In October, 2013, the New York State Judicial Institute sponsored a 3-day training program for judges and court personnel on “Transgender Litigants in the Courtroom: Providing Equal Access and Impartial Justice.” Transcripts of the program are available here, as is a list of program material. Some highlights include:
The organizer of the program was Judge Peter Moulton, a supervising judge of the New York County Civil Court. In his opening remarks, Judge Moulton said:
We’re here today to discuss how to make the Court system a safe place for transgender people. Court personnel, judicial and nonjudicial, whether straight, gay and
lesbian, transgender, or questioning, need to ensure that transgender people in our courts have the same access to justice as anyone else. That does not mean that we, as court personnel must shed the neutrality that’s the hallmark of any well-ordered court system. It does mean that we need to create a court environment that is respectful of transgender people and cognizant of the special challenges they face in our court system.
Source here. H/T DS.
-Bridget Crawford
