Rosemary Metrailer '77 Profiled in Sacramento Bee
Rosemary Metrailer was profiled in a recent feature article in the Sacramento Bee. Metrailer was featured because she is the first subject of "Legends in Courage," an oral history and video project devoted to Sacramento's gay and lesbian activists.
The article states that "through the 1980s and '90s, Metrailer was a partner in a pioneering, all-female Sacramento law firm that fought for gay rights and against job discrimination and sexual harassment. Metrailer won a high-profile case holding the Rev. Jerry Falwell accountable for making homophobic statements, for example, and fought successfully to make McClellan Air Force Base give its female civilian employees raises and promotions on par with its male employees."
Carolyn Langenkamp '79, who formed a firm with Metrailer in 1981, is quoted in the article and shares her memories of Metrailer as "a bright shining star" while at King Hall.
"I've never been one to toot my own horn," said Metrailer. "It's embarrassing. But it's important for people to see what it took to get where we are today. We have same-sex marriage today and protections for workers. That didn't just happen overnight. It's important for younger generations to understand how we got where we are and what it might take to keep it."