Lambda Legal Elects Transgender Law Expert Jillian Weiss to Board of Directors

(New York, May 14, 2012) - Today, Lambda Legal announced the election of Jillian Weiss, New Jersey law professor and transgender advocate, to serve on its Board of Directors.

"We are so pleased to have Jillian's talent and expertise on our Board," said Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal. "Jillian's demonstrated commitment to transgender rights and workplace fairness will serve Lambda Legal well as we forge ahead on these issues. We look forward to her contributions."

Dr. Jillian T. Weiss is Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where her research area is transgender workplace law and policy. She has authored numerous academic publications, presentations and other scholarly works, as well as articles and interviews for media organizations including The New York Times and Associated Press. She is a member of the Board of GetEqual, a direct action non-profit organization dedicated to LGBT rights, as well as a member of The Williams Institute Advisory Board, an LGBT rights think-tank at UCLA Law School, and former member of the Board of Advisors of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

She also provides consulting services for private and public employers, including Harvard University, Boeing and New York City, and pro bono legal representation in cases involving gender identity and gender expression discrimination. She is a member of the National LGBT Bar Association, and Chair of the Planning Committee for its annual Transgender Law Institute.

"I remember being a young person a half century or so ago, thinking that I must be mentally ill because of who I was. But I did not know, when I was ten years old, that Lambda Legal was being formed in a small New York City apartment in 1971, and that it would one day come to champion respect under the law for me and mine in the highest courts in the land. We have come a long way. We also have a long way to go. Lambda Legal is going to be a crucial component of future progress and I’m very excited to be part of that vision," said Jillian Weiss.