In 2022, then-State Bar President Tom Scarr became aware the West Virginia’s State Bar was among a handful of states in the nation that did not have an LGBTQ+ diversity committee. Before the end of his term, Tom issued a call to action to the State Bar asking for volunteers who would be interested in founding or joining an LGBTQ organization, which received a notable response. Founding co-chairs Kaitlyn Samuelson and Gerald Langan took on the cause, working with the Minority Committee to set themselves up in the same way, gaining inspiration from other State Bar LGBTQ+ organizations. They presented their proposal to the WV State Bar Board of Governors in April of 2022, which was approved.
The Committee’s mission is to educate its members and other legal professionals on issues facing West Virginia’s LGBTQ+ community, to collaborate with other bar committees to encourage the adoption of diversity policies, and to serve as a network and support system to help bar members build successful, rewarding professional lives while encouraging LGBTQ+ individuals to pursue law as a career.
Founding co-chair Kaitlyn Samuelson stated that the queer community in our state is burnt out and stretched thin, and she is hoping to build spaces that are equitable and allow for professional growth for all. So far, the Committee has engaged in a variety of causes in the legal community with a focus on pro bono initiatives. They are in communication with several state non-profit and governmental organizations, such as Fairness West Virginia (https://fairnesswv.org/) and Legal Aid of West Virginia (https://legalaidwv.org/) in an effort to get these stakeholders on the same page and working together towards their shared causes. As Kaitlyn described, “When we get inquiries from state bar members about current pro bono opportunities, we try to link them in with their specific interest, but also with the current needs of our queer community as well as the needs of the legal community.”
Deborah McHenry, Committee Officer, recently led a lunchtime community discussion over Zoom to bring attention to the surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that occurred recently, not only in West Virginia, but also nationwide. So far in 2023, lawmakers in 46 states have introduced over 650 bills targeting LGBTQ+ communities despite the fact that that a majority of Americans now support nondiscrimination measures and equal protection for these targeted people.
The Committee plans to hold these discussions monthly and is working on having them CLE-accredited in the future. The next community discussion is planned for Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 12:00 noon via Zoom, where they will discuss Diversity in the West Virginia Judiciary. This discussion will feature at least one speaker, Donald Kersey, General Counsel, of the West Virginia Secretary of State’s, who will provide details regarding judicial elections and vacancies.
The founding officers include Kaitlyn Samuelson, Gerald Langan, Deborah McHenry, Nathan Bennett, and Sarah Hodges. If you are interested in learning more about the WV State Bar’s LGBTQ+ Committee or would like to join, please send an interest email to Kaitlyn (kaitlynsamuelson@gmail.com) or Gerald (glangan@langanlawpllc.com).
Original source can be found here.