Victoria Kolakowski, Judge
b. August 29, 1961
“I have been very fortunate to have a successful career as a public servant, and I feel an obligation to serve my community as a role model as well.”
Victoria Kolakowski is the first openly transgender person to be elected a trial judge in the United States.
Victoria Kolakowski
Born in Queens, New York, Kolakowski graduated from Stuyvesant High School. She was the first person in her family to attend college. Kolakowski earned master’s degrees in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, public administration and divinity. She received a law degree from Louisiana State University.
In 1990, Kolakowski moved to Berkeley, California. She served on the Oakland Budget Advisory Committee and was an administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission.
In 1994, the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club named her Woman of the Year. In 1995, she received the Outstanding Woman of Berkeley Award.
In 2010, Kolakowski campaigned for a judgeship on the Superior Court of Alameda County, California. She won by 10,000 votes. Her victory was significant, not only for the transgender community, but also for women, who occupy a small percentage of judgeships. She received Equality California’s Equality and Justice Award.
Kolakowski co-chaired the Transgender Law Center, an organization dedicated to the well-being and protection of transgender individuals. She serves on the California Council of Churches and is a volunteer clergy member at the New Spirit Community Church.
In 2004, Kolakowski married Cynthia Laird, editor for the Bay Area Reporter. The couple lives in Oakland, California.
Filed under: People
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Proud to have voted for her last year!
Interestingly, she transitioned from being a man to a woman with gender reassignment surgery, and is now living as a married lesbian. You might think a person’s head would be swimming with such a case of dysphoria, yet she’s as down to earth as you could ever imagine. Kudos to Judge Kolakowski!
I have a friend that I watched go from being a “supposedly” normal straight married man and father, and over time, transitioned into being a divorced woman, and she is also a lesbian, and she explained to me at the time (and it makes sense if you realize sexuality and gender identity aren’t connected), that about a third of transgendered people are gay in their “correct” gender. Far more than in non-trans people
COOL
AWESOME
we need more women like her!
Why does anyone think gender and sexuality are linked? There are gay men and women. They should all be straight if gender is related to sexuality. Same goes for transpeople.
Sadly, some people still have a hard time wrapping their little heads around even being homosexual. There is just a lot of ignorance and misunderstanding about transgender. Alas. But at least we are making progress – every day a little further! :)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Let-transsexuals-get-married-in-Texas/301470426545017
Great about Victoria!
Wow…..amazing!
Right On!
wow!
Yes! You go Victoria!
There’s hope!! Good for you Victoria! What a victory :-)