After 22 years as the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Kate Kendell is stepping down at the end of the year. The attorney and mother of two yesterday announced her decision to leave “the job of a lifetime.”
Kendell began at NCLR as legal director in 1994, and took over as executive director two years later. She related in a blog post about her departure:
In my first weeks as Executive Director, I took a call from Mary Ward, a lesbian mom in Florida who had lost custody of her 8-year-old daughter based solely on her sexual orientation. Nothing about Mary’s story was unusual at this point in the conversation; I had heard the same facts countless times. Then came the kicker: Mary’s ex-husband had served 8 years in prison for murdering his first wife. I almost dropped the phone. An abusive murderer was deemed more fit for custody of a young girl then her lesbian mother. While our case was on appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, Mary died of a heart attack. I remember where I was when I got the call about her death as if it was yesterday.
Two weeks ago our victory for Suzan McLaughlin means she is a fully recognized legal parent to her 7-year-old. Suzan and her former partner were married. Her wife gave birth to their child in 2011. After they separated in 2013 her ex would not allow Suzan to see her child. We sued to have Suzan recognized as a parent and we won. In an e-mail to us upon hearing that her relationship with her child was secure, Suzan wrote: “I am so happy right now I think I’m going to burst!!”
NCLR had been founded in 1977 as the Lesbian Rights Project, formed out of the growing movement to protect lesbian moms who were coming out and fighting with former husbands for custody of their children. It took its current name in 1989. The organization’s focus has widened beyond just parenting and lesbians, however, and has grown into a powerhouse dealing with cases related to asylum and immigration, elders, employment, healthcare, housing, marriage, sports, transgender equality, LGBTQ youth, and much more. Kendell has been pivotal in setting the organization’s vision and strategies since she took the helm.
Before coming to NCLR, Kendell, who grew up Mormon in Utah, received her J.D. from the University of Utah, served as a corporate attorney, and was named the first staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. She lives in San Francisco with her wife Sandy, and they have two children, ages 20 and 14.
I will be sad to see her go—but heartened that she has built a fine team at NCLR, including Legal Director Shannon Minter and Deputy Director & Family Law Director Cathy Sakimura. The organization won’t be the same without her, but it seems set to continue its great work. Kendell’s efforts have touched many, many of our lives, directly and indirectly, and we owe her our deepest gratitude.