American University Washington College of Law Partners with Nixon Peabody to Host Bicoastal Event Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the 1993 LGBTQ March on Washington
Sept. 26, 2018
On Sept. 18, American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) and the national law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP partnered to host a dynamic bicoastal program and panel discussion recognizing the significant achievements of the 1993 March on Washington that demanded equality and liberation for LGBTQ Americans. The 1993 March is credited with bringing upwards of one million protesters to Washington on April 25, 1993, and sparking a number of historic events, including the first Oval Office meeting of openly-LGBTQ activists with a sitting American president.
Panelists, including AUWCL Vice Dean Tony Varona, spoke from San Francisco and from AUWCL, addressing the legacy the March has shaped over the last 25 years, and how it informs the future of LGBTQ rights, including the quest for full legal, political, social, and economic equality.
“It was a great honor to co-moderate this illustrious panel with Tom Gaynor, my old friend and colleague from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and now Nixon Peabody-SF’s managing partner,” said Dean Varona, who served as HRC’s first general counsel and legal director. “Our panelists have done and continue to do extraordinary work at the helm of the national LGBTQ movement. It was important to come together to commemorate what was a watershed moment in our movement, take stock of the progress we have achieved over the last 25 years, and look forward to the tremendous amount of work we still need to do in the years ahead in the quest for full LGBTQ equality.”
As part of the program, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom was honored for his significant contributions and advancements of LGBTQ rights.
Nixon Peabody underwrote the program and AUWCL’s Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law co-hosted and will be publishing the proceedings and related essays. Alaska Airlines, the Stonewall National Museum and Archives, Salesforce, and AUWCL’s Lambda Law Society were additional co-hosts.
The Los Angeles Blade published a photo essay, detailing the event and speakers’ remarks, and remembering the March. The full list of speakers was as follows:
- Thomas E. Gaynor, Office Managing Partner, SF and West Coast Corporate Group Leader, Nixon Peabody LLP (co-moderator)
- Anthony E. Varona, Vice Dean and Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law (co-moderator)
- Cecilia Chung, Senior Director of Strategic Projects, Transgender Law Center
- José Cunningham, Chief Marketing Officer, Nixon Peabody LLP
- Kate Kendell, Esq., Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
- James Loduca, Director of Equality Programs, Salesforce
- Tim McFeeley, Partner, Isaccson Miller, Inc., former Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign
- Vivienne Ming, Chair, StartOut; CEO, Socos Labs
- Chris Rudisill, Executive Director, Stonewall National Museum & Archives
- Nadine Smith, CEO and Co-Founder, Equality Florida; National Co-Chair, ’93 March on Washington