(Washington, DC, September 30, 2008)—Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and lead attorney in the California Supreme Court case that allowed same-sex couples to marry, is the featured speaker at the 2008 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, October 10 and 11, in Washington, DC.
Mr. Minter is one of the nation’s leading advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. He began his law career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in 1993 and has litigated several landmark cases involving the civil rights of same-sex couples and families. Mr. Minter also has authored numerous articles and books on LGBTQ legal issues, including Transgender Rights (University of Minnesota Press 2006) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Family Law (West Publishing 2008) and has taught as an adjunct or associate professor at Boalt, Stanford, Golden Gate, Santa Clara, and the University of San Francisco Schools of Law.
Mr. Minter serves on the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. He also serves on the boards of Equality California and the Transgender Law & Policy Institute. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1993.
The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, the largest national public interest law career fair in the nation, typically attracts over 1,000 law students and law school professionals and 150 employers for sessions, interviews and networking. The theme of this year’s event is Idealism Revisited: 40 Years After King & Kennedy.
Mr. Minter will deliver the plenary speech at the start of the two-day event at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Friday, October 10, at 9:30 a.m. In keeping with the theme of the conference, he will address social justice parallels between 1968 and 2008 as well as current efforts to defeat Proposition 8, the measure on the California ballot that would eliminate the right to marry for same- sex couples.
Please note: Seating at the plenary session is limited. Media representatives or others who plan to attend should email info@equaljusticeworks.org by October 8 for details.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.