Gender & Sexuality Law Blog

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Monday, April 2 – SJI MONDAY: Lawyering at the Intersection of LGBT and Immigration Issues
12:10-1:10pm, JG 546
Rachel B. Tiven, ’03, Executive Director of Immigration Equality, will lead a discussion of the impact of U.S. immigration law on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive individuals and their families, in the context of her work with clients and on national policy. Lunch will be served. Hosted by Social Justice Initiatives.

Monday, April 2 – CCASD Keywords: Interdisciplinary Roundtable Conversations on Diversity w/Fredrick C. Harris, Ira Katznelson, Mae Ngai, and Urvashi Vaid
12-1:30pm, 754 Schermerhorn Ext.
CCASD Keywords: Interdisciplinary Roundtable Conversations on Diversity w/Fredrick C. Harris, Professor of Political Science, Director, Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Columbia University; Ira Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University; Mae Ngai, Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies, Professor of History, Columbia University; and Urvashi Vaid, Director, Engaging Tradition Project, Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, Columbia Law School.  CCASD Keywords: Interdisciplinary Roundtable Conversations is a series inspired by the innovative interdisciplinary scholarship promoted by the Center.  The series draws participants together from a wide range of disciplinary homes in order to explore the various ways we think about fundamental critical/theoretical ideas and to generate new vocabularies and new methodologies. For more on the Center and its projects, go to www.socialdifference.org.

Monday, April 2 – Women of Color: Career Panel w/Christina Burnett, Arlene Chow, and Angela Fernandez
5:15-6:30pm, JG 102
Learn the real truth about what it is like to be a woman of color in the workplace from practicing attorneys in many sectors of the legal profession – academia, government, public interest, corporate, and clerking. This is your chance to ask hard questions and hear about the ups and downs of a legal career in an honest and open discussion. You don’t want to miss hearing the advice and experiences of these remarkable women! Our panelists include:  Professor Christina Burnett, Columbia Law, Arlene Chow, Partner at Hogan Lovells, Angela Fernandez, Chief of Staff for Congressman Jose Serrano and former Executive Director of Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

Monday, April 2 – Feminism and Legal Theory Workshop w/Alondra Nelson – “Bio Science: Genetic Ancestry Testing and the Pursuit of African Ancestry”
4:20-6pm, JG 106
This week’s guest will be Alondra Nelson, Associate Professor of Sociology & Institute for Research on Women & Gender.

Tuesday, April 3 – Empowering Women of Color Board Elections
12:10-1:15pm, JG 602
EWOC will be holding elections for board positions.

Tuesday, April 3 – Screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, Mothers of Bedford
6-8pm, Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, Room C03 (basement)
Mothers of Bedford follows the lives of five women incarcerated at New York’s only maximum-security prison for women, who strive to nurture relationships with their children with the help of an innovative program inside the prison. Director Jenifer McShane spent five years interviewing and visiting these women inside prison and the families awaiting their return.

In conjunction with the screening, we are collecting children’s books for the Taconic Women’s Correctional Facility.  Please bring a new or gently used children’s book to the screening, or donate from March 26-April 2 in Jerome Green Hall, 1st floor, or CUSSW Field Department Room 506.  Q&A after the screening with director Jenifer McShane and others involved in the making of the film. DON’T MISS IT! Presented by the Department of Field Education at the Columbia University School of Social Work, CLS Criminal Justice Action Network, CLS Empowering Women of Color, and CLS Social Justice Initiatives. For additional information, http://www.mothersofbedford.com or email jmz2123@columbia.edu

Tuesday, April 3 – “Budrus” film screening followed by discussion with director Julie Bacha
7:15-9:15pm, 501 Schermerhorn
Please join HRI, The Columbia Department of Anthropology, the Middle East Institute, and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights for a screening of the film “Budrus”. Budrus tells the story of a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites members of all factions along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction. Success looks improbable until his 15 year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. More information available here: http://www.justvision.org/budrus

Wednesday, April 4 – Robert T. Coulter – “UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peopls and the Need for Legal Reform in the US”
12:10-1:10pm, JG 103
Robert T. Coulter ’69, the Executive Director of the Indian Law Resource Center and the 2012 Visitor from Social Justice Practice, will speak about the international human rights and domestic legal tools he and his organization use to confront poverty, political marginalization, violence against women and other problems in indigenous communities. Lunch will be served.  Robert T. Coulter ’69 is the Executive Director of the Indian Law Resource Center, which has used U.S. and international law to champion the interests of indigenous peoples in the Americas. Poverty, political marginalization and violence against women are in the forefront of his current concerns. In addition to advocacy in U.S. court and legislative bodies, the Center has worked for over 30 years to win adoption and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It also has brought cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, using international law to assert claims of indigenous communities. Tim also has published numerous articles in these and other fields of law. Columbia Law School awarded him the Lawrence A. Wein Prize for Social Responsibility in 2001.

Wednesday, April 4 – “The Ethics of Pinkwashing: LGBT Rights in Israel/Palestine” Panel w/Katherine Franke, Kendall Thomas, Vani Natarajan, and Neta Patrick
4-6pm, JG 701
Professors Katherine Franke, Kendall Thomas, and Vani Natarajan, Humanities and Area Studies Librarian, Barnard College, visited Israel and Palestine in January, 2012 as part of the first LGBTQ delegation to the West Bank. Come hear them offer a “queer take” on Israel/Palestine. Moderated by Neta Patrick, Human Rights Institute, Columbia Law School.

Thursday, April 5 -IRWAG: “Carceral Politics in Palestine and Beyond: Gender, Vulnerability, Prison” panel with Judith Butler, Angela Davis, Mai Masri, and Lena Meari
6:00pm, 1501 IAB, Columbia University, Overflow room in JG 102
This panel will explore comparative approaches to Israeli prisons and detention. Panelists: Judith Butler, English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University; Angela Davis, Prison Activist and History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz; Mai Masri, Independent Documentary Filmmaker, Beirut, Lebanon; and Lena Meari, Center for Palestine Studies Fellow, Columbia University. Registration is recommended on the Center for Palestine Studies website. Doors open at 5:30 PM and the event will begin promptly at 6PM. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. This event is brought to you by the Center for Palestine Studies and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at Columbia and generously co-sponsored by: the Barnard Center for Research on Women, the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, the Heyman Center, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.

Thursday, April 5 -IRAAS: A Long Walk Home: “A Story of a Rape Survivor (SOARS)” Multimedia Performance
7-9:00pm, Miller Theatre, Columbia University
In support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), The Institute for Research in African-American Studies and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program at Columbia University Presents: Story of a Rape Survivor (SOARS) is an award winning multimedia performance that entertains as well as educates the audience about sexual assault prevention. Featuring the music of Nina Simone,Maxwell, and Sade, SOARS tells one woman’s story about how she reclaimed her body, sexuality, and self-esteem after being sexually assaulted in college. SOARS is a cutting-edge theatrical experience that stars a diverse cast of women, combining photographs, dance, spoken-word poetry and music as a way to educate about healing from sexual violence. The ultimate aim is to show that the shame, guilt and self-blame that rape victims too often experience can be eased; that the stories of rape survivors can be one of triumph and hope.

Tuesday, April 10 – Black Law Students Association and the Public Interest Coalition: Theodore M. Shaw and Jeffrey A, Fagan – “Trayvon Martin, Race, & The Law”
12:10pm, 10th Floor of William C. Warren Hall
Join the Black Law Students Association and the Public Interest Coalition in an open discussion examining the country’s, and our own, emotional response to the death of Trayvon Martin; the social, racial, and criminal justice implications of this case and the “Stand Your Ground” laws; and how we navigate the role of race in the law as future lawyers and advocates. The discussion will be facilitated by Professor Theodore M. Shaw, civil rights scholar and former director-counsel and president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), and Professor Jeffrey A, Fagan, an expert on criminal law and policing. Lunch will be served. Co-Sponsored by The Center for Institutional & Social Change, The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, The Center for the Study of Law and Culture, Social Justice Initiatives, Civil Rights Society (CRLS), Criminal Justice Action Network (CJAN), and Latino/a Law Students Association (LaLSA).

Tuesday, April 10 – Columbia-Fordham Critical Race Theory Colloquium w/Osagie Obasogie, Hastings
4:20-6pm, JG 546
This week’s guest will be Osagie Obasogie, Hastings.

Tuesday, April 10 – Katherine Franke and Sa’ed Adel Atshan – “Queering Solidarity: A Panel on Pinkwashing and LGBTQ Activism for Israel-Palestine ” sponsored with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine
8pm, Location TBA
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine is honored to present a panel on Palestinian queer experiences in activism, the January 2012 LGBTIQ delegation to Palestine, the role of solidarity groups and the urgent need for full and comprehensive equality of all peoples in Israel-Palestine.

Sa’ed Adel Atshan is a Lecturer in Peace and Justice Studies at Tufts University and a Joint PhD Candidate in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University where he is a Soros Fellow and National Science Foundation Fellow. Sa’ed has worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, the UN High Commission on Refugees, Human Rights Watch, the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department, Seeds of Peace, and the Government of Dubai. He is a member of al-Qaws, a national Palestinian community-based organization working with LGBTQ Palestinians.

Katherine Franke is the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia University and director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies.  A recipient of a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship, she is among the nation’s leading scholars on feminism, sexuality and race.  Franke also serves on the Executive Committee for Columbia’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Center for Palestine Studies. Professor Franke was among the attendees of a queer delegation to Palestine in January and has most recently worked with women lawyers in the West Bank to build a Women’s Committee within the Palestinian Bar Association.

Co-sponsored by: Everyone Allied Against Homophobia and Proud Colors.

Tuesday, April 10 – Screening of (A)Sexual with lead activist and filmmaker David Jay
8:15-10:15pm, JG 106
Sponsored by OutLaws, Law/Culture, the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, and Professor Emens’ Employment Discrimination Law class.

Facing a sex obsessed culture, a mountain of stereotypes and misconceptions, and a paucity of social or scientific research, asexuals—people who experience no sexual attraction—struggle to claim their identity. The documentary film (A)sexual follows the growth of a community that experiences no sexual attraction. In 2000, David Jay came out to his parents. He was asexual and was fine with it. And he was not alone. Studies suggest that 1% of the population is asexual. But in a society obsessed with sex, how do you deal with life as an outsider? Combining intimate interviews, verite footage, and animation with fearless humor and pop culture imagery, David and four other characters grapple with this universal question.

What’s the legal angle?  Asexuals are protected from discrimination under New York’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act.  What might discrimination against asexuals look like?  How does it compare to discrimination against other protected groups?  What direction should the law go with regard to asexuality?  And what can this emerging identity category teach us about antidiscrimination law and politics more generally?  Discussion after the film—with lead activist David Jay and filmmaker Angela Tucker—will probe these questions, as well as anything else this provocative film brings to your mind.

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities.  If you require disability accommodations to attend this event, please contact Rachel Jones (rachel.jones@law.columbia.edu or 212-854-7594) at least 5 days in advance of the event..

Monday, April 16 – Feminism and Legal Theory Workshop w/Vivian Ducat – “All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert Screening”of African Ancestry”
4:20-6pm, JG 106
This week’s guest will be Vivian Ducat, Filmmaker and Director of Ducat Media.

Tuesday, April 17 – Columbia-Fordham Critical Race Theory Colloquium w/Khiara Bridges, Boston University
4:20-6pm, JG 546
This week’s guest will be Khiara Bridges, Boston University

Wednesday, April 18 – Screening of I Came to Testify (part of the Women, War, and Peace series) and Q&A with director Pamela Hogan
7-9pm, Case Lounge, JG 701
The event will include a screening of I Came to Testify, one of the five episodes in the Women, War & Peace series. I Came to Testify is the moving story of how a group of women imprisoned in the Bosnian town Foca broke history’s great silence – and stepped forward to take the witness stand in an international court of law. After the screening, there will be commentary and conversation with the filmmaker and Co-creator of Women, War & Peace, Pamela Hogan, and Refik Hodzic of the International Center for Transitional Justice. Discussion will explore the potential and the limitations of the law to transform the gender dynamic of war, and the ways in which a groundbreaking decision at the Hague – while a start – is only one step towards justice and reconciliation.  Cosponsored event with the Center for Institutional and Social Change, the Human Rights Institute, the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, the Center for the Study of Law and Culture, and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies.

Thursday, April 19 – Deconstructing and Reconstructing Mother: Regulating Motherhood in International and Comparative Perspective Workshop
9am-5pm, TBA
Ccosponsored with the Institute for the Study of Human Rights and the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy