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Jody Marksamer, JD
Staff Attorney National Center for Lesbian Rights
F13 SEXUAL IDENTITY ISSUES AND THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM: ASK THE EXPERTS
As a staff attorney and Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights' (NCLR's) Youth Project, Jody Marksamer oversees NCLR's policy and advocacy work challenging the overrepresentation and disparate treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in child welfare and juvenile justice settings. Mr. Marksamer also coordinates the Equity Project, a collaborative project between NCLR, Legal Services for Children, and the National Juvenile Defender Center, working to ensure fairness and respect for LGBT youth in delinquency courts.
Additionally, he co-founded the Bay Area Out of Home Youth Advocacy Council, a San Francisco based advocacy effort in support of LGBT youth in foster care. In 2006, Mr. Marksamer co-authored the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) Best Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBT Out-of-Home Youth, the first comprehensive policy and practice guide for child welfare and juvenile justice professionals concerning LGBT youth. A seasoned lecturer, Mr. Marksamer regularly presents at national conferences on legal and policy issues affecting LGBT youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. He has particular expertise on transgender youth and has served as a consultant on this topic for numerous child welfare and juvenile justice agencies.
Mr. Marksamer joined NCLR in 2003 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. He received a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Mr. Marksamer serves on the Board of Directors of the California Youth Connection, an organization that empowers foster youth to push for policy change in the child welfare system.
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