Vermont Supreme Court Justice (Freedom to Marry superhero-lawyer-icon!) Beth Robinson ’86 Zoom-side chat! How many of us know the story of the legal case Baker v. State of Vermont? One of our own, Beth Robinson ’86, was one of the lead attorneys who filed a lawsuit in Vermont on behalf of three couples seeking the freedom to marry – AND WON! Supreme Court Justice Robinson (aka Beth) offered to join us for a Q&A about the documentary “The State of Marriage,” which was made about this case! We hope you will join us for this extraordinary event!!
“Mary Bonauto partnered with small-town Vermont lawyers Beth Robinson and Susan Murray in a 2-decade struggle that built the foundation for the entire marriage equality movement. Despite fierce opposition, Vermont became the first state to grant same sex couples legal recognition through a groundbreaking 1999 State Supreme Court decision, and the first to legalize marriage equality by legislative vote in 2009.” (Amazon)
Hollywood Reporter said, “The State of Marriage” is an indispensable addition to the history of the marriage equality movement and a suspenseful nail-biter right up to the feel good ending. From groundbreaking LGBT legal recognition for same sex couples in 2000, to becoming the first state to enact same sex marriage through a dramatic legislative vote in 2009, the film shows in a very personal way how, as HRC national field director Marty Rouse says, Beth, Susan and Mary really changed the course of American history.
HRC’s Marty Rouse said, “They really changed the course of American history.” Featuring Freedom to Marry founder Evan Wolfson, civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis, and Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally.
You can watch the documentary in advance and join us at 8pm for the Q&A, or you can join us as we watch it together at 6:15pm on January 21st via Zoom before the Q&A. More details coming via email and our social media.
To mark our 35th anniversary, and in honor of SpeakOut, we are honored to be hosting an event in collaboration with The Generations Project – an organization that facilitates intergenerational queer writing workshops, and bringing LGBTQ+ experiences to life through storytelling (check them out on Instagram)!
At this event, our partners from The Generations Project will facilitate a virtual and intersectional learning program, bringing together LGBTQ+ Dartmouth alums for a creative sharing and discussion group. The Generations Project facilitators will guide us through multiple short prompts, with an emphasis on free self-expression and imagination.
The exercises are designed to be non-intimidating and easy for writers and beginners alike, and to spark various avenues of discussion. It’s sure to be the most interactive virtual event you attend all year!
Both events will be followed by Happy Hours (Facebook Event), co-hosted by Chuck Edwards ’86 A&S and Leandra Barrett ’15 – both of whom participated in the SpeakOut project!
Dartmouth Lawyers Association, Women of Dartmouth, and DGALA, the Dartmouth LGBTQIA+ Alum Association invite you to a special Zoom presentation:
Becoming a State Supreme Court Justice: A Conversation with the Hon. Beth Robinson ’86 of Vermont and the Hon. Anne Patterson ’80 of New Jersey September 17, 2020, 6:00 – 7:30 PM EDT
Please join the Honorable Beth Robinson ’86 of the Vermont Supreme Court, and the Honorable Anne Patterson ’80 of the New Jersey Supreme Court, as they discuss their respective paths to becoming a judge on the highest court in the state-court system, and the important role of the states in protecting individual rights and liberties. In particular, Justice Robinson will discuss Vermont’s efforts to protect the rights of same-sex couples, and Justice Patterson will discuss New Jersey’s recent criminal justice reforms.
Justice Robinson received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, entered private practice, and then served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an Associate Justice on November 28, 2011.
Justice Patterson received her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1983. She practiced in the firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti and also served as a deputy attorney general and special assistant to New Jersey Attorney General Peter N. Perretti, Jr. Governor Chris Christie nominated her to serve as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and was sworn in on September 1, 2011.
The moderator, Amanda Prentice ’06, is currently an Assistant Regional Counsel for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, in the Air Branch.
This program is free.
A link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed shortly before the program to all registered attendees.
Upon request, a certificate of attendance for 1.5 hours will be provided tor those who wish to seek CLE credit from their respective state regulators.
The ongoing pandemic has forced DGALA’s annual on-campus June mini-reunion to be moved online. Happily, two of the mini’s most popular events will still take place (albeit virtually). Registration is required for each event.
First, on Thursday, June 18th, we will be hosting President Phil Hanlon ’77 for a conversation starting at 5 p.m ET, followed by a social hour for DGALA members.
On Saturday, June 20th, join us for a virtual exhibition discussion with the Hood Museum of Art! Morgan E. Freeman, Native American Art Fellow, and Jami Powell, Associate Curator of Native American Art, will guide DGALA through exhibitions that were installed in the galleries prior to closing and that will be on view when the museum eventually reopens. They will highlight a number of works in the collection by queer Indigenous artists and describe the museum’s ongoing work with Dartmouth faculty and students and the surrounding Upper Valley community.
Interview of Maya Khanna ’22 by Amanda Rosenblum ’07, May 2020
(excerpted in part in the June 2020 DGALA newsletter)
Maya Khanna ’22 on LSA in the Peruvian mountains
Maya Khanna, a Dartmouth ’22 from Rochester, Minnesota, is taking an off term to conduct a qualitative research project interviewing alumnae about their experiences with sororities, whether they were affiliated or unaffiliated. She is looking at the history of sororities at Dartmouth and their influence in shaping the Dartmouth community. I participated in a Zoom interview with Maya back in March. She was professional, gracious, and made me feel immediately comfortable. I decided to turn the tables around and interview her for this issue of the Green Light. Maya was up early, about to head to a local Farmer’s Market with her family, but happily chatted with me about her project and her thoughts on Greek Life at Dartmouth in general. You can read some of our conversation below.
What’s your life like at Dartmouth?
I’m a ’22, so I’m in my second year. I’m a history modified with women’s and gender studies major, and Spanish minor. I was on an LSA+ learning Spanish in Peru this past Fall. When I returned, I saw many of my friends had decided to rush houses. The Dartmouth Outing Club is one of my primary communities on campus, and I’m very involved in Cabin and Trail and the club Nordic ski team. I’m also part of SAPA (Sexual Assault Peer Alliance) and SPCSA (Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault) and other projects related to gender-based violence prevention and response. I write for The Dartmouth.
How did your research project begin?
Academic research is not something I really thought about doing because I’d always associated academic research with the hard sciences. I took a class with Annelise Orleck my freshmen summer called “Women and American Radicalism on the Left and the Right.” Annelise Orleck is my thesis advisor and faculty mentor. She’s a wonderful human being and academic resource. What I found most striking about the course was the way we used individual stories to exemplify broader historical trends. That sparked my interest. I believe that storytelling is one of the best ways to examine history. In Orleck’s work, she couches individual experiences in the broader historical context in which they take place. This is a method of research I found really appealing. My first off term was coming up this Spring, and I thought it would be a good idea to enjoy Hanover and explore research I’m interested in. Annelise told me I’d need to come up with my own project, so I immediately started thinking about what to focus on. I’m interested in institutional accountability. Dartmouth’s history is fraught in so many ways. There’s a lot there in terms of looking at the institution’s history, and looking at individual narratives as well as the time and culture of when they were students more broadly. Dartmouth’s culture is really unique. We’ve all heard of the Dartmouth bubble. In many ways, it follows the ebb and flow of social trends more broadly in the United States. It’s impossible to go to Dartmouth and not feel how Greek life impacts students on campus. I thought others must have done research on this topic, but that’s not the case. There is very little academic research on Greek life, and even less in sororities more specifically.
What do you think about gender dynamics in sororities?
I do a lot of work with SAPA and SPCSA on campus on gender-based violence prevention and response. Underlying any work you do in gender-based violence is inherently a question of power. Who has power? Who has historically had power? This relates to how students relate to each other on campus, as Dartmouth is a historically patriarchal institution. Women have struggled to find a space outside of male structures of power. More broadly, I’m interested in how students relate to each other on campus. Gender is just one form of power difference, but you could also look at race and sexuality, etc. Of course, you have to consider intersectionality, as no one is just one identity. I’m just really interested in gender.
What do you hope comes out of your research?
These are stories that everyone knows but no one really talks about on campus. My interviews cover the more nuanced elements of sororities. The truth is, 70% of eligible students join. However, many don’t stop to think about the implications of joining sororities or why they want to join. I hope to encourage conversations that prod people to think more critically about their part in affiliated systems at Dartmouth. We are all complicit in the ways we interact with these systems. It’s important to open up a broader conversation about this. I would love to create a book project, a presentation, or a podcast to share with the wider campus in a more digestible way. I’m still figuring out the medium and trying to cross different disciplines and areas of focus. This is more than an academic project and has the potential to impact personal experiences.
What do you want to see in sororities in the future?
If I’ve learned anything from the project so far, it’s that sororities have a ton of potential. They can be really empowering institutions for women. At Dartmouth, where women have historically been discriminated against, it’s really important that women find ways to connect to one another and build each other up. However, that’s not always the way that it works out. I’ve heard a lot from alumnae about sororities not being empowering, not building women up, and catering to the fraternities. I want to make sure women think more critically about why they join sororities. I want to see sororities become more accepting for all women and non-binary people on campus.
There is a discussion going on right now about non-binary individuals and sorority rush at Dartmouth. National sororities are saying they can only accept female-identified students. What do you think about the admission policies?
Personally, I believe you can’t have a space where you are empowering women, and then not also accept everyone who identifies as a woman or wishes to be part of that community. I think it’s really important that if you are creating safe, inclusive spaces, and trying to be a voice for women and minorities and people who have been historically oppressed, you can’t have that and then not be accepting to others you don’t believe are the right fit. If people want to be affiliated, that should be their choice. Sororities should make individuals of all gender identities comfortable in their space. I disagree strongly with those who say non-binary people shouldn’t be included in sororities. Gender fluid people are already excluded from so many spaces on campus. Sororities need to be better than that.
DGALA | Dartmouth LGBTQIA+ Alum Association 
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