Field+Work+Day+-+October+22-+Building+Alliances

Today, prior to leaving we prepared our students by exploring the [|Lambda Legal] website. Lambda Legal is a national organization or attorneys whose sole purpose is to defend and support the LGBTQ community regarding legal and civil rights issues. We discussed gay marriages versus civil unions. The discussion also expanded into defining "transgender" and the difference between sexual orientation and gender/sexual identity.

We took the bus to [|Kirkland and Ellis] (law firm) for a presentation by Lambda Legal. We were warmly received by many lawyers who were part of a diversity committee at Kirkland and Ellis. Although they were not able to attend our presentation, it was very clear about the firm's commitment to LGBTQ issues and diversity. Attorney Jim Madigan of Lambda Legal gave an engaging talk on civil liberties for the GLBTQ community. Mr. Madigan gave the analogy that the internet is not mentioned in the Constitution and thus internet rights are not guaranteed or elaborated. Likewise, some would argue that the LGBTQ community is not mentioned in the Constitution and therefore are not intended to be protected. There is a raging debate that the LGBTQ community is of course implied by the mere fact that they are citizens' of the United States. That although women and African Americans are not specifically mentioned, much legislature and laws have been added to ensure that their rights are protected.

The case that was most relevant and explored was the [|Supreme Court ruling] that struck down Texas sodomy laws. These laws basically attempted to outlaw any sexual intimacy outside of a state sanction, legal heterosexual marriage. The Supreme Court basically ruled 6 to 3 in favor of the defendants who felt their rights to privacy had been violated. In addition, there was a discussion as to how much it cost Lambda Legal to defend LGBTQ civil rights. Organizations that oppose the expansion of LGBTQ rights, such as //Focus on the Family,// have 3 to 5 times more funds at their disposal. Students were concerned, if not a bit perturbed, that one law firm that has a million dollar budget allocated for community projects only donated $25,000.

The general feeling on the bus ride home, was that the kids learned a great deal and felt it was a worthwhile experience. They also changed their tune a bit on where their fundraiser should be allocating funds - Lambda Legal. Overall, our kids were simply awesome, professional, and extremely polite and inquisitive.