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Creation -- In February 2007, the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities proposed in a report to the ABA House of Delegates that the ABA's Goal IX be revised as follows: "To promote full and equal participation in the legal profession by minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and persons of differing sexual orientations and gender identities." This was approved. A June 2007 proposal by the ABA Executive Committee that an ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity be created was approved by the ABA Board in August 2007 to help implement the expanded Goal IX.
Mission -- The mission of the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is to secure for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons full and equal access to and participation in the ABA, the legal profession and the justice system. Through education efforts, policy development, building relationships with leaders in the profession, and other activities, the Commission seeks to secure equal treatment in the ABA, the legal profession and the justice system without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity, remove barriers to professional advancement, and promote diversity.
Jurisdiction -- The Commission is responsible for undertaking programs and activities that promote full and equal participation by persons of differing sexual orientation and gender identity in the ABA, the legal profession, and the justice system.
Goal III -- The ABA's efforts to make itself, the profession, and the justice system more inclusive in terms of people of color and of women have resulted in real progress over the two decades since the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession (created 1986) and the Commission on Women in the Profession (created 1987) were formed. It is hoped that the SOGI Commission will have a similar impact in terms of acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals within the ABA, the profession, and the justice system. SOGI will participate in the Goal III Survey in fall 2008. Another Goal III entity, the Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, was created in 1973, but it was only in 1999 that lawyers with disabilities were first included under Goal III. That Commission and SOGI both have a long way to go.
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| | Committee Events |
July 31, 2009 | | InterContinental Hotel, 505 N. Michigan Ave., 8:30 am to Noon Ever wonder about what it's like to be an LGBT lawyer practicing in an inhospitable region? Come hear testimony before SOGI Commissioners about the real life experiences of LGBT lawyers who have faced discrimination by employers, judges and others in the profession. Also hear from leaders in law firms and legal departments and the bar who have developed model programs and policies to ensure that legal employers make their working environments welcoming to LGBT employees and treat them fairly and equally. There will be time for Q & A. Speakers include ABA Immediate Past President William Neukom, Kelly Dermody (Bar Association of San Francisco), Gail Morse (Jenner & Block, Chicago), Kathleen Nalty (Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence), Andrew McCallin (Colorado GLBT Bar Association), Michael Daugherty (Chubb Insurance), Brent Adams (Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation), Allen Orr (Baker & McKenzie), and Dru Levasseur (Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund). Some useful documents related to LGBT Diversity in the Legal Profession can be found at: http://www.colegaldiversity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=32 - Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence and its Six-Step Inclusiveness Program http://www.sfbar.org/diversity/lgbt.aspx - Bar Association of San Francisco's LGBT resources http://www.jenner.com/firm/ourfirm.asp?type=LGBT%20Diversity - LGBT Diversity at Jenner & Block http://meetings.abanet.org/webupload/commupload/CC103270/newsletterpubs/2009GoalIIIReport.doc - Goal III Report on the the Review of the ABA's inclusiveness of LGBT members in the Association's leadership |
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The SOGI Commission is pleased to cosponsor the following events at the ABA Annual Meeting:
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Did you know that the ABA supports eleven different LGBT groups or projects, or that address LGBT issues? From foster care to senior care, become an ABA member and your efforts could help LGBT people across the country.
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