The State of LGBT Equality

Despite arguments that much has been gained in the struggle for LGBT equality in the year since the historic Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor, many contend that tremendous battles still remain for the LGBT community. From the absence of equal rights for transgender people, the lack of definite and adequate protection in employment under Title VII, to a patchwork of relationship recognition laws in the states, LGBT Americans still arguably face second class status.

What is the impact of Windsor on the current state of the LGBT rights movement, and what legal principles provide for expanding equality? What does the failure to pass LGBT anti-discrimination laws reveal about equality fifty years after the passage of Title VII? Are religious exemptions the next great struggle for these equality battles in the courts and legislatures? And, what is the overall state of the LGBT legal rights movement?

On Wednesday, April 23, 2014, ACS hosted a panel discussion on the quest for lived equality for LGBT Americans across the country.

Welcome:
Dipal Shah, Director of Policy Development and Programming, American Constitution Society

Panelists:
Nan Hunter, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center (moderator)
Maya Rupert, Policy Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Heather Sawyer, Chief Democratic Counsel, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, House Judiciary Committee
Paul Smith, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director, Human Rights Campaign

Closing Remarks:
Allyson Robinson, LGBT Advocate, Social Entrepreneur and Author