2015 Trailblazer Awardee Shannon Minter

“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.

Read more at NCLR.

PLF Announces New Tom Steel Fellow 2014-2015: Daniel Faessler (Transgender Law Center)

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Daniel Faessler establishes first bilingual transgender legal clinic at Transgender Law Center

Pride Law Fund is proud to announce that it has selected Daniel Faessler of Brooklyn Law School as the 2014-2015 recipient of the Tom Steel Fellowship.  Daniel will head up the creation of a new bilingual legal clinic for transgender people in the Bay Area. Services will include assistance with immigration, name and gender marker changes, and discrimination cases. 

We are thrilled to support Daniel’s ground-breaking work.

Read more at Brooklyn Law School website

June 8, 2014: Lazy River Rafting Fundraiser

Join Pride Law Fund, in partnership with the Bay Area Tubing Society, for a day of lazy river rafting down the Russian River (aka, one of the best activities known in the Bay Area). We start at Steelhead Beach and enjoy a lazy journey down the Russian River: drinking, eating, sunning, and socializing in a way that only Bay Area Awesomefolk can do.

Meet Darrick Ing

Darrick Ing, 2012-2013 Tom Steel Fellow, works to ensure that LGBT immigrants in San Francisco can get identification that respects their gender identity.

Thanks to a change made in late November, San Francisco now recognizes court-ordered name changes as long as they're submitted with proof of identity, proof of residency, and the court order.

"This is very significant, especially for the immigrant transgender community who may have fled their home country because of transphobia or intolerance and would otherwise be unable to transition or obtain gender-affirming identity documents," said Darrick.

See The Bay Area Reporter full article.

Meet Kate Walsham 2013-2014 TOM STEEL FELLOW

Kate Walsham’s work in New Mexico is breaking new ground for the trans* community.

Kate--a Pride Law Fund 2013-2014 Tom Steel Fellow--will be starting a legal arm for the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, under the guidance of the Southwest Women’s Law Center with assistance from the local ACLU chapter.

See University of California Hastings College of the Law article for the full story.