About
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) — which now uses the name National Center for LGBTQ Rights to reflect its expanded scope — is a nonprofit public interest law firm founded in 1977. It advances the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through precedent-setting litigation, legislation, policy advocacy, and public education, and provides free legal assistance to LGBTQ people across the country.
Mission
NCLR is committed to advancing the civil and human rights of LGBTQ people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. Founded by women, the organization maintains a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and to the community's most vulnerable members.
What they do
- Impact litigation: precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate levels whose outcomes improve the lives of LGBTQ people and families nationwide.
- Born Perfect: a campaign focused on ending conversion therapy and protecting LGBTQ youth.
- Anti-discrimination work: addressing discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations, sports, healthcare, elder care, faith and religion, and education, including responses to so-called Don't Say Gay or Trans laws.
- Racial and economic justice: initiatives on race and poverty, legal aid and services, criminalization and incarceration, and rural communities.
- Youth: work on transgender youth rights, juvenile justice, foster care, and education access.
- Relationships and family: parenting rights, marriage and relationships, and reproductive justice.
- Additional programs including Hogar (Home), the Urvashi Vaid LGBTQ Women's Survey, legislation and policy advocacy, and HIV resources.
History
NCLR was founded in 1977 by Donna Hitchens, then a recently graduated attorney motivated by her own experiences as a lesbian and prospective parent. Since then the organization has been at the forefront of advancing LGBTQ civil rights through impact litigation, public policy, and public education. According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, it has been recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization since May 1993.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for fiscal year 2025 the organization reported revenue of $9.7 million, expenses of $6.2 million, and net assets of $8.3 million. Contributions accounted for 90.2 percent of revenue, with program services providing 7.6 percent and investments 1.4 percent.
Governance
Imani Rupert-Gordon serves as Executive Director, and Shannon Minter as Legal Director. The board of directors, whose members serve without compensation, is co-chaired by Elisa Diana Huerta and Dulce Garcia, per the organization's most recent Form 990 summarized by ProPublica.
