News & Events

Lesbian and Gay Rights Leader to Speak

March 23, 2009

Contact: Barbara Peck, (614) 292-0283

Lesbian and gay rights leader Matthew Coles will speak at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law on Thursday, April 16, 2009 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public. The Moritz Outlaws, the LGBT law student group, will hold a fundraising reception after the lecture.

To listen to an archived podcast of this event, visit http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/podcasts/events/090416_matt_coles.mp3

Coles has been the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation since 1995. He wrote and helped lead the campaigns to pass many gay rights laws, including the first comprehensive law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in California, California’s law barring employment discrimination based on sexual orientation statewide, and the nation’s first domestic partnership law. Coles was also one of the lead lawyers on Romer v. Evans, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down Colorado’s Amendment 2, and on important cases on adoption, AIDS, and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He is based in New York City.

“If there were an ‘agenda’ for the LGBT movement, Matt would be one of its principal architects,” said Marc Spindelman, Professor of Law. “He is one of the most thoughtful and strategic leaders in the LGBT community today. Anyone interested in legal and political progress for these communities should want to hear what he has to say.”

Community partners for the event include Equality Ohio; Center on High, Stonewall Columbus; Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO); Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio; ACLU of Ohio; and Outlook Media. The event will take place at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, located at 55 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, in the Saxbe Auditorium.

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