Shannon Minter and Kate Kendell

SHANNON PRICE MINTER, ESQ.

Legal Director

Shannon Price Minter is the Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), one of the nation's leading advocacy organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.


Minter currently represents same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry in a case pending before the California Supreme Court. He was NCLR's lead attorney on Sharon Smith's groundbreaking wrongful death suit and has litigated many other impact cases in California and across the country.


In 2005, Minter was one of 18 people to receive the Ford Foundation's "Leadership for a Changing World" award. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the City University of New York School of Law for his advocacy on behalf of same-sex couples and their families.


Minter has also received the Anderson Prize Foundation's Creating Change Award by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Distinguished National Service Award from GAYLAW, the bar association for LGBT lawyers, law students, and legal professionals in Washington, D.C., Cornell Law School's Exemplary Public Service Award, the Unity Award from Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, the Advocacy Award from the San Francisco Bar Association, and the Justice Award from Equality California.


Minter serves on the boards of Equality California and the Transgender Law & Policy Institute.


He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1993.


KATE KENDELL, ESQ.

Executive Director

Kate Kendell leads the National Center for Lesbian Rights, a national legal organization committed to advancing the legal and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.

Kate grew up Mormon in Utah and received her J.D. degree from the University of Utah College of Law. After working as a corporate attorney she pursued her real love—civil rights advocacy—and became the first staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. She oversaw the legal department of ACLU of Utah and directly litigated many high-profile cases. In 1994 she accepted the position as Legal Director with NCLR, where she was responsible for strategy and vision for the legal program.

In 1996 Kate was named as NCLR's Executive Director, where she oversees coordination of litigation, litigation and policy strategy, and program initiatives. Major program emphasis includes family law, youth rights, elder law, immigration and asylum, and sports. Some of her most rewarding responsibilities include fostering alliances among other community and advocacy organizations committed to social justice.