HEAR GLBT ADVOCATE KATE KENDALL MARCH 25

Posted on February 25, 2013

A new Cal U office will bring a groundbreaking attorney to campus for a talk about advancing the rights of all people, including members of the GLBTQIA community.

Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), will speak at 1 p.m. March 25 in Room 205, Keystone Hall. Her talk is free, and the public may attend.

Kendall is a longtime advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex people and their allies. A former staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union in her home state of Utah, she has litigated high-profile cases involving issues such as reproductive rights, prisoners’ rights, free speech and the civil rights of GLBTQIA people.

Kendall joined the NCLR as its legal director in 1994, and she has served as executive director since 1996.

As issues such as same-sex marriage, don’t-ask-don’t-tell and homophobia in sports have made headlines across the country, Kendall has emerged as a leading advocate for GLBTQIA people and a respected voice in the national discussion about civil rights and social justice. She has shared her views in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Advocate, as well as CNN, NPR and other news outlets.

Her talk at Cal U is sponsored by Lambda Bridges, a new University office that will focus on educational programming, advocacy and empowerment for the University’s GLBTQIA community.

“For more than 25 years with NCLR, Kate Kendall has been a champion for gay and lesbian people,” said Sheleta Webb, coordinator for Lambda Bridges. “More importantly, her work touches on every aspect of life. She has worked on Prop 8 (the controversial 2008 California ballot initiative that restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples) and on cases involving marriage, families, adoption and eldercare.

“This is a great opportunity for the Cal U community to hear from someone who has made a real impact, both as a litigator and as an advocate for people who face the same issues as anyone else, but who often must fight harder to be heard.”

The campus community and the general public are invited to attend the free talk by Kate Kendall at 1 p.m. March 25 in Room 205, Keystone Hall.

Lambda Bridges Office

The Lambda Bridges office is located in the Carter Hall Multicultural Center. Office hours are:

Monday: 1-4 p.m.
Wednesday: 1-4 p.m.
Thursday: 8-9 a.m.
Friday: 8-11 a.m.