Legal Lgbt Podcast

On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of New York and Mathew Shurka, co-founder and chief strategist of the Born Perfect campaign discuss the fight to ban the harmful and discredited practice of anti-LGBT conversion therapy nationwide.    

Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from August: The Ninth Circuit affirmed an injunction ordering gender confirmation surgery for an Idaho transgender inmate; The Supreme Court received a second round of filings in the blockbuster LGBT employment discrimination cases to be argued on October 8; A divided Eighth Circuit  revived a videographers claim that the company doesn’t need to provide equal wedding related services for same-sex couples.

Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from July: A Catholic Adoption Agency Asks Supreme Court for a “License to Discriminate” Against LGBTQ People; A Transgender Teenager’s Mother Asks Supreme Court to Recognize a Parent’s Due Process Rights to Control Her Child’s Life; and A Federal Appeals Court has Refused to Reopen Asylum Proceedings for Lesbian from Uganda

There are nearly 1 million adult immigrants in the United States that self-identify as LGBTQ. The Trump administration has been relentless in its attacks against immigrants from apprehension, to detentions, to deportations. The approach has been aggressive, unspeakably cruel and even deadly. LeGaL's Executive Director, Eric Lesh sits down with Sharita Gruberg, Director of the Policy, LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress to talk about the immigration and asylum obstacles and issues that are the directly harming LGBTQ people.

On the LGBT Law Notes episode, LGBT Bar NY Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss the latest wedding cake news from the Supreme Court and more, including a ruling from another state high court that is sticking to its pro-equality decision after searching the record for signs of bias in the proceeding. Next, we will chat about a New York case where a gay dad filled a cert petition that seeks to overturn protections for non-bio/non-adoptive parents. Finally, we discuss the latest on a conversion therapy case in New Jersey state court where the provider of this discredited, fraudulent practice just won’t go away.

LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with transgender rights litigator Jillian Weiss about her LGBT workplace fairness work at the Law Firm of Jillian T. Weiss and as Special Co-Counsel at Outten & Golden. Then, we chat with Larry Pearson and David Gottlieb of Wigdor LLP about their LGBT employment, harassment and retaliation cases against the novelist Nicholas Sparks and their case against Goldman Sachs.  If you experience discrimination in the workplace contact: Law Firm of Jillian T. Weiss Outten & Golden Wigdor LLP or LeGaL at 212-459-4873

On this LGBT Law Notes episode LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss a rare bit of good news from the Supreme Court in transgender rights case. Next they chat about a religiously affiliated children’s agency’s failed attempt to turn away same-sex couples seeking to adopt. Then they chat about a series of cases that deal with same-sex spouses and their equal access to benefits.

Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of New York and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard give the very latest updates and insights on everything SCOTUS, including the recent Title VII grants as well as some denials. Next they discuss a federal appellate ruling in a case seeking to block enforcement of Philadelphia’s law barring child welfare groups doing business with the city from discriminating against same-sex couples who seek certification to be foster parents. Finally, they discuss a discrimination and harassment case filed by a lesbian police officer against NYC.

Today’s show is about sex workers' rights and the fight in New York to decriminalize sex work. We are speaking with Jared Trujillo, who is a Steering Committee member of DecrimNY, a coalition of 30 groups to decriminalize, destigmatize, and decarcerate sex work in New York. He’s also the President of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys.

LeGaL's Executive Director speaks with the ACLU’s Ian Thompson about federal policy issues, including major pieces of legislation like the Equality Act, and the effort to reverse the transgender military ban. We also chat about HIV/AIDS, administrative rollbacks, and the continuing attack on Obamacare. Ian Thompson is a Legislative Representative in the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. Ian works to advance the organization’s civil liberties and civil rights agenda in Congress and the executive branch by focusing on LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS, and sex education.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will review three cases that could have a massive impact on the rights and lives of LGBT people in the workplace. Specifically, the Court will decide whether the ban on employment discrimination “because of sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 can be interpreted to apply to claims of discrimination because of sexual orientation. Eric Lesh discusses this breaking news with NY Law School Professor Art Lenard.    

LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with New York Law School Professor Art Leonard about SCOTUS’s decision NOT to hear the Aloha Bed and Breakfast case involving a small B & B that received a public accommodations smackdown from Hawaii. Next, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled by a vote of 2-1 that the state of Texas did not violate the 8th Amendment right against cruel or unusual punishment by denying gender confirmation surgery to transgender inmate. Finally, religious objectors rushing to federal court to block the EECC’s ability to come after employers when the fire LGBT people.  Prof Leonard is chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.  

On this episode LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Ethan Rice. At issue is a brief that Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and ACLU South Dakota filed with the Supreme Court in the case of Rhines v. Young. The brief argues that anti-gay juror bias in-part motivated the South Dakota jury’s decision to sentence Charles Rhines to death. We also chat about the experiences of LGBT people in the court system.

On the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, we discuss: The latest legal developments on Trump's hateful transgender military ban; A federal court blocks discharges of healthy airmen living with HIV; and A U.S. district court that finds a child born in Canada through gestational surrogacy to a same-sex couple is entitled to U.S. citizenship at birth. LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss.  

On the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast we discuss the transgender military ban action after the SCOTUS decision to reverse the stays on the preliminary injunctions. Next, we talk about the desire by anti-LGBT litigation groups to permit the torture of queer people by attacking several recent laws banning conversion therapy—including one right here in NYC. Finally, we discuss the latest Title VII action—including a bad circuit court ruling, and two positive district court rulings on employment discrimination cases. With us is NYLS Prof. Art Leonard, chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.  

We call this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast "Weaponizing the Web: Queer People in the Age of Grindr and the Cyberharassment." LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh talks with Professor Ari Ezra Waldman talk about queer people and issues related to online privacy and security, including revenge porn and how the law can address the issue of non-consensual sharing of images over online dating apps. We also about LGBTQ youth and bullying and whether current laws to protect youth are effective. Ari Ezra Waldman is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Innovation Center for Law and Technology at NYLS. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute for CyberSafety, which includes the first-of-its-kind law school pro bono clinic representing victims of online harassment.

On January 22nd, by a 5–4 vote, the Supreme Court lifted two injunctions blocking Trump’s hateful and discriminatory ban on transgender military service. This is not the end. It’s only the beginning. Nevertheless this was devastating news. The disgraceful actions of this president and his administration, aided by his two illegitimate appointments to the Supreme Court, dishonor the brave transgender troops who courageously serve, and wish to serve, their country. We stand with you. We have the latest with New York Law School Prof Art Leonard.  

Welcome to the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast. I’m Eric Lesh, Executive Director of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar of NY. On today’s show we are going to be talking about the latest Supreme Court developments. We discuss the attempt by the administration to let the transgender military ban go into effect, and a new sexual orientation  discrimination case under Title IX. Next we will talk about the ruling from a reliably rightwing activist judge from Texas who held that Obamacare was unconstitutional, placing health insurance for thousands of LGBT people at risk. Finally, we will discuss a case brought by a student against his high school for intentional infliction of emotional distress for anti-gay animus and subjecting him to conversion therapy.   With us is Professor Art Leonard, chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.