Virginia Del. Danica Roem, the first openly transgender elected state lawmaker in the United States, will speak Oct. 3 at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Roem will be the keynote speaker for the Ele(Q)t Project for LGBTQ Leadership symposium, which will be focused on motivating and training young LGBTQ leaders to run for political office.

Her keynote address is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the Law School’s Caplin Pavilion. The event is hosted by the Lambda Law Alliance and open to the public. Dean Risa Goluboff will introduce her.

Roem, of Prince William County, was a journalist for more than a decade in Virginia and Maryland before being elected to the House of Delegates in 2017. After her election, she was a finalist for The Advocate magazine’s “Person of the Year.”

The nonpartisan symposium, co-sponsored with the UVA Queer Student Union and the UVA Office for Diversity and Equity, will begin with a lunch at noon and present an afternoon-long series of speakers.

The Ele(Q)t Project is the brainchild of event director Timothy Sensenig ’20, who said he was inspired by a similar event last year tailored broadly to female students. The project’s name is a play on the “Q” for “queer” in LGBTQ, according to Sensenig.
 

Ele(Q)t Project for LGBTQ Leadership

Caplin Pavilion, University of Virginia School of Law


Wednesday, Oct. 3

Noon

Welcome Lunch

Sen. Adam Ebbin, Senate of Virginia


1-2 p.m.

Life in Election Law, a Panel with Private Practitioners

ModeratorMichael Gilbert, Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

  • Andrew Garrahan, Election Law Associate, Covington & Burling
  • Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies

2-2:15 p.m.

Break


2:15-3:15 p.m.

Out and Running, a Panel with LGBTQ Elected Officials and Candidates

ModeratorDana Raphael ’20, Vice President, Lambda Law Alliance

  • Bob Kabel, GOP Committeeman, District of Columbia Republican Party; Former Chairman, Log Cabin Republicans
  • Lawrence Webb, Chair, City of Falls Church School Board; Former Councilman, City of Falls Church City 
  • Marisa Maleck, General Counsel, District of Columbia Republican Party

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Constituent Engagement Workshop

Reggie Greer, Director of Constituent Engagement, Victory Institute


6:30-7:30 p.m.

Dinner and Keynote

Del. Danica Roem, Virginia House of Delegates

Introduction by Risa Goluboff, Dean, University of Virginia School of Law

Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

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