About Us

Our Mission

The QLaw Foundation of Washington promotes the dignity and respect of LGBTQ2S+ Washingtonians within the legal system through advocacy, education, and legal assistance.

Our Vision

A world in which no LGBTQ2S+ person will face additional barriers to authentic living, access to justice, or equality before the law because of their queer identity.

Our Services

QLaw offers a wide range of services to LGBTQ2S+ communities in Washington, including direct legal services, trainings, consulting, advocacy, litigation support, amicus work, and impact litigation.

If you are a community member and would like to know more about the legal support we offer, check out our overview of our legal services here: Community One-Pager.pdf

If you are a service provider and would like to know more about referring people to our services, or working in coalition with us on an advocacy project, check out an overview of our partnership opportunities here:
(Organization One-Pager.pdf)

QLaw Foundation regularly assists individuals, organizations, or coalitions with their legal needs.  This can include advocacy letters, litigation support, amicus briefing, or co-counseling.  More than anything, we want to see Washington’s LGBTQ2S+ communities thrive – so if you need a legal organization on your side, reach out to info@qlawfoundation.org or 206-483-2725!

We also offer a wide range of training and consulting opportunities, including:

  • a training series for courts and legal services organization on best practices for serving LGBTQ2S+ populations
  • LGBTQ2S+ workplace inclusion trainings for managers and staff
  • Systems consulting, advising, organizational assessments, and audits

You can learn more about our offerings and pricing by emailing Executive Director Denise Diskin at denise@qlawfoundation.org.

 

QLaw Foundation is active in Washington’s courts, working on cases to advance LGBTQ2S+ civil rights in Washington. Our legal team has over ten years of litigation experience in state and federal courts, including the Washington Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.  If you are interested in co-counseling, strategic litigation support, amicus briefing, or other advocacy, please get in touch!

QLaw Foundation was founded in 2008 as a community-oriented sibling organization to the QLaw Association of Washington, the LGBTQ+ bar association for Washington’s lawyers and legal professionals. While our organizations maintain separate boards and finances, we often work cooperatively on advocacy projects related to LGBTQ2S+ rights.  Our LGBTQ2S+ Legal Clinic opened its doors in July 2009, and was almost entirely volunteer-run until January 2019.  Since then, QLaw Foundation has expanded its legal services to include providing community legal resources, attorney and court trainings, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation.  We are proudly an organization that is run by, for, and about LGBTQ2S+ communities, grounded in and accountable to community relationships, centering the inherent wisdom our communities hold, and working for racial justice.

STAFF

Veronica “Ronnie” Borean
(she/her)

Co-Executive Director
Programs Director
ronnie@qlawfoundation.org

Learn more about Ronnie
Denise Diskin
(she/her)

Co-Executive Director
Litigation and Sustainability Director
denise@qlawfoundation.org

Learn more about Denise
Rebekah Gardea
(she/her)

Co-Executive Director
Community Advocacy & Outreach Director
rebekah@qlawfoundation.org

Learn more about Rebekah
A headshot of Dallas Aguilera Martinez with a warm smile, wearing a dark grey blazer, burgundy shirt, and a pink patterned tie. They have short, styled hair, and wear gold, tunnel plug earrings
Dallas Aguilera Martinez
(they/he)

Co-Executive Director
Legal Director
dallas@qlawfoundation.org

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Shaun Wha Nieh
(they/them)

Co-Executive Director
Operations and Finance Director
shaunwha@qlawfoundation.org

Learn more about Shaun Wha

BOARD

Jane Carmody

Board President

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Kate Francis

Board Vice President

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Jonathan Barnard

Board Treasurer

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Dana O’Day-Senior

Board Secretary

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Lisa Gilmore
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Kay Lee
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Quita St. John
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Josh Treybig
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John Vogan
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Minerva Zayas
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