Equality Alabama

For the eighth year, Equality Weekend will focus on raising the visibility of individuals denied equality and access to the legal benefits and protections afforded those not marginalized by attitudes and laws focused upon race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other personal characteristics. On Saturday, September 19, 2009 a day long schedule of educational programs will focus on workplace equality, safe schools, transgender concerns, religious issues, youth concerns, racism, youth, activism, electing gay and gay supportive candidates, parenting, and other issues.

 

Keynote Speaker for the 2009 Equality Gala Dinner: Congressman John Lewis [D-GA]

Often called  "one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced," John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls "The Beloved Community" in America.   His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has called Rep. Lewis "the conscience of the U.S. Congress."   And Roll Call magazine has said, "John Lewis...is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber."

He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama.  He grew up on his family's farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama.  As a young boy, he was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts.  In those pivotal moments, he made a decision to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Ever since then, he has remained at the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggle in the United States.

 

Honorary Event Chair and Opening Session Speaker: Representative Patricia Todd

Representative Patricia Todd was elected to the Alabama State Legislature as Representative for House District 54 in 2006.

Representative Todd has socially and professionally advocated for public policies relevant to HIV/AIDS, healthcare and a wide range of issues affecting the Birmingham community for over 20 years. Her work has included service as secretary of the Crestwood Neighborhood Association, board member of Equality Alabama, member of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters and service as the former secretary of Episcopal Church Women at Grace Episcopal Woodlawn.

Representative Todd was selected as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" in 1992 by the Birmingham Business Journal. and was elected in 2004 as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention. She serves on Episcopal Place, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and Sidewalk Film Festival Boards. Patricia holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and resides with her partner, Jennifer Clarke, in the Crestwood neighborhood.

 

Seminar IA Speaker: Mandy Carter

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Mandy Carter is one of the country’s leading African American lesbian activists.  She has a 40-year movement history of social, racial, and "lesbigaytrans" justice organizing since 1968.  Committed to multi-racial multi-issue organizing, Ms. Carter attributes her success to the influences of both the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee and the pacifist-based War Resisters League.

She helped found two ground breaking organizations.  Southerners On New Ground (SONG) and the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).   SONG was founded in 1993 with its purpose being to build progressive movement across the South by developing models of organizing that connect race, class, culture, gender, and sexual-gender identity. Mandy served as SONG's director from 2003-2005. NBJC was founded in 2003 and is the only current national civil rights organization of concerned black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and allies dedicated to fostering equality by ending racism and homophobia.  History was made at the 100th anniversary convention of the NAACP when they rolled out their NAACP LGBT Task Force in July 2009. 

Ms. Carter was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the “1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005” in order to recognize, make visible and celebrate the impressive and valuable, yet often invisible peace work of thousands of women around the world. And while the “1000 Women” didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize the second pillar of the project included a book about the 1000 peace women, an interactive online platform, and a traveling exhibit. Ms. Carter lives in Durham, North Carolina. 

 

Seminar IIA Speaker: John Smallwood

John Smallwood is a political consultant who worked on several historic races including those of the first two openly gay elected officials in Alabama. He served on the Equality Alabama board of directors in its’ formative years and was a founding board member of the Equality Fund of Alabama PAC. John was a founding member and is a current Vice President of Over the Mountain Democrats. He is also a founding member and current President of Alabama Stonewall Democrats, a grass roots organization dedicated to electing pro equality public officials. John and his partner Ramtin Sadid Zadeh live in Birmingham, AL.

 

Seminar IIIA Speaker: Lori Stabler

Lori Stabler is an Alabama native who is active in a variety of social justice and equality initiatives. She is Chair of the Equality Alabama Workplace Equality committee and a member of the Equality Alabama Board of Directors. She is also a local officer and former national board member of LEAGUE at AT&T, and Secretary of Magic City Choral Society Women's Chorus. Lori lives in Birmingham with her two dogs and enjoys motorcycling, music and the outdoors. She is fortunate to work in an inclusive environment and is committed to increasing acceptance and equality for all employees in Alabama.

 

Seminar IIIA Speaker: Josh Burford

Josh Burford is a graduate of the University of Alabama with Masters degrees in American Studies with a concentration in LGBT history of the late 20th century as well a Masters in Library and Information Studies. Josh has worked as advisor and mentor of Spectrum (the undergraduate LGBT student organization) and works specifically with the freshman class of LGBT students. Josh has been teaching since 1998 and is currently teaching a two part unit on LGBT history for UA. Modern Gay America and Contemporary Queer Culture are currently the only courses on LGBT history being taught in the state of Alabama. Among his many roles Josh is the past president of Capstone Alliance (the Faculty/Staff LGBTQ organization), works with Alabama youth liaison developing LGBTQ student organizations, and is an avid hiker. Josh works currently in the Community Service Center helping first year students find service opportunities.

 

Seminar IVA Speaker: Pam Spaulding

Pam Spaulding is the editor andpublisher of Pam's House Blend (pamshouseblend.com), honored as "Best LGBT Blog" in the 2005 and 2006 Weblog Awards. The Blend, which averages 120,000 visitors a month, was launched in July 2004 as a personal response to the anti-gay state of the political landscape.

With roots in North Carolina and New York City, Pam considers herself to have "dual citizenship" status as a Southerner and a Yankee -- and brings that perspective and voice to her blog, which focuses on current political events, LGBT and women's rights, the influence of the far Right, and race relations. Pam's House Blend is ranked in the top 50 progressive political blogs. Michael Rogers, editor and publisher of gay blog PageOneQ.com: "Pam is certainly the most important lesbian blogger in America. She's a lesbian in a gay blogging world that is overwhelmingly populated by gay men. She's a blogger as a woman in an overwhelmingly male-dominated world and she's of color and the internet is so skewed to the privileged." Mike Airhart of Ex Gay Watch says, "Thanks to efforts by bloggers such as Spaulding, XGW can spend less time analyzing the religious right and more time focusing on exgays."

 

Seminar VA Speaker: Christine Sun

Christine P. Sun graduated with honors from New York University School of Law in 1998 where she was an editor of the Law Review. After graduating from NYU Law, Christine clerked for Judge Robert L. Carter (former NAACP General Counsel who argued Brown v. Board of Education) in the Federal District Court in New York City and then practiced at the law firms of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Keker & Van Nest, which was named Litigation Boutique of the Year by American Lawyer Magazine. Her cases have been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Tennessean, Anderson Cooper 360, The Advocate, Cosmo Girl, and MTV News.

Among other cases, she is currently litigating the challenge to Arkansas' ban against gay couples and unmarried straight couples from adopting or fostering children.

 

Seminar VIA Speaker: Anna Turkett

Anna Turkett is a senior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She is a creative writing major and an avid volunteer at the Birmingham Zoo. She loves being involved in the gay community, including the Day of Equality and being the Official Student Liaison for the Alabama Safe Schools Coalition.

 

Seminar VIA Speaker: Scout O'Beirne

Scout O'Beirne is a junior at Hoover High School and she is very involved in her community. She has organized and participated in the Day of Silence for the past two years at Hoover High. She also served on her school's Heritage Panel where she shared her story about being an outspoken ally of the GLBT community in the south with her peers. She has also participated in panels for Alabama Safe Schools Coalition and Leadership Birmingham to talk about her experiences as an ally.

 

Seminar IVB Speaker: Patty Rudolph

Patty Rudulph has Bachelor's of Science degree from Auburn University, and a Master's of Science degree from the University of Alabama. She worked as a speech pathologist in the Birmingham area for 15 years before retiring to raise a family. Married for 23 years, and the mother of a 19 year old daughter and a 21 year old son, she currently serves as the Executive Director of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Birmingham.

 

Seminar IVB Speaker: Marda Sydnor

Marda Walters Sydnor grew up in Jacksonville, Alabama. She graduated from Auburn University in 1975 and from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in 1980. While in law school, Ms. Sydnor was Articles Editor of The American Journal of Trial Advocacy and was an Associate Justice of the Moot Court Board. She was the winner of the Gordon T. Saad Moot Court Competition her junior year of law school.

She was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama from 1980 to 1983.

Admitted to the Alabama Bar in 1980 and the Virginia Bar in 1981, Ms. Sydnor is a member of the American Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar Association, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Virginia Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, and the National Association of Women Lawyers. She is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She served as President of the Birmingham Bar Association in 2005-2006. She is a former regional vice president of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Ms. Sydnor has tried over 100 jury trials in state and federal courts, and specializes in the defense of premises liability cases. She has been awarded an AV peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell Ms. Sydnor is married to a trial attorney, Allen Sydnor, but she and her husband agree that the best debaters in their household are their two sons.

Seminar VB Speaker: Gloria Anderson

Gloria W. Anderson is a certified school counselor, licensed professional counselor, and certified addiction counselor. She served as Director of Student Services for Mountain Brook Schools until her retirement. In addition to serving on the coordinating committee of the Alabama Safe Schools Coalition, she also serves on the board of the Birmingham YWCA. She has received the Outstanding Alumnus in Counseling from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and the Chi Sigma Iota Outstanding Service & Leadership Award from Zeta chapter. A strong advocate for sexual minority youth, Ms. Anderson has made numerous presentations at professional meetings and school in-service workshops on ethical and legal issues in creating safe schools for all youth.

 

Seminar VB Speaker: Dr. Glenda Elliott

Dr. Glenda R. Elliott is associate professor emerita of the UAB Counselor Education Program and currently the chair of the ASSC Coordinating Committee. A licensed professional counselor, certified counselor supervisor, and national certified counselor, she has over thirty-five years experience as a counselor educator, counselor, and educational consultant. She is the co-founder of the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling of Alabama. Awards received from the Alabama Counseling Association include the Professional Development Award, the Professional Service Award, and the Wilbur A. Tincher Humanitarian and Caring Person Award (twice received). She is author of “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counselor Education and Supervision: A Call to Advocacy” published in the ALCA Journal, 2005.

 

Seminar VB Speaker: Dr. Carly Friedman

Dr. Carly Friedman is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Samford University in Birmingham. She received her Ph. D. in Developmental Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2008. Her dissertation examined young women’s experiences with sexist and heterosexist discrimination, identity development, and activism. Dr. Friedman also studies the development of stereotyped attitudes and the impact of social support on well-being in adolescence and young adulthood. She serves as the research consultant for the Alabama Safe Schools Coalition.

 

Seminar VB Speaker: Rhonda Thomason

Rhonda Thomason is a National Board Certified teacher who taught in public schools for 26 years. Her commitment to youth and joy in teaching has garnered awards including the Montgomery Reading Teacher of the Year, Montgomery County Elementary Educator of the Year, Alabama State PTA Elementary Educator of the Year, and the Equality Alabama Education Award. She is a proponent of community therapy and founded the Open Hearts and Minds Lecture Series and Book Group. She serves on the Board of Equality Alabama, the National Safe Schools Roundtable Steering Committee, the Alabama Safe Schools Coalition. She currently works with the Teaching Tolerance Program of the Southern Poverty Law Center where she helps develop resources and grant projects for educators to improve intergroup relations and equity in schools.

 

J. D. 'Ox' Freeman is the Founder and President of Alabama Gender Alliance, the state’s largest social/support/advocacy group for transgender people. He is a long time member the Southern Comfort Conference planning committee, where he is a repeating seminar presenter and 'big brother' program mentor. This year, he will also be honored in the conference slideshow, “Heroes Among Us”. Ox is a former officer and board member of Equality Alabama, and was nominated for their Vanguard Award in 2008. He was featured on TransFM’s “Don Quixote Award” broadcast segment in May 2009. When not making the world a better place for transfolk, he concerns himself with the global challenges of climate change, peak oil, and peak water.

 

Robyn Hall is Alabama Gender Alliance's Social Director and a regular attendee of the Southern Comfort Conference. A genuine southern belle, she is often found mentoring those with less experience through the trials and perils of trans expression while balancing the needs of family. She remains married to her loving and supportive wife, and continues to parent her two children.

 

 

Allyson 'Ally' Morgan is Alabama Gender Alliance's Outreach Director. She presently serves on the Equality Alabama Board of Directors, and runs Pink Essence of Alabama. Ally is dedicated to education and outreach to transgender people and allies in this state and throughout the US. She is also affiliated with Trans-Mentors International.  She has lobbied on the national level for recently passed Federal hate crimes legislation, as well as passage of upcoming ENDA legislation.  She is an artist, a musician, and the devoted parent of two sons and a cantankerous cat.

 

Gina Stanley earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree conferred by the West Virginia University College of Law in 1977, and is licensed to practice law in West Virginia and in federal courts. She is a veteran of more than 100 jury trials, including the defense of more than a dozen capital cases. Ms. Stanley sold her private law practice in 2004 and took a job as a public defender in 2005. She is currently assigned to the appellate division of that office, where I handle direct appeals and other post conviction cases.  Ms. Stanley is a West Virginia native and has lived in that state most of her life.

 

Rev. Felicia Fontaine has been a LGBT activist for nearly 35 years.   A founding member of the Tennessee Gay Coalition for Human Rights – Memphis, she also served as Vice-Moderator of the Alabama Conference for Personal Rights, the first statewide GLBT organization in Alabama.  She then served for five years in the leadership of Alabama NOW, serving two years as state President.  As MCC Clergy, she initiated the first Gay Pride celebration in Huntsville and coordinated other activities, including a public protest at the Cracker Barrel in Cullman.  As a pastoral counselor she has also provided emotional and spiritual support to countless individuals and couples in North Alabama for the past 27 years.  Her involvement with Soulforce, Inc. began with the organization’s first national event: The 1999 meeting in Lynchburg, Virginia between GLBT activists and Christian Conservatives led by Rev. Jerry Falwell.   Soulforce Alabama’s first campaign eventually resulted in a meeting between Fontaine and Chief Justice Roy Moore.