Welcome, Class of 2020!
Greetings! We, Tracy and Grady, are this year’s co-chairs of OutLaws, the LGBTQ+ student group at the Peter A. 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.
Advocacy: Trinity Western University
As you may know, following an October 2014 referendum in which 5,951 BC lawyers (74% of those who voted) chose to deny approval for Trinity Western University’s (TWU) proposed faculty of law, the Law Society of BC decided not to grant approval for the purpose of its admission program.
This is of interest to UBC OutLaws because TWU requires its students, faculty, and staff to sign a Community Covenant Agreement that, among other things, requires them to abstain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”
UBC OutLaws believes that this requirement discriminates against LGBTQ+ people. We believe that LGBTQ+ students should have equal access to legal education and not face exclusion or discrimination on the basis of their gender or sexual orientation.
In December 2014, TWU commenced proceedings seeking a judicial review of the Law Society’s decision. UBC OutLaws applied for and was granted intervener status in the subsequent petition, 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.
Following the BC Supreme Court’s decision in favour of TWU, the Law Society of BC appealed the case to the BC Court of Appeal, where UBC OutLaws was again granted intervener status as part of the same coalition; this appeal was dismissed in November 2016.
In February of this year, the Supreme Court of Canada granted the Law Society of BC leave to appeal the decision and in June, UBC OutLaws submitted its application for leave to intervene as part of the same coalition.
In the upcoming school year, we will hold at least one lunchtime session to discuss the case and provide updates on its status at the Supreme Court.
Other Events & Staying in Touch
Our first event, preceding the school year, will be a Cheers for Queers pub night held off (but near!) campus during Orientation Week. We also plan to hold at least one Cheers for Queers night during each semester to help us keep in touch (and unwind!) as a community. We will also throw an evening wine and cheese mixer / career panel during the year to connect students, faculty, and practicing lawyers.
We look forward to meeting and welcoming you at our booth during Orientation Week! In the meantime, connect with us on our Facebook page, UBC Outlaws, or send us an email at ubcoutlaws@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you!
Cheers (for queers),
Grady Mercs and Tracy Simpson
