Winter 2006 Newsletter
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NEWSLETTER National Center for Lesbian Rights WINTER 2006 INSIDE: NCLR’s Inaugural Sports Think Tank Page 6 What’s in a Name? On November 13th, the Women’s Motorcycle Contingent Names can be tricky. The name “National Center for formally won the legal right to trademark “DYKES ON Lesbian Rights,” for example, just hints at part of our BIKES.” Over the past year, the United States Trademark organization’s overall work. NCLR is the national LGBT Office twice rejected the group’s application on the civil rights legal organization that is lesbian-led and grounds that the name “DYKES ON BIKES” is offensive committed to justice, equality, and legal protections for to lesbians. In reality, Dykes on Bikes is perhaps the all LGBT individuals and their families. Our lesbian most boisterous collection of women kicking off LGBT leadership informs every aspect of our work on behalf of pride parades across the country, raucously revving the entire community. Through a lesbian feminist lens, their bikes and cheering the crowd. Within our we select cases which will have the most impact, we community, it seems impossible to imagine them as analyze the intersection of oppressions, and we anything but loud and proud. represent clients holistically—always putting them first. NCLR worked closely with the brilliant and dedicated Thirty years ago, NCLR was started by a few just-out-of- Post-election Brooke Oliver Law Group and Townsend and Townsend law-school attorneys who dared to believe that the Marriage Equality and Crew to submit more than two dozen expert promise of opportunity should extend to lesbian moms. Update declarations from scholars, linguists, psychologists, They also had the perseverance to make that promise a and activists demonstrating how the word “dyke” has reality. Today, our attorneys show the same audacity Page 7 evolved in our community. What was once a slur is now and perseverance in fighting for all LGBT people. In the an unapologetic symbol of pride. Experts submitted early eighties, NCLR successfully defended the parental declarations detailing how as the women’s movement rights of an HIV-positive dad while the stigma of AIDS developed during the sixties, “dyke” became a loaded was rampant. We succeeded in winning asylum for term: feminists were dismissed as “dykes” in an effort countless individuals who were being persecuted in to intimidate and silence activists for social change. their countries of origin because of their sexual Many responded to this tactic by appropriating the very orientation or gender identity. And NCLR is a national words designed to shame them into silence. Since the leader in the fight to have our relationships protected seventies, the word “dyke” has increasingly been by law. embraced, and currently it is safe to say it is a welcome synonym for “lesbian.” And now the name “DYKES ON NCLR was honored to represent the Women’s Motorcycle BIKES” belongs to its proper owner, the Women’s Contingent in their pursuit to secure their entitled Motorcycle Contingent. name. To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “We do what we must, and call it by the best names.” TURNING THIRTY I vaguely remember when I turned 30. I finally felt meeting was attended by some of the most like a real adult (of course then as now, I influential figures in college athletics—each one studiously avoid acting like one). It seemed to me committed to changing the stifling culture of that being 30 conveyed a greater sense of purpose homophobia in much of the sporting world. On the and mission and seriousness. I’m not alone. day I write this we filed our Petition for Review in Culturally, we treat reaching a new decade as a our marriage equality case in California asking the milestone, whether it’s a birthday or an California Supreme Court to agree to review the anniversary and whether it is personal or erroneous ruling from the Court of Appeal issued in institutional. The National Center for Lesbian September. In that decision the Court held that Rights is 30 and that’s a big deal. A big deal because the right to marry had always been denied because when we were founded in 1977 by now to same-sex couples, continuing this exclusion was Superior Court Judge Donna Hitchens, even she not a violation of the California Constitution. We could not imagine us reaching this landmark are very hopeful that the California Supreme Court anniversary. “Not in a million years,” Donna told will take the case and reverse the Court of Appeal. me recently, “we were totally in the here and now, A history of discrimination should never be an we weren’t thinking a year ahead, let alone three approved justification for continuing decades.” It is testament to the critical need for discriminatory treatment. To paraphrase Lawrence NCLR’s work and the commitment of Donna and v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court case that overruled co-founders Roberta Achtenberg and Nancy Davis Bowers v. Hardwick, excluding lesbian and gay that we are not only here 30 years later, but couples from the right to marry was wrong then thriving and growing. and it is wrong now. This past year has seen a marked increase in the The strides we have made over the past 30 years r and the progress we have all witnessed is e demand for our legal expertise and vision. This g n i breathtaking. As we enter a new decade of S past year our case load has increased 30% in all f f e J maturity, effectiveness, and sense of purpose, we : areas of our work--family law, immigration and o t o asylum, elder law, youth in juvenile justice and will need you more than ever. We don’t want to h P foster care and our sports work. Our helpline have to be here for another 30 years. We need to continues to get over 5,000 calls per year and on make lasting change on a much more ambitious A Message from all sorts of topics affecting the lives of the LGBT timetable. It is time to stop the pain and trauma of Executive Director community. This fall in Indianapolis we convened bigotry and discrimination, and do it now. With our our first ever Sports Think Tank, co-sponsored by 30-year track record and your increased Kate Kendell the NCAA and held at its headquarters. The investment, we know we can. NCLR STAFF Jody Marksamer, Esq. Dena Zaldúa-Hilkene Ces Rosales Nancy Polikoff, Esq., D.C. Lena Ayoub, Esq. Staff Attorney Manager of Annual Giving Olga Talamante Ruthann Robson, Esq., NY Immigration Project Supervisor Barbara Zoloth Surina Khan, CA Shannon Minter, Esq. NCLR LAW CLERKS Carmen Vazquez, NY Jennifer Barth Legal Director Luke Itano NATIONAL Office Manager Megan Moyer Naomi Metz ADVISORY BOARD Editors: Calla Devlin, Leanna Blankenship Development Assistant Erin Reichenbach Fiona Martin, CO Dena Zaldúa-Hilkene Development Associate & Lesley Weaver, Esq., CA Eleanor Palacios Database Coordinator BOARD OF Co-Chairs Design: Six Ink Events Manager DIRECTORS Noemi Calonje Rachel Robasciotti, CA Joyce Pierson Kelly M. Dermody, Esq. Immigration Project Director Board Liaison NCLR thanks Orrick, Elder Law Project Consultant Akaya Windwood Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP for Helen Carroll Co-Chairs Tracy Powell Kate Clinton, NY their generous support of our Sports Project Director Executive Assistant, Dora J. Dome, Esq. Susan A. Gore, TX law clerks in 2006. Calla Devlin Florida Office Vice Chair of Development Yesenia Leon, FL Communications Director Abby R. Rubenfeld, Esq., TN The NCLR newsletter is Kendra Presswood Rachel Robasciotti Eileen Scallen, Esq., MN published by the National Karen Doering, Esq. Managing Attorney Vice Chair of Ends Center for Lesbian Rights. Senior Counsel, Florida Office NATIONAL Cathy Sakimura Betsy Allen, Esq. ADVISORY COUNCIL Kris Hermanns Equal Justice Fellow Vice Chair of Finances Roberta Achtenberg, Esq., CA Development Director Elizabeth Terry Donna Ryu, Esq. Carol Alpert, NY Melissa Higuchi Legal Assistant Secretary Joyce Hunter, NY Development Assistant Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin, CA Denise Wells Angela Brown, Esq. Emily Doskow, Esq. Lory Masters, TX Kate Kendell, Esq. Interim Director of Finance Raquel Matas, Esq., FL Executive Director and Administration Paula S. Jones, Esq. NewStaffNews Please join us in welcoming… Kendra Presswood, Esq. Cathy Sakimura, Esq. Managing Attorney Equal Justice Works Fellow NCLR is delighted to welcome NCLR is pleased to announce new Equal Kendra Presswood to the new Justice Works Fellow, Cathy Sakimura. She position of Managing Attorney. will be spearheading NCLR’s newest Kendra came to NCLR in August program, the Family Protection Project, with over fifteen years of which will improve access to family law experience as a litigator. She will services for low-income same-sex parent oversee the day-to-day aspects of families, with a focus on increasing services NCLR’s litigation and assist NCLR’s to families of color. She received her J.D. Legal Director in supervising NCLR’s from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2006. During law school, she growing legal staff. worked with Legal Services for Children, the ACCESS Self-Help Center of the San Francisco Superior Court, and NCLR. Prior to law school, Kendra is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Labor and she worked at Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, organizing Employment Law. As a civil rights attorney, Kendra has programs for children of same-sex parents. She was also the Program litigated hundreds of race, gender, age, and disability discrimination cases, as well as sexual harassment and Director at Gay-Straight Alliance Network, where she empowered whistle-blower cases. As an NCLR cooperating attorney, young people to combat harassment in their schools and participated Kendra represented NCLR client Peter Coyne in a same-sex in a multi-organization project linking work against homophobia with sexual harassment suit against his former employer in Pasco work against racism.