Southwestern is committed to increasing access to quality legal education. Southwestern hosts an annual Diversity Day event where LGBTQ students can connect with professors and our Southwestern community. We have scholarships specifically for our LGBTQ+ students, and we also send staff and students to the Lavender Law Conference and the LSAC LGBTQIA Equality Conference.

Through our Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs’ Office, Career Services Office, and Student Affairs Office, we have funded students and staff to travel to attend the Lavender Law Conference, as well as the LSAC LGBTQIA Equality Conference.

Southwestern Law School’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is part of its long standing mission.  Recruitment efforts for staff including advertising on several platforms in an effort to reach a diverse pool of qualified applicants.  Platforms include LinkedIn, Simplicity, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and various listservs.

Southwestern has been committed to academic diversity since its founding in 1911. Our commitment to diversity in faculty, students and staff remains a top priority for us today. With respect to faculty, we have taken special care to note all diversity resumes that have been submitted through formal channels, such as the AALS process, or placement bulletins. But we have also recruited through more informal channels. We have called on individual faculty members to reach out to members of federal, state, and local bar associations who come from historically underrepresented communities and show promise as law teachers, and encourage them to apply for faculty positions.

From our health-care/insurance provider:

Aetna complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. Aetna does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

Will email policy

Here is the policy from our health-care insurance provider:

Aetna does offer transition-related benefits for transgender/transitioning employees.

•  Counseling
• Hormone therapy
• Surgical

Please see the link below.
http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/600_699/0615.html

Will email policy

There is a Gender Neutral sign on designated restrooms.

Women and the Law

Yes. Please see our Non-Discrimination Policy, page 50, Sexual Misconduct Policy Part A.

Excerpt from our Non-Discrimination Policy:

“It is the policy of Southwestern Law School (“Southwestern” or the “Law School”) to maintain an environment for students, faculty, administrators, staff, and visitors that is free of all forms of discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct. The Law School has enacted this Sexual Misconduct Policy (the “Policy”) to reflect and maintain its institutional values and community expectations, to provide for fair and equitable procedures for determining when this Policy has been violated, and to provide recourse for individuals and the community in response to violations of this Policy.

This Policy prohibits all forms of sexual or gender-based discrimination, harassment, and misconduct, including sexual assault, non-consensual sexual contact, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, and stalking. This Policy also prohibits retaliation against a person who reports, complains about, or who otherwise participates in good faith in, any matter related to this Policy. All of the foregoing conduct shall be referred to as “Prohibited Conduct”.

Southwestern does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational, extracurricular, or other programs or in the context of employment. Sex discrimination is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law that provides:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Sexual harassment is also prohibited under Title IX, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, and other applicable statutes. This Policy prohibits sexual harassment against Southwestern community members of any sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in the context of education or employment. This Policy also prohibits gender-based harassment that does not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

The law school strongly encourages all members of our community to take action to maintain and facilitate a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment on campus. In particular, the law school expects that all Southwestern community members will take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent or stop Prohibited Conduct. The Law School strongly supports individuals who choose to take such action and will protect such individuals from retaliation.

Upon receipt of a report, the Law School will take prompt and equitable action to eliminate the Prohibited Conduct (if any), prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects. In addition, the Law School will fulfill its obligations under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (“VAWA”) amendments to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery Act”) in response to reported Prohibited Conduct. The Law School ’s process for investigating and responding to reported Prohibited Conduct are contained in the following appendices: Appendix A (Grievance Process); Students who are found to have violated this Policy may face disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.

Southwestern also prohibits other forms of discrimination and harassment, including discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religious belief, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Such prohibited conduct is addressed in other Law School policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on protected status (other than sex or gender).