Legal Innovations for Trans Rights: The Fight for Justice Within an Unjust System
March 6, 2026
9:00 AM 9:15 AM
10:00 AM 10:15 AM
2:30 PM 2:45 PM
2:45 PM 4:15 PM
The Maryland Law Review is excited to host its annual Symposium in-person on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Westminster Hall. This year's symposium brings together legal scholars and practitioners from across the country to discuss emerging and hot-button legal issues affecting trans rights today. Topics this year will include a discussion of emerging constitutional right issues, prisoner’s rights, healthcare access, trans rights in the education space, and much more. This event brings together leading scholars of gender law, as well as practitioners, and law students. A full schedule can be found below.
Symposium Program
Breakfast and Registration in the Atrium
8:00 AM 9:00 AM
Welcome Remarks in Westminster Hall
Keynote Address
9:15 AM 10:00 AM
Professor Noa Ben-Asher
St. John’s University School of Law
Professor Noa Ben-Asher is one of the leading scholars of gender, sexuality, and legal theory in the United States. They teach Torts, Family Law, and Law, Gender & Sexuality at St. John’s Law, and lecture about these topics to a wide range of audiences. Professor Ben‑Asher’s work situates current political conflicts within a longer historical arc, offering a nuanced account of how scientific, medical, and legal developments have redefined the meaning of “legal sex” in the United States. Overall, their scholarship continues to influence debates on reproductive justice, gender‑affirming care, and the future of legal sex classification, making them a central figure in the national conversation on gender and the law.
Break
Panel 1: Trans Rights in the Education and Employment Space
10:15 AM 11:45 AM
Professor Anya Marino
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law; Advocates for Trans Equality
Lauren Pruitt, Esq.
FreeState Justice
Harper Seldin, Esq.
ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project
Professor Katie Eyer
Rutgers Law School
St. John’s University School of Law
Professor Tyler Rose Clemons
Moderated By
Professor Lisa Mebane
11:45 PM 1:00 PM
11:45 AM 1:00 PM
Moderated By
Professor Paula Monopoli
Cornell Law School
Break
Panel 3: Healthcare Access and Trans Violence in the United States
Florida State University
Professor D Dangaran
Moderated By
Professor Kathleen Hoke
University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School of Law
Professor Alexander Chen
Sean Safia Wall
Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic
Intersex Justice Project
Closing Remarks
Reception
4:30 PM 5:30 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM 1:30 PM
Panel 2: Emerging Constitutional Rights Issues, Including Prisoner Rights, in Trans Rights WorkEmerging Constitutional Rights Issues, Including Prisoner Rights, in Trans Rights Work
1:00 PM 2:30 PM
4:45 PM 4:30 PM
Professor Scott Skinner-Thompson
Colorado Law School
A.D. Sean Lewis, Esq.
Lambda Legal
Professor Chan Tov McNamarah
Lauren A. DiMartino, Esq.
Brown, Goldstein, & Levy
Dr. Brendan Lantz
Name Change Clinic
From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday March 7th, Maryland Law Review and FreeState Justice will host a Name Change Clinic for members of the Baltimore and Maryland community.