Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., November 16, 2015—Cole Thaler ’98 was named Williams College’s Outstanding Queer Alum for 2015 during an event held during Homecoming this past weekend on campus. This award honors a graduate who made a significant difference for the Williams LGBTQ community and/or the wider LGBTQ community.
After graduating from Williams, Thaler received his J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law and went on to work as an attorney on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Thaler is the Safe and Stable Homes Project director at the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF). AVLF was created in 1979 and provides service to low-income families for no cost. Its mission is to create safe and stable homes and families by inspiring attorneys to fight for equal justice. Previously, Thaler worked as a supervising staff attorney with Georgia Legal Services Program representing low-income rural residents. From 2005 through 2009, he worked for Lambda Legal, where he was a transgender rights staff attorney.
“Cole Thaler does not just advocate for what are considered ‘LGBTQ rights,’ he advocates for our lives,” says justin adkins, assistant director of the Davis Center. “Access to safe housing is an LGBTQ issue. Good legal advice for people living in poverty is an LGBTQ issue. Fighting for tenants’ rights is an LGBTQ issue. Cole exemplifies a holistic approach to support for LGBTQ people and their families. His work makes it clear.”
The award is given annually by Gender and Sexuality Resource Center in collaboration with the Davis Center, BiGLATA, the women’s, gender, and sexuality studies program, the Law Society, and the Office of Alumni Relations.
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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.
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Published November 16, 2015
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