The Western New England University School of Law's Clason Speaker Series will host "Transgender Military Ban: Organizing Marginalized Communities of Color" on Wednesday, April 3 at noon in the Blake Law Center Common.
The event will feature United States Government Safety Officer Karen Kendra Holmes and founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition Kylar Broadus and will be moderated by Western New England University Law Professor Jennifer Levi. The event is free and open to the public.
Karen Kendra Holmes works for the federal government as a safety officer and is a strong advocate for the transgender community. She has received numerous awards for her advocacy and service, including the Engendered Spirit Award from Capital Pride, the 2017 Monica Roberts Advocacy Award, Soldier of the Year by the State Guard Association of the United States, and NCO Soldier of the Year by the Maryland State Guard Association and the Maryland Defense Force, among others. Outside of her work in the federal government, she is a radio host for Inside Out in Washington, DC.
Kylar Broadus is the senior public policy counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force and the director of the organization's Transgender Civil Rights Project, as well as the founder of the Missouri-based Trans People of Color Coalition. In 2012, Broadus made history as the first openly transgender person to testify before the U.S. Senate, speaking in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). An attorney and former professor of business law, Broadus' expertise is in policy, transgender equality, and racial justice.
The Clason Speaker Series is named after Charles R. Clason, a prominent local attorney and member of the U.S. House of Representatives who held the position of Dean of the School of Law from 1954 to 1970. Today, the purpose of the Charles and Emma Clason Endowment Fund is to host speakers who will enhance the academic environment of the School of Law and the University.
All Clason Speaker Series events are open to students, alumni, the University community, and the general public. For more information, call 413-796-2365 or email Professor Bridgette Baldwin at bbaldwin@law.wne.edu.
