National Center for Lesbian Rights on the forefront
From staff reports
“It is a tremendous honor to represent the couples who are parties in this
historic litigation. It is also an honor to represent Equality California
and Our Family Coalition, who in turn represent more than 92,000 same-sex
couples and more than 70,500 children with same-sex parents in this
state,” began Kate Kendell, Esq., executive director of the
National
Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in reaction to today’s historic
decision handed down by the California Supreme Court. Their ruling in
favor of same-sex marriage proclaims that legally sanctioned marriages
will be the law of the land in that state for the foreseeable future.
The brilliant legal arguments were offered by NCLR along with attorneys
from San Francisco City Attorney’s office and their colleagues from Howard
Rice, Heller Ehrman, Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the Law Office of David
C. Codell. NCLR plays a leading role in establishing family law
protections around the country for LGBT people and is lead counsel in In
re Marriage Cases.
“Because of their courage, California has increasingly recognized same-sex
couples and
their children as an integral part of our incredibly diverse population.
The legislature has made great strides toward protecting our families—by
enacting anti-discrimination laws, by requiring equal treatment of
children with same-sex parents, and by passing a marriage equality
bill—twice—that was vetoed by the governor. But even our Governor has made
clear that he will respect the ruling of the California Supreme Court, so
we are here, asking the court today to simply to acknowledge the clear
public policy in favor of equal treatment and to remove one of the last
remaining barriers to the full inclusion of lesbians and gay men as truly
equal citizens of this state. Our state constitution demands no less and
lesbian and gay Californians have waited long enough,” Kendell further
stated.
Kate Kendell leads the National Center for Lesbian Rights, 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. Through direct
litigation and advocacy NCLR works to change discriminatory laws and to
create new laws and policies benefiting the LGBT community.
Kate grew up Mormon in Utah and received her J.D. degree from the
University of Utah College of Law in 1988. After a few years as a
corporate attorney she pursued her real love—civil rights advocacy—and
became the first staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of
Utah. In this capacity, she oversaw the legal department of ACLU of Utah
and directly litigated many high-profile cases focusing on all aspects of
civil liberties, including reproductive rights, prisoners’ rights,
church/state conflicts, free speech, and the rights of LGBT people. She
loved it and never looked back. In 1994 she accepted the position as Legal
Director with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and made the move to
San Francisco.
Shannon Minter, Esq., serves as NCLR’s Legal
Director. He joined the National Center for Lesbian Rights in 1993. He is
lead attorney on behalf of same-sex couples in the California marriage
case, which seeks to end the exclusion of lesbian and gay couples from
marriage in California. Minter has guided NCLR’s litigation and program
work for over 10 years. He has been lead counsel in dozens of
groundbreaking legal victories including Sharon Smith’s unprecedented
victory in her wrongful death lawsuit. He has litigated many other impact
cases and across the country. In
2005, Minter was one of 18 people to receive the Ford Foundation’s
“Leadership for a Changing World” award. In 2004, Minter was awarded an
Honorary Degree from the City University of New York School of Law for his
advocacy on behalf of same-sex couples and their families. He has also
received the Anderson Prize Foundation Creating Change Award by the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the distinguished national
service award from GAYLAW, the bar association for gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender lawyers, law students, and legal professionals in
Washington, D.C. Minter serves on the boards of Equality California and
the Transgender Law & Policy Institute. He received a J.D. from Cornell
Law School in 1993.
Minter is co-editor of Transgender Rights, the first comprehensive book on
the transgender civil rights movement.
As he was selected for the Ford Foundation’s “Leadership for a Changing
World” award, Liz Seaton, Deputy Legal Director, Human Rights Campaign,
and Anthony E. Varona, Associate Professor of Law, Pace University wrote:
As he was selected for the Ford Foundation’s “Leadership for a Changing
World” award, Liz Seaton, Deputy Legal Director, Human Rights Campaign,
and Anthony E. Varona, Associate Professor of Law, Pace University wrote:
“Frankly, it is hard to find a transgender law or policy project—large or
small—anywhere in the country that he has not been involved in, advised
on, or influenced through his scholarship, education, or advocacy efforts.
At the same time, Shannon devotes enormous amounts of time to giving voice
to, mentoring, and meeting the daily survival needs of transgender people
across the country.”
The NCLR
is a national law firm committed to advancing the rights and safety of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people through litigation, public
policy advocacy, and public education. NCLR plays a leading role in
establishing family law protections around the country for LGBT people.
and
their children as an integral part of our incredibly diverse population.
The legislature has made great strides toward protecting our families—by
enacting anti-discrimination laws, by requiring equal treatment of
children with same-sex parents, and by passing a marriage equality
bill—twice—that was vetoed by the governor. But even our Governor has made
clear that he will respect the ruling of the California Supreme Court, so
we are here, asking the court today to simply to acknowledge the clear
public policy in favor of equal treatment and to remove one of the last
remaining barriers to the full inclusion of lesbians and gay men as truly
equal citizens of this state. Our state constitution demands no less and
lesbian and gay Californians have waited long enough,” Kendell further
stated.
Director. He joined the National Center for Lesbian Rights in 1993. He is
lead attorney on behalf of same-sex couples in the California marriage
case, which seeks to end the exclusion of lesbian and gay couples from
marriage in California. Minter has guided NCLR’s litigation and program
work for over 10 years. He has been lead counsel in dozens of
groundbreaking legal victories including Sharon Smith’s unprecedented
victory in her wrongful death lawsuit. He has litigated many other impact
cases and across the country. In
