Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and people living with HIV (PLWH), especially those of color, are significantly overrepresented in all aspects of the penal system, from policing, to adjudication, to incarceration. Yet their experiences are often overlooked, and justice continues to be elusive and conditional for these populations due to a range of unequal laws and policies that dehumanize, victimize, and criminalize them because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.
At this event we will release a federal policy roadmap, published by the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School in collaboration with the Center for American Progress, Center for HIV Law & Policy, and Streetwise & Safe, that examines and offers policy recommendations to address the myriad criminal justice issues impacting LGBT people and PLWH, from discriminatory profiling and policing practices, to laws criminalizing HIV transmission, to unsafe prison conditions.
The brief was developed in collaboration with over 50 advocates, lawyers, and policy organizations working on LGBT criminalization and racial justice issues at the local, state, and federal levels and includes essays from academic experts in the field, advocates, and formerly incarcerated LGBT people, including CeCe McDonald.
Join the conversation on Twitter: #LGBTCrimJust
Welcome:
Urvashi Vaid, Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, Columbia Law School
Opening remarks:
Ben Jealous, former President & CEO of the NAACP
Presentation of the Federal Policy Roadmap:
Andrea Ritchie, Streetwise & Safe
Panelists:
Angélica Cházaro, Visiting Professor, University of Washington School of Law
Harper Jean Tobin, National Center for Transgender Equality
Chris Daley, Just Detention International
Catherine Hanssens, Center for HIV Law & Policy
Andrea Ritchie, Streetwise & Safe
Moderator:
Aisha Moodie-Mills, Senior Fellow and Director of the FIRE Initiative, Center for American Progress