April 1st: Illich Symposium @ WNEC Law

WNEC Law is hosting an all-day symposium featuring our own incredible professors as well as guests speakers such as Shannon Minter, the Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Dr. Paisley Currah, a transgender rights scholar. This will certainly be an exciting and interesting symposium. Please join us!

Radical Nemesis: Re-envisioning Ivan Illich's Theories on Social Institutions
Western New England College School of Law
April 1st, 2011
Registration & Schedule

WNEC Law's Non-Discrimination Policy

WNEC Law was one of the first law schools in the nation to adopt a non-discrimination policy that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Here's WNEC's policy:

"Western New England College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. The College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities."

Also, if you haven't been to WNEC Law's LGBT Life page, you can check it out here.

2010-2011 Academic Year

Course schedules have been posted for the 2010-2011 academic year. Registration starts July 7th at noon on ASAP.
Fall 2010
Spring 2011

Thanks again to 16 Acres Garden Center!

OUTlaw wanted to send another big thank you to 16 Acres Garden Center for donating carnations to our fundraiser for Haiti. 16 Acres increased its donation to about 50 carnations after OUTlaw received requests for flowers that exceeded the initial donation amount. Thanks again to the great people at 16 Acres for making the fundraiser a success! It would not have been possible without them!

Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat 2010: Turning Point

This weekend WNEC Law organized the 23rd annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat at Camp Sargent in New Hampshire. WNEC organizers Imran Siddiqui, Maren Law, and Erin Wilson worked extremely hard to put this all together. This year's retreat was dubbed "Turning Point" and it was a truly incredible experience. Students and practitioners came from all over to participate: North Carolina, California, Hawaii, New York, Connecticut, Georgia... the list goes on. WNEC sent around 20 students, several from OUTlaw and we were all buzzing with energy.

The trek to Camp Sargent on Friday was long and treacherous for some. As snow quickly blanketed the area, drivers were faced with zero visibility and unplowed roads. There were flights delayed, flights cancelled, and several cars that became stuck in the snow en route. Most people, however, were able to fight through the weather to get to the retreat with perseverance and a lot of patience (and some help from tow trucks and muscle power). Those who could not make it were sorely missed.

The weekend was a great balance of workshops and plenty of time for networking and socializing. Four to five workshop topics were available per session and offered a range of subjects from Guantanamo to Disability Rights, Native American Law to Governmental Accountability, and everywhere in between. Especially pertinent to members of OUTlaw was the LGBT session hosted by WNEC Law's very own Professor Taylor Flynn and Jennifer Pizer, Senior Counsel and Marriage Project Director at Lambda Legal. Jennifer Pizer was also the keynote speaker on Saturday evening. She flew in that afternoon from Hawaii, just for the day, to speak at the retreat and was on a plane back to the west coast in less than 24 hours. We were (and are) very grateful that she so literally went out of her way to come and speak to us. The LGBT discussions were centered around the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case challenging the passing of Proposition 8 in California. The topic was used as lens through which we could better understand the LGBT movement: its history, where it stands currently, and where we are headed in the future. Particularly interesting was the discussion regarding impact litigation and the importance of bringing a case at the right time: though there is a heated and immediate demand for equality, we must patiently persevere in order avoid devastating set-backs. The message overall, however, was that we will get there.

The energy in a room full of extraordinary people who are absolutely determined to change the world and are so focused on the human face of the law is an experience beyond words. We left with a renewed clarity of direction, feeling energized, inspired, and eager to get to work. It was our Turning Point and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it.

-Erika Scibelli, 1L

If you would like to know more about the retreat, please feel free to contact me on Facebook or at outlaw.wnec@gmail.com.

Flyers for sale: OUTlaw fundraiser for OUTnow at Diva's

Stop by the OUTlaw table outside the cafeteria on Tuesday or Wednesday to purchase your flyer for the fundraiser/social event. The flyer is $1 and will get you a reduced cover charge at Diva's on Thursday, February 25th (the cost of the flyer + the cost of discounted cover is STILL less expensive than Diva's usual cover!) All the proceeds made from the sale of the flyers will be donated to OUTnow, an LGBTQ youth organization in Springfield, MA.

Throw on your best cowboy attire and have a great time while supporting an even greater organization!

(If you're not from WNEC and would still like to support a great cause, please contact Erika Scibelli via Facebook or email at outlaw.wnec@gmail.com)

"The Forgotten T"- WNEC Law Alumnus M. Dru Levasseur in ABA Journal

Below is an excerpt from an article in the most recent edition of the ABA Journal. WNEC Law alumnus M. Dru Levasseur talks about his transition during law school and the hiring process after graduation. The full article is called "Just Like Everyone. Inclusiveness efforts seek to make GLBT lawyers—and all others—feel at home." and it can be accessed here.

The Forgotten T

The T in GLBT represents transgender individuals, a minority within the minority facing a kind of discrimination and disrespect that few, even within the gay and lesbian community, have considered.

M. Dru Levasseur faced challenges few other students encounter when he transitioned during law school. “People met me as female and under a different name,” says the 2006 graduate of Western New England College School of Law, “and there was no way for me to have a different way to come out.”
One of Levasseur’s biggest challenges was how to address his gender identity during the hiring process.

“A lot of my jobs outed me, so I said on my cover letter that I was a transgender attorney,” he says. “During an interview, one person asked, ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea to tell people you’re a transgender attorney?’ I said, ‘Yes, I do. In fact, I think it’s a strength that I’ve gone through the challenge of transitioning, and I’m still a great attorney and have achieved in spite of all the extra stress.” He got a job offer there.

Levasseur also faced outright discrimination. “I was on a second interview [at a Northeastern office of a national firm], and the partner asked, ‘What’s transgender?’ ” he recounts. “I started telling him, and he interrupted and said, ‘There are no gay people at the firm. If you wanted to start a gay group, you’d be the only one in it.’ ”

Levasseur, now a staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund in New York City, believes his candor about being a transgender attorney dented his job prospects. “I felt like my choice to be an out transgender attorney limited my options,” he says. “Diversity is coming around and it’s a hot topic, but being a transgender attorney is still an issue.”