With Pride

Gonzaga University School of Law works to connect legal education in the classroom with service to the LGBTQ+ community

BY SARAH N. HARMON

“This is why I came to law school” has increasingly become the shared sentiment of those Gonzaga University School of Law students who have volunteered for the school’s monthly Name & Gender Marker ID Change Pop-Up Clinic. This monthly pro bono opportunity, hosted by Gonzaga Law’s Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR), provides a forum for law student volunteers to work directly with clients and offers those clients the tools necessary for legal name and gender marker changes for government identifications. Although there is no requirement for clients to identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, the pop-up clinic most frequently serves the LGBTQ+ population based on need.

For several years, Gonzaga Law has been steadfast in its commitment to serve and advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights. This includes the creation of the Lincoln LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic in 2020, which is one of only a handful of law school legal clinics in the United States that exclusively serves LGBTQ+ clients. The Lincoln LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic’s efforts are expanding to provide students with legal education opportunities to serve LGBTQ+ clients and develop legal advocacy skills specific to protecting LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights. In this spirit, the Name & Gender Marker ID Change Pop-up Clinic and the Lincoln LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic provide two distinct opportunities for law students to develop their legal advocacy skills while serving the LGBTQ+ community.

The pop-up clinic has been profoundly impactful for students, law school faculty and staff, and the LGBTQ+ community. The process of changing  name and gender markers can feel overwhelming, and the beginning of each clinic appointment often involves a bit of anxiety—from both the student volunteers and the clients. Despite mandatory training and being fully briefed on each client’s needs before the appointments, students can still be quite nervous about providing (supervised) guidance on name change petitions throughout Washington counties, as well as comprehensively reviewing state and federal forms for name and gender marker changes. Understandably, clients can also be anxious about navigating a complicated process, as well as interacting—even peripherally—with a legal system that has historically harmed and excluded their community.

By the end of each 30-minute appointment, both the students and client have visibly grown in their confidence and have connected with one another in a powerful way. The students have walked through the client’s specific needs and related ID update processes and reviewed and provided the client with applicable documents and forms so the client is able to take the next steps in their identity-confirming journey with confidence. Each appointment concludes with gratitude and resolve for everyone involved. The positive emotions, inspiration, and impacts are tangible.

This opportunity for students and clients would not be feasible without community organizations, institutional support, and donations. The Lavender Rights Project collaborated with and supported Gonzaga Law’s and the CCHR’s work to create the reoccurring pop-up clinics. Additionally, Odyssey Youth Movement (OYM), a local Spokane LGBTQ+ youth community and resource center, shares its spaces to host the pop-up clinic. OYM’s space allows students to connect with the local Spokane and LGBTQ+ community and, most importantly, provides a familiar, safe, and welcoming space for clients.

In another expansion of the CCHR’s work and the reach of the pop-up clinic, this spring Gonzaga Law will host its first—and one of the first of its kind—LGBTQ+ Legal Rights and Advocacy Summit, bringing together educators, scholars, practitioners, and LGBTQ+ community organizations. The summit, entitled “With Pride: 2024 LGBTQ+ Rights and Advocacy in Legal Education Summit,” will be held on April 19 at Gonzaga Law.

If you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ rights, issues, and advocacy efforts, or simply want more exposure to help better serve and represent LGBTQ+ clients, we invite you to join us at the summit. To register, please visit www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/events/2024/4/19/with-pride-lgbtq-law-summit.

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SIDEBAR

With Pride: 2024 LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy in Legal Education Summit

Hosted by: Gonzaga Law School Center for Civil & Human Rights

When: Friday, April 19, 2024, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

5.0 WSBA ethics-equity CLE credits

Three panels:

Panel I: From the Classroom to the Courtroom

Panel II: Making Change in the Community

Panel III: Advancing Goals for the Future

List of speakers/panelists*:

>     Keynote speaker – Kellye Testy, President and CEO of the Law School Admission Council

>     Justice Mary Yu, Washington Supreme Court

>     Luke Boso, Southwestern Law School

>     Stewart Chang, UNLV Law

>     Ashlyn Hannus, Gonzaga University School of Law, Student Class of 2024

>     Sarah Harmon, Gonzaga University School of Law

>     Heather Johnson, Michigan State University College of Law

>     Courtney Joslin, UC Davis School of Law

>     Sheldon Lyke, Loyola University – Chicago School of Law

>     Dallas Martinez, Co-Executive Director of QLaw

>     Ikál Quintana, Lavender Rights Project

>     Brad Sears, UCLA School of Law, Founding Executive Director at the Williams Institute

>     Catherine Smith, University of Denver

>     Sarah Steadman, University of New Mexico School of Law

>     Danaya Wright, University of Florida College of Law

*Note: 1-2 speakers may be added to this event

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