Panel Discussion on "The Fight for Queer Parenting Rights," March 2

Several leading advocates for gay and lesbian rights will discuss "The Fight for Queer Parenting Rights" at Yale Law School on Thursday, March 4, 2006, at 6:30 p.m., in Room 127. The panel is sponsored by Outlaws, an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the Law School community, and the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale.

The speakers will be:

-Leslie Cooper, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights and AIDS Projects
-Alphonso David, staff attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
-Sharon Thompson, founder of North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys Institute for Equal Rights
-Aimee Gelnaw, past executive director of the Family Pride Coalition
-Robert A. Burt, Alexander M. Bickel Professor of Law at YLS

The panel was organized in response to the challenges that frequently confront lesbian and gay parents. For example, in some states being gay or lesbian can be grounds for losing custody of one's children. Florida prohibits gays and lesbians from adopting, while similar laws are currently advancing in sixteen states. Other states ban gays and lesbians from serving as foster parents