Yesterday saw history made with the election and appointment of the nation’s first two openly-transgender judges. In California, Victoria Kolakowski declared victory in an election for a seat on the Alameda County Superior Court. Kolakowski has more than 20 years of judicial experience, but was initially denied the ability to sit for the Louisiana Bar Exam because she is transgender. And in Texas, Phyllis Randolph Frye, a prominent legal advocate for the transgender community, was appointed as an Associate Municipal Judge in the City of Houston. Frye’s nomination to the position by openly-lesbian Mayor Annise Parker was unanimously confirmed by the Houston City Council. Our congratulations to Kolakowski and Frye – they will make excellent judges, and they have already made history!
