Bryanna's Started Law School!

In case you peeps were wondering what's happening with Bryanna Jenkins, my amazing sis who is starting her 1L year at DePaul University Law School, she's moved from Baltimore to Chicago, is getting acclimated to the Windy City, and is immersing herself in her law school studies.

Bryanna also hit her fundraising goal before she left Baltimore, and she thanks all of you who contributed to it for your support.

Major props to you Bryanna as your unapologetic Black trans self  embarks upon furthering your education and making your dream of becoming an attorney come true.

 At a time when it seems as though anti-trans lawsuits are being filed by transphobic Republican red state attorney generals at a breakneck pace, your entrance into law school is coming at a critical juncture in our community's history.

And it doesn't hurt that you are entering law school well versed in the issues that impact Black trans World.

As you're probably aware from our people's distinguished history, it was our legal warriors like Charles Houston and a fellow Baltimorean who later served on the Supreme Court in Justice Thurgood Marshall that helped dismantle Jim Crow segregation and advance the human rights of our African-American community in the federal court system.

I not only applaud you for doing so, I'm bursting at the seams proud of you for doing so.

We have needed more trans women of color attorneys to join the outstanding cadre of trans attorneys we a;ready have doing amazing things, and so glad you have started the journey to join their distinguished ranks.

Good luck in this 1L semester!

Bryanna Needs Some Support

My Baltimore based sis Bryanna Jenkins has been accepted to DePaul University's College of Law in Chicago and will be headed to Chicago in August to join the Class of 2019!

I'm proud of her for getting a step closer to her dream of becoming an attorney, and Bryanna wants to concentrate on the areas of public interest and civil rights law.

The 27 year old Jenkins is an award winning advocate for our community who was recently honored with a 2016 BTAC Rising Stars Award.

While she was awarded a $60K renewable scholarship and has applied for countless others, as those of us who have pursued higher education know, scholarships don't cover all the costs of your legal education.

She'll also be resigning her position at her job in Baltimore in August to make that move to Chitown and get her legal education started.

Bryanna started a GoFundMe page two months ago with a goal of raising $5000 to help her defray some of her moving expenses and get settled in Chicago.

However, I've been distressed to see that at the time I'm compiling this post, unfortunately she has raised just $805 toward that goal, and the clock is inexorably ticking toward the August moment that she will have to move from Baltimore to Chicago to get settled for her first year of law school at DePaul.

She'll also need for her dorm room appliances, bedding, and old law school textbooks while she's getting her legal education in the Windy City.

Can we show our trans sister some love and contribute to her fund?  Chicago based trans fam, can y'all also do what y'all can to help Bryanna out when she arrives in your backyard?

If you can drop $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can spare on her GoFundMe, every little bit helps to get our sis closer to that $5000 goal.  You can also consider whatever you donate to Bryanna's GoFundMe it an investment in the education of a future legal advocate for our community, and the more trans attorneys we have, the better.

Thank you for considering helping our trans sister out.

Texas Non-Discrimination Ordinances Panel Discussion Today

If you're looking for an interesting and timely discussion concerning non-discrimination ordinances in Texas especially in light of our upcoming court fight over HERO, that will be happening on the campus of the South Texas  College of Law this afternoon at 1 PM.

It's sponsored by the Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston , South Texas College of Law AMICUS, Social Sciences & The Law Society and the ACLU Student Organization.

It will take place at the Joe M. Green Auditorium on the South Texas College of Law campus at 1301 San Jacinto St. in beautiful downtown Houston from 1:00-5:00 PM CST

The panel will feature Houston City Attorney David M. Feldman, Attorney and human rights advocate Susan L. Hays, Founding CEO of First Person Christina Canales Gorczynski,  South\Texas College of Law Professor Richard R. Carlson, and ACLU Texas Legal and Policy Director Rebecca Robertson.

HBCU Law Schools Non Discrimination Policies

While researching the Houston area back to school post I stumbled across the inclusive non-discrimination policy of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University that includes gender identity and expression 

Not only was I deliriously happy to see it, I was curious to discover if the same applied to the other five American Bar Association accredited  HBCU law schools since I have African descended trans friends who are in college right now who are considering applying to law school.

These six law schools started because African-American students were denied opportunities to study law at white dominated campuses.  These historic institutions educated many of our nation's most distinguished African-American judges, legal scholars and attorneys, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  

I'm happy to report that many of these HBCU law schools are more forward thinking than their main campuses in terms of having inclusive non-discrimination statements and employment policies.

So let's start with the aforementioned Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU in my hometown which passed this policy to my pleasant surprise in 2011.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age or disability in the administration of its academic or employment policies, or other school-administered rights, privileges, programs or activities. 

Texas Southern University's main campus does not have an inclusive non discrimination statement that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. and expression..


North Carolina Central University School Of Law 

North Carolina Central University is committed to equality of education opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran's status, sexual orientation or identity, or disability. Moreover, North Carolina Central University is open to people of all races and actively seeks to promote racial integration by recruiting and enrolling a larger number of white students.

The North Carolina Central University does not have a non-discrimination statement that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. and expression..


Howard University School of Law  policy was adopted by Faculty Resolution in February 1991

Howard University School of Law is committed to a policy against discrimination in the interviewing or employment of its students based on race, sex, religious creed, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, handicap, or political affiliation.

Howard University main campus, unlike the School of Law doesn't have a non-discrimination statement i could find on their website, but with the school being located in Washington DC is under the 1977 DC Human Rights Law that was expanded in 2005 to cover transgender people 

Southern University Law Center  

The Southern University Law Center (SULC) is committed to ensuring equal opportunity without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, actual or perceived gender, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or parental, marital, domestic partner, civil union, military, or veteran status.

Southern University main campus statement does not include sexual orientation, gender identity and expression language in its non discrimination statement. 

Florida A&M University College of Law

Florida A&M University College of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, and veteran status as protected under the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act in the administration of its education policies, admissions and placement policies, and other school administered programs.

Back in February a student referendum passed seeking to add sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida A&M's non-discrimination policy.. 

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

In accordance with federal law and the Human Rights Act of 1977 (DC Law 2-38), the University of the District of Columbia—David A. Clarke School of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibility, matriculation, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, source of income, or place of residence in its programs, activities, and employment practices. In addition, the school complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1973.

As for the University of the District of Columbia,

It is the policy of the University to prohibit discrimination of members of the University community on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, marital status, personal appearance, genetic information, familial status, source of income, status as a victim of intrafamily offense, place of residence or business, status as a covered veteran, as provided for and to the extent required by District and Federal statutes and regulations.

HBCU's, time for y'all to emulate these six distinguished law schools and get busy protecting the trans and SGL students not only currently matriculating on your campuses, but future ones as well.

You need to handle your academic business HBCU's because Black LGBT students exist, aren't going away and it's the right thing to do.