PHILADELPHIA - On May 20, 2014, in the case Whitewood v. Wolf, Federal District Judge John E. Jones III struck down the Pennsylvania law that precluded same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania and refused recognition of same-sex marriages from other states or countries.
On May 21, 2014, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced that his administration was not going to appeal Judge Jones’ decision. As a result, Pennsylvania has become the 19th state to allow marriage equality in the United States.
But what does this all mean to members of the LGBT community? Find out at the Town Hall: Marriage Equality in Pennsylvania – What Does It Really Mean? This program will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the William Way Community Center at 1315 Spruce Street in Philadelphia.
A panel of distinguished attorneys and law professors will be on hand to provide a general overview of: the decision and legal rights and responsibilities that come with it; adoption and parenting; divorce; recognition of out-of-state marriages and civil unions; resources for low-income couples; and how Pennsylvania’s anti-discrimination laws might (or might not!) protect you from discrimination based on your marital status. Bring your questions!
Co-sponsored by: the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Mazzoni Center, the Philadelphia Bar Association LGBT Rights Committee, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations
PANELISTS:
- Leonore F. Carpenter, Temple University Beasley School of Law
- Helen E. Casale, Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller
- David S. Cohen, Drexel University School of Law
- Margaret Klaw, Berner, Klaw & Watson
- Rue Landau, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations
- Rebecca Levin, Jerner & Palmer, P.C., Co-Chair Philadelphia Bar Association, LGBT Rights Committee
- R. Barrett Marshall, Mazzoni Center Legal Services
- Tiffany Palmer, Jerner & Palmer, P.C. Co-Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section, Legal Rights of Contemporary Families Committee
- MaryCatherine Roper, ACLU of Pennsylvania
- Michael L. Viola, Philadelphia VIP Co-Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association, LGBT Rights Committee
CONTACTS:
Mike Viola: 215-260-3910
R. Barrett Marshall: 215-563-0652, ext. 258
