Description:

"LGBT Rights: Threats and Opportunities"

by Jocelyn Samuels, Executive Director, The Williams Institute, UCLA

LGBT rights are at a crossroads. LGBT people enjoyed unprecedented advances during the Obama Administration, during which the Supreme Court recognized the constitutional right of same sex couples to marry, and courts and executive branch agencies broadened prohibitions against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. In the last two years, the government has tried to deny LGBT people protections against discrimination under current law; has tried to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military; and has attempted to expand authorization for religious entities to opt out of compliance with civil rights laws. This lecture will evaluate current threats to, and opportunities for, advancement of LGBT rights and address issues related to the health and wellbeing of LGBT people.

Samuels was the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services from 2014-17 and also served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2013-14.

This lecture is cosponsored by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and the Institute for Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH).

Registration required by Monday Feb. 18.