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EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOW, CLASS OF 2009
Name of Host Organization: Bay Area Legal Aid
City, State: San Francisco, California
Issue area: Gay/Lesbian Rights, Family Law
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Foundation
THE INSPIRATION
I am consistently inspired by my friends, family and community, and have seen the struggles many of them have faced as queer and/or transgender people in the face of the legal system. While many organizations are involved in major impact litigation regarding LGBT families, too many low-income individuals who need legal advocacy are frequently left without representation. I hope to have some impact with this project in addressing this discrepancy.
THE PROJECT
LGBT people forming or dissolving a family often do not have the resources to advocate for their rights in issues of domestic violence, custody, public benefits and property distribution. The LGBT family law project will empower individuals and protect the legal rights of the Bay Area’s low-income LGBT families by providing direct legal services and by participating in outreach and education to inform people of their legal rights and resources.
BIOGRAPHY
Hometown: | Los Angeles, California |
Law school: | |
Making the connection: | I have a long-standing commitment towards working for social justice and LGBT civil rights in my academic, employment and personal life. However, it was during graduate school when I decided to pursue law school, as I saw a law degree as a tool with which to work towards making the changes that I had always envisioned. |
Surviving law school: | I chose to attend CUNY Law School because I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in public interest law and I appreciated CUNY’s mission of “Law in the Service of Human Needs.” As a school focused on training public interest attorneys, I was consistently inspired by the work of my fellow students and the professors. |
Recommended books: | Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg; Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks; and A People's History of the United States of America by Howard Zinn. |
Favorite website(s): | http://hunterforjustice.typepad.com/hunter_of_justice/ - Professor Hunter's blog about sexuality, gender, law and culture. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ and http://www.nytimes.com - for news. http://www.dlisted.com - for fun. |
Music I love: | Bob Dylan for his lyrics. Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac because they are the best soundtrack for any roadtrip. Dolly Parton because she is a genius and one of my feminist icons. Cat Power for her haunting melodies. Tina Turner because she is the queen. |
Words to live by: | “Without community, there is no liberation.” - Audre Lorde |