Annual Update Conference and Gala Awards Reception

The Annual Update is the Williams Institute’s signature event held each spring in Los Angeles. The 2023 Annual Update will feature a half-day conference,  followed by the Gala Awards Reception and Founders Dinner.

April 14, 2023

11:30 AM – 10:00 PM PT

RSVP

This year’s Annual Update will kick off with a half-day conference, Contested Truths: LGBTQ Research in the Age of Misinformation, which will examine the spread of LGBTQ+ misinformation in the media, policymaking, and academia. Attend the free conference in person at UCLA School of Law or stream it online. RSVP today to join us.

The conference will be followed by the final round of our Moot Court Competition. And later that evening, join us for our Gala Awards Reception and Founders Dinner. We have some incredible honorees this year. We are honored to present Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with our Lifetime Impact Award. In addition, we will recognize the trailblazing researcher Jessica Xavier, whose work launched community-based transgender research, and Latham & Watkins, LLC, for their consistent support of the Williams Institute—and of the legal rights of LGBTQ people more broadly.

The evening closes with our Founders Dinner.

11:30am - 12:00pm

Check-in

12:00pm - 1:00pm

The Research Challenge: Responding to LGBTQ-related misinformation in science

Judith Glassgold, PsyD, Behavioral Health, Advocacy, Education, and Policy Consultant
Jevin D. West, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Washington
Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy, The Williams Institute
Bianca D.M. Wilson, Ph.D., Senior Scholar of Public Policy, The Williams Institute (moderator)

1:15pm - 2:15pm

The Misinformation Superhighway: Controlling the spread of misinformation online

Alejandra Caraballo, J.D., Clinical Instructor, Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic
Angelo Carusone, Chairman and President, Media Matters
Christopher Wiggins, Senior National Reporter, The Advocate
Rachel Dowd, Communications Director, The Williams Institute (moderator)

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

When False Information Impacts Real Lives: A Florida case study

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, J.D., Counsel and Health Care Strategist, Lambda Legal
Meredithe McNamara, M.D., Assistant Professor, Yale School of Medicine
Nadine Smith, Executive Director, Equality Florida
Elana Redfield, J.D., Federal Policy Director, The Williams Institute (moderator)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

Conference Keynote Address

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Moot Court Competition

The Honorable Staci M. Yandle, U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of Illinois
The Honorable William E. Weinberger, Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
The Honorable Andi Mudryk, Judge of the Juvenile Justice Court, Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Gala Awards Reception

Lifetime Impact Award
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Research Impact Award
Jessica Xavier

Corporate Ally Award
Latham & Watkins, LLC

7:30pm - 9:30pm

Founders Dinner