(Chicago, IL, February 21, 2011) — On April 28, 2011, Lambda Legal’s Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration will feature special guest Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa student who received national attention after speaking against an amendment to repeal marriage equality in the Iowa House of Representatives.
The Robert Bonvoulior “Bon” Foster Celebration, now in its 18th year, honors the late civil rights activist and attorney whose generosity aided in the creation of Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office. Launched as the Bon Foster Memorial Lecture Series in 1994, the event has steadily grown to become Lambda Legal’s major fundraising event in Chicago, attracting nearly 500 attendees in 2010. The event honors the memory of Bon Foster with a focus on Lambda Legal’s ground breaking civil rights work.
Zach Wahls, recently featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show, is the 19 year old son of two lesbian mothers who related his personal story in anticipation of a House vote to repeal marriage equality in Iowa. Video of his testimony quickly surpassed 1.5 million views on You Tube.
Past Bon Foster guests include civil rights activist Coretta Scott King (1998), tennis legend Billie Jean King (1999), Judge Abner Mikva (2001) and Obama White House Official Tina Tchen (2010).
Who: Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa Student who received national attention after speaking
against an amendment to repeal marriage equality in the Iowa House of Representatives.
What: Lambda Legal’s 18th annual Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, an evening honoring the memory of Robert “Bon” Foster, the late attorney activist whose bequest made possible the founding of Lambda Legal’s Chicago office in 1993.
When: April 28, 2011, 5:30 PM — 9:30 PM
Where: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
610 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
RSVP: Tickets available at www.lambdalegal.org/bonfoster or contact Jeff Souva, 312-663-4413 ext.335 or jsouva@lambdalegal.org for reservations or sponsorship opportunities.