Kylar W. Broadus is a Black trans man who has been a pioneer in the movement as an attorney, long-time activist, public speaker, author and professor. Broadus is known worldwide for his work in the LGBT and Trans movements. He is founder and director of the Trans People of Color Coalition, the only national organization dedicated specifically to the civil rights of transgender people of color. Broadus is on the board of the National Black Justice Coalition, where for three years he was board chair, and currently serves on the Freedom For All Americans board of directors. Broadus was also a member of the DC Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Task Force Committee.
In 2012, Broadus was one of thirteen transgender delegates and the first Black transgender delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Additionally, he held the honor of being appointed to the Rules Committee at the Convention. Broadus served on the board of directors on the statewide LGBT group for Missouri – PROMO, and is a founding member of the thinktank The Transgender Law and Policy Institute.
He served as a Human Rights Commissioner and Vice Chair in the City of Columbia, Missouri. He’s had the opportunity to craft legislation at the local, state and federal level and provide testimony on all levels, including making major contributions to the Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. He’s consulted on numerous legal cases that have been litigated and has been a part of the litigator’s roundtable for LGBTQ lawyers.
Broadus has enjoyed a prolific career as an activist, writer, lawyer, professor and public speaker. He’s worked as Operations Officer at Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project, and Senior Counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force. As an attorney, Broadus practiced with a focus on LGBTQ law, particularly transgender rights but has represented all types of clients. This was at a time when other lawyers would not take any of these cases. He received referrals from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Transgender Law Center, Lambda Legal and the ACLU.
He has served as counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign. He has served as Division Director in the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities with the American Bar Association and as a Commissioner on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Commission. He’s a member of the National LGBT Bar Association. He has conducted numerous training and continuing education programs for the American Bar Association and the National LGBT Bar Association as well as on his own. Broadus continues to impact work on the local, state and national level including his work on the Equality Act which Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to introduce in the 116th Congress. He’s also working on the military trans ban implemented by the current administration with partners from GLAD and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.