2010 Club
of the
Year
IWELCOMEI
Congratulations to Malissa
Durham, our new Outlaws
Co-Chair!!!!
Also Congrats to all our 3L
Summer Starters who are
graduating this semester!!!
We'll miss you :((
***NEW: CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK***
Outlaws is a social and political organization that serves the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual community at the University of Michigan Law School. Outlaws advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQIA perspectives within the law school, and works with allies within the school and beyond to end discrimination in all its forms. We sponsor numerous educational and social events throughout the year, keep the law school community informed on legal issues affecting LGBTQIA rights, and raise the visibility of LGBTQIA people within the legal profession. Outlaws pursues its educational efforts in solidarity with other student organizations.
Outlaws also provides a dynamic social space for members of the LGBTQIA community at the law school.
Click here for the Outlaws constitution.
I Malissa Durham (1L) - Co-Chair
Malissa is a 1L from Washington, DC. She attended the University of Maryland at College Park, where she earned a B.A. in psychology (aka mind-reading). She's spent the last 3 years between undergrad and law school working at the Library of Congress, helping old-ass racist books be preserved on the internet for all of eternity. In her free time, Malissa enjoys knitting, listening to music, and bar trivia. In the future she would like to work with kids in some capacity, which may prove difficult given current child labor laws.
I Eric Felleman (2L) - Co-Chair
Eric is a 2L from California. After graduating from UCLA, he taught high school Special Education as a Teach for America corps member. When he's not getting kicked out of Necto , Eric is also on the board of the Education Law & Policy Society and studies Information Policy at the School of Information . He's also kind of weirdly obsessed with octopuses, temporary tattoos, and burritos . Winter still confuses and frightens him, but he's trying to be open-minded.
I Phred Braunstein (3L) - Social Chair
Prior to UMLS, Phred was a “Foreign Expert” at China University of Petroleum where he taught courses in Oral English and Western Culture. Thanks in no small part to the graceful moves of Matthew Talley '11, Phred won the Best Firmwear Award at the 2010 Mr. Wolverine Competition , one of Michigan Law’s highest honors. In addition to Outlaws, Phred has served on the Campbell Moot Court Competition Board and as a Contributing Editor for the Michigan Law Review .
I Dr. Mike Casner - 1L Representative
Mike Casner was born before the dawn of time and has spent the last several decades stamping out disease as an emergency physician. Many years ago he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for youthful good looks. Incidentally, being without a soul is what prompted him to leave the practice of medicine to become a lawyer. In his spare time he plays video games, knits (yes, he made that Viking hat), and pines away for his boyfriend and dog both of whom he left behind in Chicago.
I Carrie Cushing (2L) - Campus Liaison
I am a 2L from the 'burbs of Detroit. I decided to join the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law only after I found out it was popularly referred to as "MJiggle." Outside of that, I'm involved in Slacking and on the executive board of General Debauchery. There's a neighborhood in Ann Arbor named after me, but somehow there was a miscommunication, and now everyone spells it "Kerrytown." F*** that. Go Red Wings.
I Joe Gallagher (1L) - Admissions, Faculty and Alumni Chair
Joe is a 1L hailing from New York, NY. Joe was working as an actor and voice-over artist. For the past two years he has been interning at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund . He received a BS in journalism from City University of New York and an MFA in Acting from Yale School of Drama. Joe likes to give dramatic interpretations of the New York Times Wedding and Celebration announcements.
I Ryan Gersovitz (2L) - Treasurer
Ryan is a 2L summer starter hailing from San Francisco. He headed to Oregon to study psychology at Reed College, and graduated in 2008. Not ready to leave Portland yet, he stuck around to work for the ACLU, drink delicious beer, and enjoy a region where a rough winter means six hours of snow. Ryan is also a member of the UMLS ACLU and the Criminal Law Society . He enjoys television, sporcle.com , board games, and meeting new people. He became a vegetarian about a month after eating that Double Down .
I Gautam Hans (4L) - Secretary
Gautam is a 4L from suburban Detroit who fled to New York for college. After graduating from Columbia in 2006, he spent two years at Random House as a "editorial assistant," which basically means "professional emailer." At UMLS, his main interests are in technology law and policy, as well as cooking various complex desserts, chugging espresso, and designing award-winning bulletin boards for Outlaws. In addition to serving as Outlaws' Secretary, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review and as a board member of the Michigan Law Culinary Club .
I Dr. Nichole Sterling (3L) - Basement Groups Chair
Nichole is a 3L who has lived in Minnesota, Scotland, England, Washington, Sweden, California, Iceland, Indiana, and Wisconsin (in roughly that order) since leaving her family’s Iowa farm. Prior to law school, Nichole, who holds a doctorate in Scandinavian Language and Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, taught courses in composition, English literature, and the Vikings at several colleges on the beautiful coast of Lake Superior. In addition to Outlaws, Nichole is the Executive Production Editor of the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review , Chair of the FYI Program Board , and night manager at the Lawyers Club .
I Kylee Sunderlin (2L) - Political
Action Chair
Kylee is a 2L who, after graduating from the University of Michigan, was determined to branch out of her modest, rural beginnings and headed for NYC. She spent three years working at Lambda Legal , learning the lingo of snobby coffee-connoisseurs, and missing her dearest high-five state. Hence, her triumphant return to Michigan Law! Now, she spends her time working for equality, learning the lingo of snobby coffe-connoisseurs, and missing her dearest NYC. Kylee is also on the board of Law Students for Reproductive Justice and the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law .
Sometimes we blog, sometimes we don't. You can use this blog feed to check out what we've said in the last few posts, whenever that may be. You can also click here to go to the blog page. It has a lot of content from before any of us were students...
We would love to hear from all you - especially prospective students! Use this form to contact the board and we'll get back to you ASAP.
This year Outlaws is celebrating its 30th Birthday!!! Yes, we're finally old enough to run for the Senate... look out. In honor of this historic occasion, we're planning a year's worth of super fabulous birthday events.
Already scheduled:
We're totally gay... in fact, we firmly believe that Michigan Law is the gayest law school ever . Seriously, the gayest. The University of Michigan is an extremely accepting place -- this is particularly true at the law school. Not only do we have a large number of LGBTQIA students (thanks in no small part to our fabulous Dean of Admissions who LOVES the gays); our community also has many out faculty, administrators and staff members. Furthermore, we have an enormous amount of resident fruit flies -- including several prominent faculty members and law school deans. The effect this has on the Michigan Law environment is truly exceptional.
We've created this site to help you get a sense of what it's like to be a student here. We know applying to law school is stressful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us!
IFAQI
I. LGBTQIA at Michigan Law
II. Outlaws Questions
III. Gender-Related University Policies
IV. Domestic Partner Benefits
IMORE INFOI
A lot of questions that you might have are answered on the Michigan Law Admissions FAQ Page .
LSAC also has a page that provides general information for LGBTQIA applicants to law school.
Finally, feel free to contact us. We LOVE talking to prospective students.
IUNDER CONSTRUCTION
Each spring Michigan Law holds two preview weekends (Thurs-Sat) for admitted students. They provide a great opportunity to check out the school. Outlaws typically hosts several events for admitted students; last year we had a bar night, were at the club fair, went to Necto for gay night, and went to Aut Bar brunch. We also provided airport transportation and housing for the weekend.
Check back in the spring for details on what we’re doing for preview weekends in 2012.
We LOVE hearing from prospective students. If you have questions about Michigan Law, or would just like to talk with someone, fill out our form. We'll get back to you ASAP!
Since you're researching law schools, we thought it'd be helpful to provide links to LGBTQIA groups at other schools:
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***THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION (1/9/12)***
When you think of the world’s burgeoning gay metropolises, chances are your mind doesn’t instantly jump to Ann Arbor. Ours didn’t either. However, much to our surprise, there are actually quite a few LGBTQIA places in and around Ann Arbor. In fact, the Advocate just ranked Ann Arbor as the 6th gayest city in America (excluding NYC, LA and Chicago). In an effort to both help current students and to give prospectives a better sense of what their next three years could entail, we’ve reviewed a few of the popular local homo-hotspots.
This is far from a complete list. In addition to our reviews, the Out Post and Between The Lines are great resources for info on the LGBTQIA scene. Also check out our blog post on u nofficial Ann Arbor gay hotspots -- it's a little old, but is definitely still accurate.
The self-proclaimed "hottest night club in Ann Arbor,' Necto (previously the Nectarine Ballroom) has entertained decades of Michigan Law students with its epic gay nights. Currently gay every Tuesday and Friday night, Necto is the #1 place to go in Ann Arbor if you're looking to unwind from studying with a night of drinking & dancing.
And when you're done, don't forget to stop by NYPD afterwards for gay pizza.
A
...
The University of Michigan Law School is has an extremely LGBTQIA friendly environment. Each year several law students make the important decision to come out. You are not alone and Outlaws is here to support you. Board members are available to confidentially speak with you -- feel free to contact any of us directly, or use our contact form.
Additionally, the University's Spectrum Center has trained professional staff members who can help guide you through the coming out process.
The University is extremely supportive of - and has many resources for - transgender, transsexual, & genderqueer people:
For a full list of university resources, including gender identity support groups and counseling, visit the Spectrum Center site.
Need outlines for classes? Outlaws is here to help! Our members have compiled a database of outlines for Michigan Law classes. The database depends on your support - so please submit outlines at the end of the semester. Don't see what you need? Just e-mail the Outlaws listserv. Our members have taken almost, if not all, of the classes at the law school.
Click here to access the database.
The University provides several important physical and mental health resources to students including:
Need something else? More resources are available on the law school's Wellness at MLaw page.
The University of Michigan is home to numerous LGBTQIA graduate student groups. Outlaws collaborates with several of them regularly, including:
A full list of campus LGBTQ groups is available here.
University of Michigan Law School LGBTQIA Students & Friends Association
