Ben Kitching, 2L named inaugural R. Douglas Elliott Fellow

Established by the LGBT Purge Fund and named in honour Faculty of Law alumnus R. Douglas Elliott (LLB 1982), the R. Douglas Elliot Fellowship supports a JD or graduate student’s work with public interest-oriented LGBTQ+ organizations, or research on antidiscrimination class actions more broadly.

The inaugural R. Douglas Elliott Fellow, Ben Kitching, was selected this past May and has begun his placement with Egale – Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues.

“I was drawn to this Fellowship placement because it aligns with my passion for advocacy and provides a great opportunity to do meaningful work promoting the rights and equality of 2SLGBTQI Canadians,” says Kitching who will enter his second-year of the JD program this fall.

“The fellowship has been a great learning experience and has allowed me work at Egale for the summer, where I have learned about domestic and international human rights law. I have had the opportunity to work on projects related to a UN human rights review and the 30th anniversary of the end of the ban on Gay and Lesbian servicemembers in the Canadian armed forces.”

“It is important for me to give back to my community, so I am very grateful for this opportunity to do so through Egale with the support of the R. Douglas Elliot Fellowship.”

Learn more about the R. Douglas Elliot Fellowship at Defy Gravity: The campaign for the University of Toronto