday October 20th in memory of the LGBTQ lives lost to suicide. If you have anything purple, please see Erika Scibelli to get your piece of the purple.

Please also join OUTlaw for pizza and a movie at 5pm in Room 2 to conclude our day of remembrance.

Logic Gayms

Take a look at WNEC OUTlaw member Armand Cortellesso's blog post memorializing Matthew Shepard's passing. It's absolutely worth the read.

CA Federal Judge tells government to stop enforcing DADT

From MSNBC.com

"RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A federal judge Tuesday ordered the government to stop banning openly gay men and women from serving in the military under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips found the policy unconstitutional in September. On Tuesday, she rejected an Obama administration request to delay an injunction and ordered enforcement of the 17-year-old policy permanently stopped.

The Justice Department has 60 days to appeal. Legal experts say the government is under no legal obligation to do so and they could let Phillips' ruling stand.

The federal government is reviewing the ruling and has no immediate comment, said Tracy Schmaler, spokesman for the Justice Department.

"Don't ask, don't tell" prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but bans those who are gay from serving openly. Under the 1993 policy, service men and women who acknowledge being gay or are discovered engaging in homosexual activity, even in the privacy of their own homes off base, are subject to discharge.

Phillips declared the law unconstitutional on Sept. 9 after a two-week nonjury trial and said she would issue a nationwide injunction. But she asked first for input from Department of Justice attorneys and the Log Cabin Republicans, the gay rights group that filed the lawsuit in 2004 to stop the ban's enforcement.

The Log Cabin Republicans asked her for an immediate injunction so the policy can no longer be used against any U.S. military personnel anywhere in the world.

"The order represents a complete and total victory for the Log Cabin Republicans and reaffirms the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians in the miltiary for fighting and dying for our country," said Dan Woods, an attorney for the Log Cabin group.

Government attorneys objected, saying such an abrupt change might harm military operations in a time of war. They had asked Phillips to limit her ruling to the members of the Log Cabin Republicans, a 19,000-member group that includes current and former military service members.

The Department of Justice attorneys also said Congress should decide the issue — not her court.

Phillips disagreed, saying the law doesn't help military readiness and instead has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed services by hurting recruiting during wartime and requiring the discharge of service members with critical skills and training.

She said the law violates the free-speech and due process rights of service members after listening to the testimonies of military officers who have been discharged under the policy.
Legal experts say the Obama administration could choose to not appeal her ruling to end the ban — but Department of Justice attorneys are not likely to stay mum since Obama has made it clear he wants Congress to repeal the policy.

"The president has taken a very consistent position here, and that is: 'Look, I will not use my discretion in any way that will step on Congress' ability to be the sole decider about this policy here,' " said Diane H. Mazur, legal co-director of the Palm Center, a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara that supports a repeal.

Gay rights advocates say they worry they lost a crucial opportunity to change the law when Senate Republicans opposed the defense bill earlier this month because of a "don't ask, don't tell" repeal provision.

If Democrats lose seats in the upcoming elections, repealing the ban could prove even more difficult — if not impossible — next year.

Woods said the administration should be seizing the opportunity to let a judge do what politics has been unable to do.

The Associated Press and NBC News contributed to this story. "

The Trevor Project: National Moment of Silence TONIGHT

Please participate in a National Moment of Silence for the LGBTQ youths we've lost this week to suicide.

Moment of Silence- 8p.m

Ellen Degeneres speaks out about LGBT teen suicides

Ellen speaks out about the heartbreaking suicides that have come to the attention of the entire nation.

Please come to the meeting on Wednesday at noon with any ideas about how OUTlaw can respond to this issue and offer our help.

OUTlaw Meeting: 10.6.10

The next OUTlaw meeting will be on Wednesday, October 6 at noon in room 1. Please feel free to bring your ideas and lunch! See you there.

Thank you!

OUTlaw would like to thank those of you who attended the debate last Wednesday. A special thanks goes out to Professors Flynn and Harpaz as well as Ms. Gallagher for taking the time to participate in this event. We had a great turnout and we are truly grateful for the support.

We'll be posting footage of the debate a.s.a.p. Stay tuned!

Debate TODAY: Same-Sex Marriage and Proposition 8

Professor Taylor Flynn

On Wednesday, September 22 at Noon in the Law School Commons, OUTlaw, the Family Law Association, and the Federalist Society are co-sponsoring a debate about same-sex marriage and Proposition 8. Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage will be debating WNEC Law's own Professor Taylor Flynn. WNEC Law Professor Leora Harpaz will be the moderator.

Please join us for this exciting event (And lunch too!)



Maggie Gallagher



Western Mass AIDS Foundation's Walk/Run

Team up with WNEC Law's running club to support the Western Mass AIDS Foundation!
On Saturday, September 11, WNEC Law's running club will participate in the Western Mass AIDS Foundation walk and 5k run in Forest Park here in Springfield. Professor Buzuvis has invited OUTlaw to join the running club to raise money for this great cause. You can learn more about the walk/run and register to join the team here. Registration is free, but each team member is encouraged to donate or raise a minimum of $25.

WNEC OUTlaw member selected as Intern for Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.

A WNEC OUTlaw member, was selected as the student intern for the upcoming book Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. Christian will be working on transgender legal issues for the book alongside two renowned trans attorneys, Kylar Broadus and Shannon Minter.

"Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a resource guide for transgender and other gender-variant people, covering health, legal issues, cultural and social questions, history, theory, and more. It is a place for transgender people, their partners and families, students, professors, guidance counselors, and others to look for up-to-date information on transgender life."

Congratulations to Christian from all of us at OUTLaw and best of luck to him as he takes on this exciting project!