Friday April 27, 2007 SGN.org |
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Volume 35 Issue 17 |
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Saturday, Jul 05, 2008
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GLBT Bar Association celebrate outstanding contributions to the legal community |
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| GLBT Bar Association celebrate outstanding contributions to the legal community | ||
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Oregon Supreme Court Justice Virginia L. Linder, Tina Podlodowski of Life Long AIDS Alliance, and Tim Bradbury addressed a capacity crowd of more than 400 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender ("GLBT") attorneys and supporters last night. Legal professionals from throughout the region gathered to honor outstanding contributions to the legal community at the second annual banquet of the GLBT Bar Association of Washington ("QLAW"). Out-going QLAW president, Michael Heath, kicked off the evening by thanking the many groups and community leaders who have contributed to QLAW's rapid success, including QLAW's fellow minority bar associations, the Washington State Bar Association Leadership Institute program, and Governor Gregoire's office. Washington Supreme Court Justices Bobbe Bridge and Mary Fairhurst received special acknowledgement and a standing ovation from the audience for their powerful words supporting equality in the Andersen v. King County decision concerning the right to marry. The evening's inspiring keynote address was delivered by Justice Virginia Linder, the first woman to win a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court through a contested election, and the first openly Lesbian member of any state's highest court. Justice Linder urged openly Gay and Lesbian lawyers to use their role as ambassadors for other minority lawyers. "When your face is different," she said, "it is the next best thing if yours is not the only different face in the room." She attended the banquet with her partner of 20 years, Colleen Sealock. Tina Podlodowski, former Seattle City Councilmember and the Executive Director of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, introduced special honoree Volunteer Attorneys for Persons with HIV/AIDS ("VAPWA"), a legal aid program sponsored by the King County Bar Association ("KCBA"). Describing the somber picture of the AIDS epidemic after 25 years, Ms. Podlodowski reminded the audience, "Our children and grandchildren, will never know a world without AIDS." Tim Bradbury, the first openly Gay judge in Washington, received a standing ovation when he accepted the Special Honoree award on behalf of the KCBA's Volunteer Attorneys for Persons with HIV/AIDS ("VAPWA"). Mr. Bradbury described the history of the organization, the desperate need for its services and the support of the King County Bar Association in helping VAPWA to accomplish its mission of helping individuals with HIV/AIDS. He ended his speech by thanking the program's past and present volunteers who stood to be recognized. The program receives more than 600 referrals each year from individuals seeking help with legal issues from estate planning and debtor problems to issues with social security. For more information or to volunteer, go to: www.kcba.org. QLaw Director Cynthia Buhr, and Asst. Professor Madeline Kass of Seattle University Law School introduced the first recipient of QLAW's new Public Interest Summer Grant. Melissa Nystrom, a first-year law student from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, will complete a 10 week paid legal internship at the Seattle LGBT Community Center (www.seattlelgbt.org) thanks to the grant funded jointly by QLAW and Gonzaga University. Ms. Nystrom will create materials to enable the GLBT community to better understand their rights under Washington law. As she described her project, "knowing the full extent of your legal rights is the first step in fighting for them." Funding for the grant was provided by individual, law firm, and corporate sponsorship of QLAW's annual FallTacular event, an art and entertainment party held each September. A QLaw press release |
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