News

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November 30, 2007

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The Stonewall Bar Association's newly elected Board of Directors, including the candidates listed below, were announced at the Annual Membership Meeting held in conjunction with the Winter Party.

Stonewall Bar Association

REPORT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE

November 9, 2007

Pursuant to the Bylaws of the Association, a Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors has identified the following candidates to fill open positions on the Board of Directors:

Jeff Cleghorn (Voting Member position);
Lori Surmay (Voting Member position);
Gary Zweifel (Voting Member position);
Sumner E. Riddick (Voting Member position);
Joan Crumpler (Voting Member position);
Brian Basinger (Student Member position, Georgia State University);
J. Michael Petty (Student Member position, University of Georgia);
Charlie Crowe (Student Member position, Mercer University);
Daniel Nugent (Student Member position, Emory University);
Joe Perkins (Student Member position, John Marshall School of Law).

Pursuant to Article 5.6 of the Bylaws of the Association, additional nominations may be delivered to the Secretary of the Association no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 23, 2007. Such additional nominations should be directed to:

Alex Reed, Esq.

Alston & Bird LLP

1201 West Peachtree Street, NE

Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3424

If no additional nominations are received by that date and time, the candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee shall be deemed elected. If additional nominations are received, an election will be conducted by ballots mailed to the membership.

November 5, 2007

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Stonewall Bar Association's New President

Earns 2007 Indigent Defense Award

(Former President Jeff Swart with incoming President Christine Koehler

at the Stonewall Bar Annual Awards Dinner)

This past weekend the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
presented its 2007 Indigent Defense Award to Christine A. Koehler during
the GACDL Fall Seminar.

The award was presented to Christine for her zealous and passionate
advocacy for indigent clients; her devotion to mentoring new attorneys;
her service as counsel in the longest death penalty trial held in
Gwinnett County; and her diligent effort to prevent legislation that
would negatively impact death penalty defendants.

October 5, 2007

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Multi-Bar Leadership Council presents

Diversity Award to Seth D. Kirschenbaum

MBLC Co-Chairs-Elect Sam Griffin (Stonewall Bar Association) and Tara Adyanthaya (Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association) present Seth D. Kirschenbaum with an award named for him honoring his commitment to diversity. Pictured with Chair of MBLC Denise M. Warner (DeKalb Bar Association), W. Ray Persons (Atlanta Bar Association) and former Chair of MBLC Kathleen Womack (Stonewall Bar Association).

October 4, 2007

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Lori Surmay Recognized as an

Angel in Adoption

We already knew she was an angel, but...

On October 4, 2007, Atlanta attorney, Lori M. Surmay, a past President of the Stonewall Bar Association, became an Angel in Adoption, an honor awarded by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson nominated Lori for this award. At the 2007 Angels in Adoption gala in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu presented Lori with her award. Annually, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute honors people “doing extraordinary things” to enrich the lives of foster children and orphans, and for adoption & foster care advocacy. Surmay practices exclusively in the law of adoption and reproductive medicine. Her law partners, Ruth Claiborne and Jim Outman, have each been recognized as Angels in Adoption previously.

September 6, 2007

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We are pleased to announce that DLA Piper, a global legal services organization, will be a Platinum Sponsor for 2007!

August 3, 2007

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IN MEMORIAM

On Friday, August 3, our family lost one of its luminaries, Kay Young, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Kay was truly one of the shining stars in our community, devoting her entire career to fighting for those who needed it most.

Kay began practicing law in Georgia in 1980, first working for the Emergency Land Fund, where she fought against land speculators who were unscrupulously buying property at depressed prices from unsuspecting rural landowners. She then worked at Georgia Legal Services from 1982 until 1997, when she entered private practice, concentrating on lobbying and adoption law. She was very focused on helping vulnerable children find good homes, where they could have fun and enjoy being children, rather than having to grow up too soon. She also worked as a counselor and board member at a Quaker camp for kids in Plymouth, Vermont.

In 1980 Kay was a founding member of Sisters, a black lesbian support group based in Atlanta. She also served as President of the ACLU of Georgia and the Women’s Policy Group. In addition to being a lobbyist herself, Kay taught lobbying skills to many diverse groups, including Georgia Equality, Gay Black Pride 2001, Cobb Citizens’ Coalition, the Women’s Policy Group, and the Atlanta Tradeswomen’s Network.

Beginning in 1987 Kay worked as a registered lobbyist at the Georgia General Assembly, representing numerous non-profits including Georgia Equality, Women’s Policy Group, Task Force for the Homeless and many others. She worked to help pass Georgia’s first hate crimes law, fought against the so-called Boy Scouts protection bills, worked to ensure fairness in placing troubled children in alternative schools, worked to create a standby guardianship for children of terminally ill parents, fought to protect the separation of church and state in public schools, and helped victims of domestic violence gain easier access to the courts.

Kay was a charter member of the Stonewall Bar Association, serving on the Board from 1997-2002. She chaired Stonewall’s Pride Committee in 1997 and was our Secretary from 1998-2002. In 2003, Stonewall Bar recognized her tireless efforts by giving her the Outstanding Service to the Stonewall Community Award. Recently the Board further recognized her many contributions by establishing the Kay Young Scholarship to enable law students to attend the annual Lavender Law conference, thus encouraging new lawyers to continue her tradition of advocacy and service to our community.

More than all these accomplishments, however, all of us will remember Kay as a shining light and inspiration to fight for justice and quality; few waged this fight with the style and grace Kay displayed every day. All who knew her will never forget how her megawatt smile and incredible sense of humor could light up a room as soon as she walked in. Linda Lowe, a longtime friend and fellow lobbyist, recalls that “Kay could always find something funny in any situation, and was particularly able to find the good in anyone she met, even when others could not see it.” This was no small feat, since she spent her time lobbying for progressive causes, having to deal with many challenging Georgia legislators!

Kay shared 25 wonderful years with her beloved partner, Melinda Agee. They were a constant in our community, at every Stonewall dinner and function, their love and devotion to each other always so obvious, so clear and beautiful, an inspiring example to all of us. Even over these last months, Kay showed the courage and unwavering zest for living that characterized her entire life, never losing her sense of humor, and continuing to grace us all with that wonderful smile. The thoughts of everyone in our community are with Melinda, and we will all cherish the time when Kay Young walked among us, knowing that her spirit will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

July 31, 2007

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Wait till you see this year's Awards! We are pleased to announce the addition of the famous Frabel Glass Art Studio as our newest Platinum Sponsor for 2007!

June 24, 2007

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To cap off a fabulous Pride Celebration, we are pleased to announce that the law firm of Kitchens New, LLC, will be a Platinum Sponsor for 2007!

April 3, 2007

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We are pleased to announce that the employment law firm of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. will be a Platinum Sponsor for 2007!

March 19, 2007

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We are pleased to announce that, in addition to our original Platinum Sponsors for 2006, that Lexis/Nexis will be a Platinum Sponsor for 2007!

February 21, 2007

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Our Board of Directors has approved a change in the organization's bylaws to allow for more flexibility in the composition and size of the Board. We have posted a copy of the resolution and a copy of the amended bylaws.

REPORT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE

November 30, 2006

Pursuant to the Bylaws of the Association, a Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors has identified the following candidates to fill open positions on the Board of Directors:

Sam Griffin (Voting Member position);
Alex Reed (Voting Member position);
Susan Teaster (Voting Member position);
Jaimie Wojdowski (Student Member position, Georgia State University);
Preston Meche (Student Member position, University of Georgia);
Rachel Williams (Student Member position, Mercer University);
Daniel Nugent (Student Member position, Emory University);
Joe Perkins (Student Member position, John Marshall School of Law).

Pursuant to Article 5.6 of the Bylaws of the Association, additional nominations may be delivered to the Secretary of the Association no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 11, 2006. Such additional nominations should be directed to:

Alex Reed, Esq.

Alston & Bird LLP

1201 West Peachtree Street, NE

Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3424

Stonewall Bar Association joins Lambda Legal and Others in Urging State Department to Stop Discriminating Against People with HIV on World AIDS Day

Lambda Legal Urges State Department to Stop Discriminating Against People with HIV on World AIDS Day

'The State Department is basing its blanket ban against applicants with HIV on outdated medical information and stereotypes about people with HIV.'

(Washington D.C., November 30, 2006) --- In honor of World AIDS Day tomorrow, Lambda Legal has sent 17,000 petitions along with a letter signed by over 40 HIV/AIDS, sexual health and civil rights organizations to the State Department, urging it to end its discrimination against people with HIV.

Lambda Legal collaborated with HIV/AIDS, sexual health and civil rights organizations to send a letter to the State Department, urging it to revise its outdated and discriminatory policy that disqualifies perfectly qualified candidates solely on their HIV status. Lambda Legal also sent a petition with 17,000 signatures encouraging Condoleezza Rice to reconsider the State Department's blanket ban against hiring people with HIV.

Lambda Legal currently represents two men, Lorenzo Taylor and Kyle Smith, both of whom sought to become Foreign Service Officers and were denied because they have HIV. Taylor's lawsuit against Condoleezza Rice, in her official capacity as Secretary of State, charges that the State Department's policy violates the federal Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits the federal government from discriminating against people with disabilities. Smith has an administrative complaint pending against the State Department.

"The State Department is basing its blanket ban against applicants with HIV on outdated medical information and stereotypes about people with HIV," said Bebe Anderson, HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal. "Lorenzo Taylor is a clear example of a highly qualified, dedicated applicant who is being blocked from doing the work he trained so long and hard to do because he has HIV."

"We are proud to join with Lambda Legal and other organizations in sending this important message to the U.S. government that policies based on unreasonable ideology rather than sound, scientific evidence are not acceptable," said William Smith, Vice President for Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). "By continuing to implement this backward and discriminatory policy, the State Department is sending a message to all employers that it is acceptable to further stigmatize people living with HIV."

"As HIV care providers, we use the power of medicine to heal, not to discriminate," said Dr. Jeffrey Schouten, Chair of the American Academy of HIV Medicine Board of Directors. "It concerns us that the United States State Department would use HIV status to exclude capable and talented individuals from a calling to Foreign Service. This policy perpetuates long held erroneous beliefs and longstanding ignorance about HIV that providers have been fighting against for more than 25 years --- condoning discrimination while doing nothing to help contain the spread of disease."

Other groups who signed on to the letter include: Advocates for Youth; AIDS Action Council; AIDS Foundation of Chicago; The AIDS Institute—National Office; AIDSLaw of Louisiana, Inc.; AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania; AIDS Legal Council of Chicago; AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP); AIDS Project Hartford, Inc.; AIDS Project Los Angeles; American Academy of HIV Medicine; American Civil Liberties Union; Asian Pacific American Legal Center; BIENESTAR; Bronx AIDS Services, Inc.; Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP); Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition; Douglas County HIV Resource Center; Duke AIDS Legal Assistance Project; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Gay Men's Health Crisis; Harm Reduction Coalition, Hepatitis, AIDS, Research Trust, HIV/AIDS Law Project; HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance, Inc. (HALSA); HIV Medicine Association; Human Rights Campaign; International Women's Health Coalition; L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center; Legal Action Center; Minnesota AIDS Project; Nashville CARES; National Association of People with AIDS; National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors; New York State Black Gay Network; Public Justice Center; Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS); Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, Inc.; Sylvia Rivera Law Project; Treatment Action Group; TII CANN—Title II Community AIDS National Network; Washington Heights CORNER Project; and Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Announcement of proposed changes to Bylaws

The Board of Directors proposed revisions to the Bylaws at its November 14, 2006 monthly board meeting. To see the proposed changes, please review the Proposed Revisions to Stonewall Bylaws. Contact President Jeff Swart with any comments. SBA President.

MICHAEL BOWERS RECEIVED LEADERSHIP AWARD
On October 3, 2006, the Atlanta Bar Association gave a leadership award to Michael Bowers, Georgia’s former Attorney General- the same Bowers of the notorious Bowers v. Hardwick U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1986 which upheld Georgia’s sodomy law and which provided support for other states’ statutes as well. Bowers also withdrew an employment offer to attorney Robin Shahar (see Shahar v. Bowers) for having a commitment ceremony with her partner while he simultaneously engaged in a long-term extramarital affair himself. (Both sodomy and adultery were illegal in Georgia at the time).

Reaction from the Stonewall Community to the decision to recognize Bowers as a community leader ranged from disappointment to outrage. Stonewall Bar Association President Lori Surmay wrote a letter to the Atlanta Bar Association’s president, Richard Herzog, and a story and both letters appeared in the Fulton County Daily Report on September 14, 2006. A link to an article running in Atlanta’s primary gay & lesbian paper, Southern Voice: http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=9104.

Read the letters sent between the Stonewall Bar president and Atlanta Bar president:
Letter from Stonewall Bar Association
Response from Atlanta Bar Association