Public Square Lecture Series
Public Square Lecture Series
Lectures and conferences at William Mitchell
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This event is free and open to the public. One Elimination of
Bias CLE credit applied for.
One PLP credit for students.
For more event information contact Professor Eileen Scallen:
(651) 290-6323
escallen@wmitchell.edu
Questions about registration should be directed to the Alumni office:
(651) 290-6370
alumni@wmitchell.edu
During the current legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature will consider whether to add a measure to the November 2006 ballot that would ask the people of Minnesota if they want to limit “marriage” and “its legal equivalent” to one man and one woman. Some say the future of the institution of marriage is at stake, while others argue that the proposed amendment threatens the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Minnesotans.
A panel of experts will discuss the broader issues surrounding Minnesota’s proposed marriage amendment, examining whether marriage is a civil rights issue and discussing such questions as: How does a state that respects both civil rights and religious freedom deal with the clash of these concepts when some religions deem homosexuality immoral and unworthy of legal protection? Are all forms of discrimination equally unjust? Should the rights of minorities be determined by a vote of the majority? A town hall-style discussion will follow the panel.
Kate Kendell is the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Founded in 1977, NCLR, a national nonprofit law firm, works to advance the rights and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Major program emphasis includes all aspects of GLBT family law, youth rights, elder law, GLBT immigration and asylum and homophobia and sports. Kendell is a frequent panelist and lecturer on a broad range of subjects impacting the lives of GLBT individuals and their families. She received her J.D. degree from the University of Utah College of Law.
Anguksuar (Richard LaFortune) is a pioneering activist for GLBT Native American people, particularly in regard to the Yupiit Nation (Yupik Eskimo). Anguksuar began organizing within the Native American GLBT community in Minnesota in the mid-1980s and helped launch the International Two Spirit Gatherings in 1988. He was a founding council member of American Indian Gays and Lesbian in Minneapolis, now known as Minnesota Two Spirits; served as director of training with the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center; was a members the Governor’s Taskforce for Gay and Lesbian Minnesotans; and served on the founding board of directors of the OUT Fund for Gay and Lesbian Liberation of the Funding Exchange in New York.
Cristine Almeida has been active in the political and public policy arena for the past 18 years. Her career has been a cross-section of public and private sector experiences, intermixed with law. She was a staff person in the Wisconsin Assembly and the Minnesota Senate, a paid staff person and volunteer for many local and statewide campaigns, a contract lobbyist for a major Twin Cities law firm, and a lawyer in private practice focusing on health law. In January of 2004, she was invited by newly elected Senate Majority Leader Dean E. Johnson to be his chief of staff. Most recently, Almeida works for a Fortune 150 corporation, with responsibility for state government affairs and public policy across the country. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and William Mitchell College of Law and was a 2002-2003 Humphrey Institute Policy Fellow.
Professor Michael Jordan has been a faculty member at William Mitchell since 1993. Before joining the William Mitchell faculty, he was labor counsel for Northwest Airlines, special assistant attorney general of Minnesota, and assistant attorney general of Iowa. He teaches Constitutional Law-Powers, Constitutional Law-Liberties, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law Survey, and Juvenile Justice.
Professor Eileen Scallen has been a faculty member at William Mitchell since 2000. Before joining the William Mitchell faculty, she was a professor of law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco for more than a decade and associate academic dean from 1996 to 1998. Professor Scallen writes and speaks nationally on evidence law, civil procedure, and legal communication. She is also active in GLBT law reform and policy.
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