Events
Event

Blank Rome Pride Event: A Panel Discussion on Current Issues Facing the LGBTQ+ Community

In celebration of Pride Month, BR Pride held a special Firm-wide program highlighting the pressing issues facing the LGBTQ+ community today and the importance of protecting against recent rollbacks of advances made over the past decade. The event was held on Monday, June 24, 2019, at the Firm's Washington, D.C., office, and featured a panel discussion, Q&A session, and cocktail reception. 

The esteemed group of guest speakers included: 

Amy Nelson

Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker Health
Amy Nelson is the Director of Legal Services at Whitman-Walker Health, a community health center offering holistic services, including free legal services, to the LGBTQI and HIV communities, and others regardless of status/ income. WWH Legal Services works with 3,000 clients every year, where 20 percent identify as trans and 24 percent identify as immigrants. Amy currently serves on the May Is All About Trans board and Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Street Harassment. Amy also serves on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors, and co-teaches Public Interest Lawyering: Access to Health Care at Georgetown University Law Center.

Casey Pick

Casey Pick, The Trevor Project
Casey Pick serves as a Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs at the Trevor Project. Casey leads the Trevor Project’s work in advancing policies and positions that support LGBTQ youth in crisis by executing the Trevor Project’s advocacy agenda on the federal, state, and local level and in the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Casey’s role focuses not just on LGBTQ issues, but also on mental health and suicide prevention overall, with a major focus on leading The Trevor Project’s efforts to end conversion therapy.

Aaron Tax

Aaron Tax, SAGE
Aaron Tax is the Director of Advocacy for SAGE. He advocates for LGBT-inclusive federal aging policies that account for the unique needs of LGBT older adults. Until June 2011, Aaron served as the Legal Director at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ("SLDN"), the leading organization challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ("DADT") in Congress and in the courts. He started there as a staff attorney in 2006, and for nearly five years at SLDN, he took part in a multifaceted approach to advancing the civil rights of LGBT servicemembers through law, policy, outreach, and education. As the Legal Director, Aaron was responsible for running the legal services program at SLDN, the only organization providing free legal services to service members impacted by DADT and related forms of discrimination, including those who are HIV positive and/or transgender.