Since the 1970’s, California has struggled in the battle to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples. In 2005, California’s legislature approved a same-sex marriage bill. This catapulted the controversy surrounding granting basic rights to people who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) into the mainstream. The Governor of California vetoed the Bill, and left the decision up to the courts. In 2006, several same-sex couples petitioned the California Supreme Court to review their case. In April 2006, the California Supreme Court decided to consolidate and hear all same-sex marriage cases before the court. (In Re Marriage).
In
Perez v. Sharp, the California Supreme Court held that the state’s interracial marriage ban was unconstitutional. The Court found that equal respect and dignity of marriage is a basic civil right.
Furthermore, the Court held that it was unconstitutional to prevent same-sex couples from getting married because GLBT individuals are a protected class, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be subject to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
The
In Re Marriage opinion finally takes into account that all men are created equal and equality is the essence of freedom. In the midst of this historic decision, the faculty at Valparaiso University School of Law stood behind VU’s GLBT student organization and supported their efforts to attend the 20th Annual Lavender Law Conference in San Francisco, California held from September 4-6.
The Lavender Law Conference takes place annually, and welcomes all interested legal professionals and law students. This year, the Valparaiso LAMBDA Student Organization was
able to send six students to the Conference in early September. Dean Conison and the faculty were very supportive of the organization’s efforts to network with other GLBT students and professionals. During the conference Valpo Law students were greeted by members of the National Gay Lesbian Law Association, and were introduced to one of California’s best Gay hot-spots, the Castro. The first day of the conference consisted of a career fair, where students had the opportunity to meet and greet with 167 law firms in their efforts to secure summer associate positions for 2009. The second and third days were dedicated to conducting workshops concerning the current legal battles facing the GLBT community. Valpo Law students attended Continuing Legal Education workshops led by many of the nation’s top legal scholars. Topics included marriage and dissolution, the Military’s “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” policy, how to come out on your resume, and ways to have a presence at your law school. The six students who attended the Conference were able to maximize the benefits of this conference by attending all daily workshops, and network with a large number of law firms. More importantly, students at Valpo Law School who identify as GLBT and their allies were able to celebrate the community’s success in the ongoing fight for equality achieved through the California Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
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