James Cook University Law Students’ Society has held its second Pride in Law event dubbed, Bar None: Queer Voices in Law, at the Rockpool Restaurant in Townsville last month.
The event focused on how to make the profession a better and safer place for lawyers and clients who identify as LGBTQIA+, and to discuss emerging trends in that space.
President of JCULSS Gabrielle Williams, Diversity and Equity Officer Cedric Hendren and their committee put on an amazing but relaxed event, to discuss important issues and emerging trends affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as looking to the past to demonstrate how some issues have changed and attitudes have shifted.
Cedric Hendren chaired a panel including Duncan MacDougall (Pride in Law Queensland President), Philip Jackson (Pride in Law board member), Tasman Murphy (QPS), Courtney Beveridge (North Queensland Women’s Legal Service) and Matthew Keating (Keir Steel Waldon Lawyers), who shared their insights and experiences in the law, which is particularly relevant in regional Queensland where access to services and support is not as prevalent as it is in more metropolitan areas.
One of the main themes which emerged was the anxiousness that one who falls outside the heteronormative paradigm feels when they enter the law, or indeed enter into any new environment where there is high pressure and already established relationships – whether that is a perceived pressure to conform, or potentially dealing with prejudice.
It was an interactive discussion, with other practitioners in attendance also providing their views and discussing their experiences in the practice of law, providing a wide range of perspectives on the issues.
Additionally, this type of event is important to give law students, particularly those that identify, some idea of what the legal industry is like when they enter it, and the supports that are available to them once they begin to practise.
The event was supported by the Queensland Law Society, Pride in Law, The College of Law, the Townsville District Law Association and Splatt Lawyers.
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