Conference Announcement -- The Global Arc of Justice: Sexual Orientation Law Around the World

International LGBTI Law Conference, West Hollywood & Los Angeles, CA, USA, March 11-14, 2009

The Global Arc of Justice Conference will be a four-day international conference focused on advances in LGBT rights from all round the globe, with a special focus on Latin America. Convened by the Williams Institute, a research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy at UCLA Law; the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association (ILGLaw); and the City of West Hollywood; the conference will be held from March 11-14 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles and in West Hollywood, California. The conference will offer simultaneous translation in English and Spanish.

Topics covered at the Global Arc of Justice Conference will include international efforts to advance legal recognition for same sex couples; the repeal of sodomy laws in former British Colonies; efforts by national governments to end homophobia and advance LGBT equality; implementation of the Yogyakarta Principles in litigation strategies and legal scholarship; and advancement of the rights of transgender and intersex people. Conference activities will include strategy working groups, paper presentations, plenary sessions, and various networking opportunities and celebrations.

This is going to be a great conference, featuring academics, activists, lawyers, judges, and politicians from around the world. The conference web site is http://www.law.ucla.edu/WilliamsInstitute/programs/GlobalArcofJustice2009.html, and registration is open. There are special rates for those who register by February 1, and a special hotel conference rate is available with a February 15 deadline for reservations.

Update: Sorry, in my rush to get this post (largely borrowed from the conference web site) up, I forgot to note that I am the current President of the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association (ILGLaw), co-convenor of this conference. That's not what makes the conference great. It's the extraordinary range of knowledgeable participants (and the hard work of Brad Sears, Randy Bunnao, and the rest of the folks at the Williams Institute).