The QLaw Association held its 19th Annual Banquet on May 30, 2024 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, and Keller Rohrback was a proud sponsor of the event. QLaw is an association of LGBTQ2S+ legal professionals and their friends in the State of Washington, and provides a voice on issues relating to diversity and equality in the legal profession, in the courts, and under the law.

The yearly banquet is an opportunity for the community to join together and raise funds for scholarships dedicated to LGBTQ2S+ law students, and also support its sibling organization the QLaw Foundation. This year’s celebration recognized the great strides already made in the advancement of LGBTQ2S+ issues, and committed to facing the challenges that remain, or that have returned in a politically regressive atmosphere in legislatures around the country. As expressed by banquet attendee and KR Estate Planning/Business Group legal assistant Elle Skelley, “The take-away for me, personally, was that you have to fight tooth and nail for the world we want to see and live in, and that this fight is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor.”

Themed “Back to the Future,” the banquet featured several speakers, including a keynote delivery from Seattle University School of Law Dean and Professor Anthony E. Varona, along with emcee Adra Boo and drag performer King Leo Mane. Varona’s comments included the observation that in the past year more than 75 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills had been adopted in the U.S., but he emphasized the community’s history in facing adversity and said that such resistance signifies progress. This message was echoed by another attendee, KR Summer Associate Yobi Tiezazu, who noted that “The fact that there is pushback and resistance indicates that advancements are being made and that the community’s fight for equality is gaining traction.”

Keller Rohrback was honored to sponsor and attend this impactful event.