Welcome, Class of 2019!
We are this year’s co-chairs of OutLaws, the LGBTQ+ student group at Allard School of Law.
Who We Are/What We Do
OutLaws works to foster a supportive community for LGBTQ+ law students and their allies and to promote awareness of legal issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community at large.
At least once per semester, we host Cheers for Queers, a pub night for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and allies. We also organize lunchtime sessions and panels on issues of interest to the LGBTQ+ community (more on that later).
Lastly, we work to represent the interests of LGBTQ+ students in the community. For example, a representative from UBC OutLaws sits on the Executive of the SOGIC (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference) section of the Canadian Bar Association in BC to maintain connections with the broader queer legal community.
Lunchtime Sessions and Advocacy
Following the October 2014 referendum which led to the Law Society of BC choosing not to grant approval for its admission program to Trinity Western University’s proposed law faculty, UBC OutLaws applied for and was granted intervener status in TWU and Brayden Volkenant v The Law Society of BC as part of a coalition with QMUNITY and OutLaws groups from Thompson Rivers University and the University of Victoria.
In the Fall of 2015, members held a lunchtime session about the ongoing appeal. As the process continues, we will continue to have informational sessions about the case and the underlying issue of equal access to legal education regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Last year’s panels and discussions also included the effects of criminalizing HIV non-disclosure for women, and the politics of polyamory and how that has been affected by the Bountiful polygamy reference.
We look forward to meeting and welcoming you during Orientation Week! Meanwhile, connect with us on our Facebook page, UBC Outlaws.
Cheers (for queers),
Alisa Koebel, Nic Healey, and Allison Morrell (co-chairs)