“I am honored to receive this award from Pride Law Fund,” Mr. Minter said. “PLF’s support for the next generation of LGBTQ lawyers and leaders is inspirational to me and absolutely vital to the LGBTQ rights movement.”

On July 12, 2015, the Pride Law Fund (PLF) will honor Shannon Minter, Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, with its Trailblazer Award at its annual boat cruise. For over thirty-five years, PLF has awarded grants to new lawyers and law students pursuing LGBTQ advocacy projects. The cruise will take place aboard FDR’s presidential yacht, the U.S.S. Potomac (also known as the “Floating White House”).

Since 1993, Mr. Minter has been a tireless advocate at NCLR, one of the country’s leading LGBTQ legal organizations. Mr. Minter argued before the California Supreme Court in the landmark California case that held that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry. He has litigated on behalf of LGBTQ rights before courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court. President Obama recently appointed Mr. Minter to the Commission on White House Fellowships, making him one of the highest-ranking openly transgender officials in the United States.