In Brief

The energy and talent of young leaders has been vital to our movement, and nowhere is this more evident than at Lambda Legal. Every year, we are joined by dozens of undergraduates, law students and recent graduates who are determined to make a difference for our community, whether as interns, legal fellows or full-time staff. And this weekend at the Lavender Law conference in Los Angeles, the National LGBT Bar Association will honor two of our attorneys, Tara Borelli and Dru Levasseur, among its annual recognition of the "Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40."

Tara and Dru belie the notion that youth, authority and experience don't go hand in hand. Tara is leading Lambda Legal's work on Golinski v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, our challenge to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Dru was co-counsel in Fields v. Smith, a historic victory for transgender people in prison. Together, Tara and Dru are leading a suit for transgender health care access in Esquivel v. Oregon.

Tara, who came to Lambda Legal in 2006 and works out of our Western Regional Office in Los Angeles, has distinguished herself at Lambda Legal on many fronts, including education, health care access and relationship recognition. Along with her work in Golinski, she is lead counsel in Diaz v. Brewer, a federal challenge seeking to protect family health insurance for Arizona state employees after the legislature voted to strip that insurance from lesbians and gay men. Tara was also co-counsel in Young v. Lingle, a case seeking civil unions for same-sex couples in Hawai'i, which the legislature approved after Lambda Legal filed its suit.

Dru, who came to Lambda Legal in 2009 and is based in our New York headquarters, is our Transgender Rights Attorney, using impact litigation, advocacy and community education to advance the rights of transgender people nationwide. Before joining us, he was staff attorney for the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and prior to that, he clerked for justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. His commitment to the transgender community goes beyond the courtroom. In 2007, he co-founded the Jim Collins Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money to fund gender-confirming surgeries. That same year, he initiated and co-organized New England's first-ever Transgender Pride March and Rally.

Tara and Dru exemplify the legal insight, commitment and compassion Lambda Legal brings to the fight for equality, and they will help lead our work into the future. We're proud they're on our team, and congratulate them on this honor.