Transgender lawyers are resilient, but level of fear is real, says business consultant and coach
While June is Pride Month, Dru Levasseur, a transgender attorney, thinks it’s a somber time for the trans and nonbinary community.
He notes that on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, the White House issued an order stating that the government would only recognize two unchangeable sexes. The order states that efforts “to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety and well-being.”
Also, the U.S. Department of State has started blocking new passports for trans and nonbinary Americans, and the U.S. Department of Defense in February announced that service members with “gender dysphoria” would be processed for separation. Additionally, Trump issued an executive order restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 19.
And law firms are scaling back on their efforts to support LGBTQ+ lawyers and staff, according to Levasseur, a business consultant and coach.
“It’s a moment of crisis. It’s an anti-trans moment,” says Levasseur, who founded the Trans Legal Professionals Networking Program, which officially launched in April. The group, which meets online monthly, is hosted by the National Trans Bar Association, and is for trans and nonbinary judges, lawyers, law students and legal professionals.
“We can say we are resilient, and we will be through this, but the level of fear is real,” Levasseur says.
He describes the monthly meeting as “a free group coaching session,” and he says participants are encouraged to join the National Trans Bar Association.
“We need to be heard and to be able to support each other, especially at this time,” says Levasseur, 50. He previously served as director of Lambda Legal’s Transgender Rights Project, and the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. He also founded the Trans in BigLaw Monthly Networking Program, which supports nearly 100 trans and nonbinary attorneys from major law firms.
Besides the monthly meetings, the legal professionals program provides opportunities for individual coaching and mentorship, along with education for law firm recruiters. Additionally, law firms can receive education through the program on best practices for supporting their trans and nonbinary employees.
There are three tiers of sponsorship, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to help fund the program.
“We need our allies to stand with us,” Levasseur says.
Victoria Kolakowski, a transgender trial court judge and winner of the American Bar Association’s 2024 Stonewall Award, participates in the group’s virtual meetings. (Photo by Victoria Friend)
Victoria Kolakowski, a transgender trial court judge and winner of the American Bar Association’s 2024 Stonewall Award, participates in the group’s virtual meetings. She’s 63, and hopes that by attending she can mentor the younger generation, knowing how “very lonely and isolating it can be.”
“People just want to develop successful careers and be judged on their own merits. It’s harmful to both your professional and personal life when your very existence is controversial,” says Kolakowski, who was elected to the Alameda County Superior Court in 2010.
Deshawn Cook, a 39-year-old diversity and inclusion coordinator at a law firm in the Washington, D.C. area, attends the group’s monthly meetings.
“It’s a safe space where I can speak freely about my experiences navigating being nonbinary at my job,” says Cook.
They add that the group meetings are also a time when trans and nonbinary legal professionals can “share insight and give pointers” on issues like being misgendered at work or on medical resources when transitioning.
There are days, Cook says, that they don’t feel like sharing, and “it’s helpful to just listen to other folks.”
“It feels like a community even when I’m on and not actively participating,” they say.
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