FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | July 14, 2005

National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director Named "Leadership for a Changing World" Finalist by Ford Foundation

"Shannon Minter is a brilliant innovator and tireless advocate. Because of his work over the last decade, the day-to-day lives of countless LGBT people have been transformed forever."

(San Francisco, CA, July 14, 2005) — National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director, Shannon Price Minter, has been named a finalist for the Ford Foundation's "Leadership for a Changing World" awards. Minter is one of 29 finalists selected in a highly competitive process.

"Shannon Minter is a brilliant innovator and tireless advocate," said Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director. "Because of this work over the last decade, the day-to-day lives of countless LGBT people have been transformed forever."

Shannon Price Minter uses his own experience as a transgender man to inspire and inform his work on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people across the country. As Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Shannon has represented scores of LGBT people in precedent-setting cases. He has provided legal information and support to thousands more in family and immigration law, youth and prisoner rights, health care, and employment. Shannon has created programs to empower the most vulnerable members of LGBT communities, who face multiple layers of discrimination, including youth, parents, immigrants, and transgender people. As a national advocate for transgender people, he has helped state and local groups pass laws that prohibit discrimination against transgender people in employment and health care; created model policies to protect transgender youth in schools, foster care, and juvenile justice facilities; and focused national attention on the plight of transgender parents, who often are threatened with loss of their parental rights in custody battles.

As a finalist, Minter was selected in a highly competitive process. He is now eligible to become one of 18 national award winners who will receive $100,000 each to advance their work and an additional $15,000 for supporting activities. The final winners will be announced on October 13, 2005.

"Shannon Price Minter and the other LCW finalists exemplify the finest qualities of public service leadership. As they work to address extraordinarily complex social problems, they also give hope for our nation's future. All Americans can learn from what this diverse group of leaders is doing, without much public notice, to address inequities, impart new skills, strengthen the resolve, and lift the spirits of the communities they serve," said Kathleen D. Sheekey, President and CEO of the D.C.-based Advocacy Institute, a Leadership for a Changing World partner.

Leadership for a Changing World is a program of the Ford Foundation in partnership with the Advocacy Institute and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. The program's award recognizes leaders or leadership teams across the United States who are tackling the nation's most entrenched social problems, getting results and changing lives.

To encourage a national conversation about the importance, quality and diversity of community leadership, Leadership for a Changing World recognizes the achievements of outstanding leaders who are not well-known outside their immediate communities or fields; provides financial support and other assistance for their work; and, though a multi-year collaborative research initiative, explores with awardees how leadership is perceived, created and sustained.

For additional information on Leadership for a Changing World, including other nominees and past winners, go to www.leadershipforchange.org.