Episode 099 – Conversation with Prof. Susan Hazeldean and Rachel Russell.mp3
This conversation with Brooklyn Law School Assistant Professor of Law Susan Hazeldean and Rachel Russell, Class of 2017 and chair of the Brooklyn Law School OUTLaws, discusses the Brooklyn Law School LGBT Advocacy Clinic where students represent LGBT individuals in immigration and prisoners’ rights cases and undertake advocacy projects to advance LGBT equality. The conversation starts with Prof. Hazeldean describing the types of cases students handle during their time with the clinic. She also discusses a recent decision by the New York Court of Appeals, In the Matter of Brooke S.B. v Elizabeth A.C.C., in which the court reversed its 25-year-old ruling in the Matter of Alison D v. Virginia M., 77 N.Y.2d 651 (1991), which refused a non-biological lesbian mother standing to sue for visitation with the child that she had parented for six years because she was not a “parent” within the meaning of the New York Domestic Relations Law.
The conversation shifts to Rachel Russell and upcoming projects hosted by OUTLaws. OUTLaws is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) students and straight allies within the BLS community. The group’s goals are to provide educational, political and social events for students and to foster connections with alumni and the legal community at large. OUTLaws programming addresses issues affecting LGBTQ civil rights, sponsors guest speakers, supports activism, and increases the visibility of LGBTQ people within the profession.
