The National LGBTQ Task Force has named Kylar W. Broadus as Senior Public Policy Counsel of the Transgender Civil Rights Project.

“We are delighted to have Kylar W. Broadus join the Task Force as Senior Public Policy Counsel, leading our Transgender Civil Rights Project which is such an important component of our work,” said Rea Carey, Task Force Executive Director.

Broadus has enjoyed a prolific career as an activist, writer, lawyer, professor, lobbyist and public speaker. As an attorney, Broadus practiced with a focus on LGBT law, particularly, transgender rights. He currently serves as faculty at Lincoln University in Missouri.

“I am extremely honored and excited to be working at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force given its history in general as a progressive organization but particularly the leadership it has provided in the transgender movement”, said Broadus. “I intend to build off this great work and continue to make the Task Force a key player in the transgender movement.”

In 2012, Broadus was awarded the Susan J. Hyde Activism Award for Longevity in the Movement at the Task Force’s National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. That same year, he made history as the first transgender American to testify before the U.S. Senate on behalf of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Broadus’ testimony was also personal, because he has faced discrimination due to his gender identity.

He recalls: “After I announced my gender transition, it only took six months before I was ‘constructively discharged’ from my employer. I was harassed until I was forced to leave. The stress was overwhelming. I ended up taking a stress leave for several weeks. In the end, I was forced out and unemployed for about a year before finally obtaining full-time employment.”

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