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Revision as of 15:01, 8 March 2023

Sharon McGowan is an American lawyer. She is the legal director and chief strategy officer for Lambda Legal.[1][2] McGowan was an Obama administration appointee[3] in the role of Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Policy at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She also served as Principal Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice.[4][5][6] In 2019, she was honored with the Stonewall Award, bestowed by the American Bar Association's Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.[7]

Early life and education

McGowan was raised in Queens. Her father was an NYPD lieutenant and commanding officer of the hostage negotiation team.[7][8] Her mother was a secretary at St. Kevin's Roman Catholic Church.[8] McGowan entered storytelling contests as an adolescent and as a teen, partook in her high school forensics club.[7] She came out as gay to her parents in the late '90s.[9]

While earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia,[8] McGowan acted as a help desk clerk to GLAD attorneys.[7] She graduated from the university with honors in 1995, after which she attended Harvard Law School, graduating with honors in 2000.[5][10][8]

Career

Early on in her career, McGowan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Norman H. Stahl, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Helen Ginger Berrigan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.[5] McGowan was also an associate at Jenner & Block, Washington, D.C. Early on in her career, McGowan served as Staff Attorney with the ACLU's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project.[5]

McGowan was hired to serve Lambda Legal in 2017, establishing their offices in Washington, D.C.[5][10]

In August 2019, McGowan presented at The 2020 Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair, leading workshops such as "A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace," "A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges," and "Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students."[10]

Awards and honors

Personal life

McGowan married in 2010.[8][11] She and her wife, Emily, a Biden Foundation LGBTQ advisor and former Chief Policy Officer for the Family Equality Council,[12] have two daughters.[citation needed]

In media

Podcasts

Date Series Episode
Sept. 20, 2019 Out in Left Field with Dana Goldberg[13] "Sharon McGowan Goes Out in Left Field"
Feb. 2, 2019 Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick, a Slate podcast[14] "What Did We Learn From The Trans Ban Injunction Decision?"

Other

Year Outlet Title
April 19, 2019 Human Rights Campaign[15] "Lambda Legal Supports the Equality Act"
March 21, 2019 Human Rights Campaign[16] "Unprecedented Support for the Equality Act"
June 27, 2018 89.0 KBBI[17] "LGBTQ Rights Group Reflects On Justice Anthony Kennedy's Retirement"
June 4, 2018 90.9 WBUR[2] "Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Colorado Baker In Cakeshop Case"
Oct 22, 2018 PBS NewsHour[18] "HHS reportedly considering a limited definition of gender. Is it legal?"

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Carrie (2 January 2019). "Trump's Judicial Appointments Were Confirmed At Historic Pace In 2018". NPR.org.
  2. ^ a b "Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Colorado Baker In Cakeshop Case". www.wbur.org.
  3. ^ Johnson, Carrie; Media, NPR Digital (22 September 2017). "LGBT Advocates: Trump Administration's Stance In Cake Case Is Yet Another Letdown". WBEZ.
  4. ^ Kasperkevic, Jana. "Do LGBT conservatives still have faith that Trump will protect workers' rights?". www.wunc.org.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Top DOJ Lawyer Joins Lambda Legal". Lambda Legal.
  6. ^ "Symposium: Let's talk about sex: why Title VII must cover sexual orientation and gender identity". SCOTUSblog. September 5, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e "An Interview with SOGI Stonewall Awardee Sharon M. McGowan". www.americanbar.org.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Sharon McGowan, Emily Hecht". The New York Times. June 5, 2010.
  9. ^ McGowan, Sharon (October 11, 2018). "30 years in, National Coming Out Day is as important than ever". Medium.
  10. ^ a b c "Sharon McGowan".
  11. ^ "Staff Profile: Sharon McGowan". Lambda Legal.
  12. ^ Council, Family Equality (May 31, 2017). "Bittersweet News: Farewell and THANK YOU to Emily Hecht-McGowan". Medium.
  13. ^ "Legal Director of Lambda Legal Sharon McGowan Goes Out in Left Field from Out In Left Field with Dana Goldberg". www.stitcher.com.
  14. ^ "Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - What Did We Learn from the Trans Ban Injunction Decision?".
  15. ^ "Lambda Legal Supports the Equality Act" – via www.youtube.com.
  16. ^ "Unprecedented Support for the Equality Act" – via www.youtube.com.
  17. ^ "LGBTQ Rights Group Reflects On Justice Anthony Kennedy's Retirement". www.kbbi.org. 27 June 2018.
  18. ^ "HHS reportedly considering a limited definition of gender. Is it legal?" – via www.youtube.com.
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