Growing up in Kansas, Ryann Aaron recalls when his classmates erupted in laughter during a school lesson that openly disparaged homosexuality. This unnerving memory served as a motivator for him to research how laws can better protect other children from harmful anti-gay rhetoric in schools.
“Looking back at that experience now I have much sympathy for students in schools across our country who are intimidated by classmates or teachers because of their sexual orientation,” says the 2016 Rutgers Law School graduate.
Aaron was recently awarded the Capehart Legal Writing Award for his journal note titled, “Outing Anti-Gay Teaching in Schools: How the Constitutional Successes of Conversion Therapy Bans Provide Viable Arguments to Defend Bans on Heteronormative Education,” which was published in the Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion.
According to Aaron, who will begin as a first-year associate at Genova Burns LLC in September, states should be able to successfully enact and defend legislation that bans anti-gay teaching in schools. New Jersey and California are states that have taken legislation action to ban conversion therapy.
“After reading about this legislation and the cases that found the laws constitutional, I wondered whether states could also ban harmful education that subject children to the same pressure as conversion therapy. I found many correlations between teaching and therapy. Both involve the developing minds of children and involve an authority figure influencing a child’s brain development.”
The Rutgers Law graduate also identified studies showing an increased suicide rate among children in schools without an LGBT supportive environment.
“Despite the increased acceptance of homosexuality across America, some states still have laws that instruct teachers to teach in sex education classes that homosexuality is against the law or immoral or is an unacceptable lifestyle,” laments Aaron, who served as president of the student group OUTLaws, which advocates on campus and in the region for LGBT issues. “I argue that if states like New Jersey and California can ban harmful conversion therapy treatment, states can use the same arguments to defend similar bans on harmful anti-gay teaching.”
According to Rutgers Law Associate Professor Katie Eyer, Aaron has done something that many established scholars struggle to do: “identify an issue of real importance and offer legislators, advocates and judges a path forward.” Eyer taught Aaron in her course “Sexuality, Gender Identity, and the Law” and worked with him to provide editorial suggestion on his piece. “As legislators increasingly want to protect students from the harmful effects of anti-gay bias in the classroom, they will be looking for ways to do so, and Ryann’s article provides a roadmap for how to enact and defend such efforts."
While enrolled at Rutgers Law, Aaron contributed several hours a week to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Pro Bono Program, during which he put his CPA skills to use preparing taxes for low-income families in the Camden area. He also travelled with his classmates to South Africa to study South African Constitutional Law.
Jason Cohen, a clinical professor of law, taught Aaron in his Legal Analysis, Writing and Research class. Cohen quickly noted Aaron’s determination to succeed. “His hardships have inspired him to persevere in the face of adversity,” says the Rutgers Law professor. “In addition, Ryann’s significant professional experience as a CPA will not only help him substantively in any area of law he practices in, but it will also aide him, I believe, in meeting deadlines and completing projects effectively.”
He says Rutgers Law was the right choice for his legal education because it thoroughly prepared him for practice upon graduation.
“Not only was my legal research and writing class beneficial as a first-year student, but I had many opportunities to put my skills to use in our clinic and pro bono programs.”
“I will never forget the friends, faculty, and administration that supported me throughout my three years at Rutgers Law,” he adds. “My journey from Kansas to start a new life on the East Coast proved to be the perfect choice for me as I have met people who have significantly shaped and influenced my life since moving here.”