Kel O'Hara

Kel O'Hara (they/them) is a civil rights attorney with a decade of experience advocating for holistic, trauma-informed institutional response to sexual violence. In 2019, they designed and implemented the nation’s first legal project focused on the needs of LGBTQ+ student survivors at national nonprofit Equal Rights Advocates (ERA). Now an ERA staff attorney, Kel fights for gender justice and LGBTQ+ equity in schools and workplaces across the country through a dynamic approach to legal advocacy that blends direct services, impact litigation, policy, and community lawyering. Their background as a certified rape crisis counselor and student organizer gives them a unique perspective on what survivors of gender based violence need from the people working to support them.