Annual Update Conference

Remarks by Brad Sears, Founding Executive Director, Williams Institute

Los Angeles is one of the world’s most LGBTQ-friendly metropolitan areas. And yet, LGBTQ Angelinos must continue to navigate law, policy and social conditions that affect their health, wealth, and well-being. This panel, rooted in recent research by the Williams Institute on the lived experiences of LGBTQ people in LA, will bring together advocates, legal experts and policymakers to shed light on the most pressing issues facing our communities, and what developments are on the horizon.   

• Toni Newman, Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements Director, NMAC
• Kerith Conron, Research Director, Williams Institute
• Darryn Harris, Chief Government Affairs & Community Relations Officer, St. John’s Community Health
• Shelly Page, Staff Attorney of the Homeless Youth Project, LA LGBT Center

California has long been a leader in advancing protections for LGBTQ students.  Just last year, the legislature passed a slate of bills that bolster LGBTQ students’ rights and stand in stark contrast to efforts across the country—including at the local level within the state—to limit protections for LGBTQ students.  This panel will situate California’s supportive legal landscape for LGBTQ students in a national context and explore the ways that state law and direct services can shield LGBTQ students from the harmful effects of anti-LGBTQ policies.

• Naomi Goldberg, Executive Director, Movement Advancement Project
• Amanda Goad, Audrey Irmas Director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project, ACLU of Southern California
• Kevin D. Goodman, Acting Director & Assistant Director, UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center
• Reverend Benita Ramsey, Executive Director Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance

Global developments create new and increasingly complex patterns of human mobility, and LGBTQ migrants experience unique challenges at all points along the migratory route. Drawing on Williams Institute research, this panel will examine how the ongoing debate over border security and immigration impacts LGBTQ people, how the next administration could reshape this legal context, and what research and data are needed to support the integration of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees at the state and local level.

• Kennji Kizuka, Director, Asylum Policy, International Rescue Committee
• Talia Inlender, Deputy Director, UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy
• Miguel Fuentes, Research Data Analyst, Williams Institute

The Williams Institute hosts the premier national moot court competition dedicated exclusively to sexual orientation and gender identity law. The competition provides an opportunity for law student competitors to write an appellate brief on a current legal topic and argue the case before a panel of judges.

• Judge Kristin Rosi, Chief Administrative Law Judge, California Department of Insurance, President, International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges
• Judge Daniel Alexander, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
• Professor David B. Cruz, Newton Professor of Constitutional Law, USC Gould School of Law

Remarks by Christy Mallory, Legal Director, Williams Institute