Michigan Law Outlaws to hold inaugural 'Gayla' Oct. 9

By Amy Spooner
U-M Law

Affinity organizations like the Black Law Students Association and the Latino Law Students Association have well-established and longstanding traditions of offering scholarships to Michigan Law students. This fall the Outlaws—an organization that serves the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community at Michigan Law—is establishing a similar tradition. The kickoff will be an October 9 Gayla banquet to reconnect with alumni.

At the banquet, the 2015 recipient of the Spectrum Fellowship will be honored. The Spectrum Fund, which was established by Henry Grix, AB ‘70, JD ‘77, and Howard Israel, BFA ‘72, in 2012 provides summer funding support for a student working in the field of LGBTQ law. The banquet also will raise funds for the Outlaws Public Interest Fellowship, which will be awarded for the first time in 2016 and will provide funding to highly qualified first-year students who work for public interest organizations during their summer. The goal of the fellowship is to encourage LGBT law students to pursue careers in the public interest or nonprofit sector, where they can contribute to and support the interests of the LGBT community through their legal careers.

The banquet’s keynote address will be delivered by Matthew Moore, ‘92, the head of compliance for Goldman Sachs’s Salt Lake City Office, and global co-head of Regulatory Audits & Inquiries and Compliance Employee Services. At Goldman Sachs, he serves on the Global Compliance People Development Committee and the SLC Leadership Council, and is a cosponsor of the SLC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network. He also is a board member of Equality Utah.

“This is an exciting time for Outlaws, as this will be the first time our group has held its own fellowship banquet in its 30-plus year history,” said Gayla chair Kristina Meyer, a 3L, and Caitlin Fitzgerald, a 2L who is co-chair of Outlaws. The event coincides with U-M’s Homecoming Weekend, and all alumni and friends are invited to attend.

“Our group’s history is one we are proud of, but it is also one that poses unique challenges to hosting such a large alumni event,” said Meyer and Fitzgerald. “Unlike other student affinity groups, Outlaws does not have a formal alumni network or even a record of past membership. We hope that this gala will serve as a homecoming, allowing us to reconnect with Outlaws and allies of years past and develop intergenerational relationships.”

Event details are available on the Outlaws’ Facebook page and tickets may be purchased online. Meyer and Fitzgerald also ask the alumni and student community to spread the word.
“We want as many alumni and supporters as possible to attend.”