Attorney to discuss history of LGBTQ rights

As part of its online Community Conversations series, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School will present “The History of LGBTQ Rights” noon to 1 p.m., Friday, June 11. The speaker is ACLU of Michigan attorney Jay Kaplan.

Since June is PRIDE month, Kaplan will discuss the history of LGBTQ rights, where they are today, and the path forward to equity and social justice.

Kaplan has been the staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project since its founding in 2001.  He has worked on cases including challenging undercover sting operations targeting gay men, fighting Michigan’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying, defending the validity of second parent adoptions granted in Michigan, and recently advocating for a transgender high school student to be able to run for prom court.

Kaplan was honored with the 2006 Unsung Hero Award from the State Bar of Michigan and the 2010 Virginia Uribe Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association (NEA).

To register for this online program, visit www.cooley.edu/events.