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| | Former Mass. State Senator Cheryl Jacques to Speak at WSU |
For Immediate Release
Contact: Lea Ann Scales
Assistant Vice President of
Public Relations and Marketing
Phone: 508-929-8018
October 12, 2010
(Worcester, Mass) -- Former Massachusetts State Senator and national gay civil rights leader Cheryl Jacques will address students, faculty, staff and the greater community as part of the WSU Diversity Lecture Series. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, October 20, at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Center Blue Lounge.
As a State Senator, Jacques successfully pushed for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Commonwealth's Hate Crimes Statute in 1996. She also passed legislation establishing standby guardianship provisions to protect the children of AIDS patients and other chronically ill individuals. She has been an outspoken advocate for the rights of gay and lesbian youth in Massachusetts. She was a leading Senate advocate on civil rights, consumer protection, criminal justice and victim's rights. In 2002, Jacques led a bi-partisan coalition of legislators to defeat the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in Massachusetts. Jacques formerly served as president and executive director of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Jacques led HRC through the successful defeat of the anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment. She vastly increased the organization's internal and external diversity and established a strong national presence.
The Diversity Lecture Series is sponsored by the Student Center/Student Activities Office, Disability Services Office, WSU Pride Alliance, Third World Alliance and People's United Bank.
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