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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2000

EDMONTON - Cynthia Petersen of Toronto is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC) 2000 Hero Award.

A partner with the Toronto firm of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, Cynthia Petersen has argued a number of prominent cases on behalf of gay men and lesbians, including the watershed Supreme Court of Canada cases James Egan and John Nesbitt v. Canada, (fighting the opposite-sex definition of "spouse" in the Old Age Security Act), Delwyn Vriend v. Alberta (opposing the exclusion of sexual orientation from human rights legislation), M. v. H. (seeking spousal support rights for same-sex partners) and Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (fighting the censorship of gay and lesbian art and literature by Customs Canada).

"Cynthia has always been a tireless and effective advocate on lesbian, gay and transgendered issues," says Sheila Mann, of Ottawa, co-chair of SOGIC. "Our communities owe her a big debt of gratitude."

Ms. Petersen has represented a number of transsexual and transgendered individuals in cases involving discrimination and harassment in employment. She is currently acting on behalf Michelle Josef in her lawsuit challenging the Ontario government's decision to cut funding for sex-reassignment surgery.

She also represented the plaintiff in Kelly Kane v. Ontario, a successful challenge to the opposite-sex definition of "spouse" in Ontario's Insurance Act. She has also authored a number of academic and other articles on gay and lesbian legal issues.

Cynthia Petersen practises in the areas of Charter of Rights and Freedoms litigation and labour law, specializing in equality rights and human rights issues. Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994, she received her Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University in 1989 and her Masters in Law from Harvard University in 1990. She was a professor of law at the University of Ottawa from 1990 to 1995 before leaving for private practice.

The SOGIC Hero Award recognizes contributions made in the cause of equality for gay men and lesbians. The Award is presented at the Touchstone Reception, held as part of the Canadian Bar Association Annual Conference in Halifax on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 4:30 in the Highland Lounge, World Trade & Convention Centre. The event is open to accredited journalists who have registered with the CBA Media Centre.

The Canadian Bar Association represents the legal profession on a national and international level. It is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.