Christine Sun, ACLU-TN LGBT project attorney, will discuss current GLBT issues and the work that needs to be done to protect and promote GLBT rights in the South during the ACLU-TN's annual meeting on Oct. 4.
"The Future of LGBT Rights in Tennessee: Organizing, Educating, and Litigating" is the topic of the John Googin Memorial Lecture, which will begin at 6 p.m., at the Green Hills Branch Library, 3701 Benham Avenue in Nashville.
Sun arrived in Tennessee in the spring of 2007 to spearhead ACLU’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) rights work in the South. She has worked on GLBT and AIDS issues for the ACLU in California since 2004 and works out of the ACLU of Tennessee’s office in Nashville.
“We are excited that Christine has joined the ACLU-TN staff. Her expertise and commitment are exactly what is needed to make a difference for LGBT southerners," said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director of the ACLU of Tennessee.
“In the short time Christine has been here she has successfully intervened on behalf of a student reprimanded for organizing a “Day of Silence” in Washington County and persuaded the TBI to investigate a hate crime in Warren County. In addition, Ch! ristine is reaching out to LGBT groups and other constituency groups to strategize about building a strong coalition to pursue pro-active initiatives,” according to Weinberg.
While at the ACLU of Southern California, Sun worked on a number of important cases and projects, especially cases involving the rights of LGBT students. She won a victory on behalf of a group of students in a rural California town who were barred from publishing a series of gay themed articles in the school newspaper. The school ultimately caved and permitted the students to publish the articles. In another case on behalf of gay youth, Sun was successful in establishing that school officials may not disclose the sexual orientation of students to their parents without a compelling governmental interest.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 615-320-7142.
