Mara Keisling and transgender people

Mara Keisling is an American transgender rights activist. Kiesling founded the National Center for Transgender Equality (now merged with Advocates for Trans Equality).

Background

Mara R. Keisling was born on September 29, 1959 to William and Elaine Keisling in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Keisling has six siblings.

Keisling earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1987. Keisling made a gender transition around age 40.

Keisling served as adjuct teaching faculty at George Mason University and Marymount University.

Activism

Keisling started in state-level activism as co-chair at Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition (SPARC).

Keisling founded the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) in 2003. Keisling led efforts that won significant advances in transgender equality, such as the inclusion of gender identity in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the first Congressional hearing on transgender issues, and many federal administrative and state-level wins.

In 2007, KQED featured a debate of Alice Dreger‘s defense of anti-trans psychologist J. Michael Bailey, author of the 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen. Dreger, Bailey, Keisling, and Joan Roughgarden were guests.

In 2008, NCTE partnered with the National LGBTQ Task Force to launch the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS). In 2015, NCTE launched the U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) of over 28,000 transgender American adults. In 2016, Keisling was arrested while protesting an anti-trans “bathroom bill” in North Carolina.

Keisling left NCTE in summer 2021 following several years of controversy regarding Keisling’s alleged management style and conduct. In 2024, a clip of Keisling speaking with Kamala Harris in 2019 was used in an anti-trans attack ad by the Donald Trump presidential campaign. Following the election, Keisling told LGBTQ Nation:

“I think it had devastating impact; not on the election itself, but on trans people.

[…] Do I think it cost Kamala Harris the election? No. Did it solidify Trump’s attacks that she was a quote ‘San Francisco liberal’? Probably some. But the really scary part about it is how much it terrified children and parents of children. I don’t think we’re going to know for years how much $200 million plus in anti-trans ads has hurt trans people. We know it’s hurt us individually, but we don’t know how much it’s set back the movement for our rights.”

Keisling has served on the boards of Common Roads, Stonewall Democracy Fund, and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).

In 2024 NCTE and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) merged to form Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE).

References

Owen, Greg (December 11, 2024). Trans activist from Donald Trump’s notorious anti-trans ad insists it’s not why Kamala Harris lost. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/trans-activist-from-donald-trumps-notorious-anti-trans-ad-insists-its-not-why-kamala-harris-lost/

Billard, T. J. (2023). The Origins and Development of the National Transgender Rights Movement in the United States of America. Journal of Social History, 57(2), 296–318. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shad072

Sosin, Kate (March 7, 2022). As anti-trans bills sweep the nation, the country’s largest trans rights org fights to rebuild. The 19th https://19thnews.org/2022/03/national-center-transgender-equity-rights-rebuilding-after-scandal/

Holmes, Juwan J. (March 26, 2021). Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen to replace Mara Keisling at the National Center for Transgender Equality. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/03/rodrigo-heng-lehtinen-named-executive-director-national-center-transgender-equality/

Press release (March 26, 2021). Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen Named Next Executive Director of NCTE. https://transequality.org/news/rodrigo-heng-lehtinen-named-next-executive-director-of-ncte

“Concerned Transgender Community Leaders” (December 12, 2019). Over 400 Trans Community Leaders Stand With Former NCTE Staff. Out https://www.out.com/activism/2019/12/11/over-400-trans-community-leaders-stand-former-ncte-staff

Ortiz, Aimee (November 16, 2019). National Transgender Group Sees Exodus of Workers in Clashes With Leaders. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/16/us/open-letter-National-Center-for-Transgender-Equality.html

“Former Staff of NCTE” (November 15, 2019). This Is Why We Left the National Center for Trans Equality. Out https://www.out.com/transgender/2019/11/15/why-we-left-americas-largest-trans-advocacy-organization

Anderson, Sage (Jule 1, 2019). Mara Keisling wants everyone to know the impact of ‘trans inclusion’ in LGBTQ public policy. Mashable https://mashable.com/article/mara-keisling-transgender-activist

Martin, Claire (March 17, 2017). Going From Marginalized to Welcomed in the Workplace. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/business/hiring-transgender-lgbt-workers-employment.html

Brydum, Sunnivie (April 26, 2016). Mara Keisling’s First Interview After North Carolina Arrest. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/4/26/exclusive-mara-keislings-first-interview-after-north-carolina-arrest

Ring, Trudy (April 25 2016). Trans Activist Mara Keisling Arrested at N.C. Protest. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/2016/4/25/trans-activist-mara-keisling-arrested-north-carolina-protest

Steinmetz, Katy (December 8, 2016). Beyond Bathrooms: Inside the Largest Ever Survey of Transgender People in America. Time https://time.com/4595422/transgender-survey-data-united-states/

Newman, Toni (March 31, 2015). Mara Keisling, Founding Executive Director of National Center for Transgender Equality, Discusses Racial Equality. Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/toni-newman/mara-keisling-founding-executive-director-of-national-center-for-transgender-equality-discusses-racial-equality_b_6920640.html

Beyer, Dana (August 7, 2013). A Review of the National Center for Transgender Equality’s Decade of Accomplishment. Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/a-review-of-the-national-center-for-transgender-equalitys-decade-of-accomplishment_b_3716650.html

DiGuglielmo, Joey (November 17, 2011). Queery: Mara Keisling. Washington Blade https://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/11/17/queery-mara-keisling/

Bugg, Sean (August 18, 2004). Trans Mission: Mara Keisling believes the time has come for transgenders to be fully included in the politics of being GLBT. Metro Weekly https://www.metroweekly.com/2004/08/trans-mission/

Selected writing by Keisling

Keisling, Mara (January 6, 2018). Celebrating 15 Years. Trans Equality Now! https://medium.com/transequalitynow/celebrating-15-years-d98b9278c434

Keisling, Mara (January 4, 2018). How We Fought Back in 2017. Trans Equality Now! https://medium.com/transequalitynow/how-we-fought-back-in-2017-447fd5c05bd1

Keisling, Mara (January 20, 2017). President Obama may have saved Chelsea Manning’s life. CNN http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/opinions/obama-saved-manning-life-keisling-opinion/index.html

Keisling, Mara (December 23, 2016). Opinion: North Carolina lawmakers crush transgender people—again. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/opinion-north-carolina-lawmakers-crush-transgender-people-again-n699591

Keisling, Mara (November 5, 2015). Transgender Students in High School Locker Rooms. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/11/05/transgender-students-in-high-school-locker-rooms/for-transgender-students-disparate-treatment-is-discrimination

Keisling, Mara (April 24, 2015). Bruce Jenner Has a Privilege in Telling His Truth. Time https://time.com/3835287/bruce-jenner-diane-sawyer-transgender-interview-privilege/

Media

Andrew Sullivan with Mara Keisling (February 26, 2021). Mara Keisling On The Trans Debate. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/mara-keisling-on-the-trans-debate

NCTE Action Fund (October 18, 2019). Transform the White House: Sen. Kamala Harris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORWUPA-OwCQ

Jenkins, Andrea (January 20, 2017). Interview with Mara Keisling. https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll97:49

NPR / Tell Me More with Michel Martin (March 28, 2011). Study: Discrimination Takes A Toll On Transgender Americans. https://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134926352/Study-Discrimination-Takes-A-Toll-On-Transgendered-Americans

US Census Bureau (March 25, 2010). A 2010 Census Message from LGBT Community Leader, Mara Keisling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV21YJG-lSA

itlmedia / In The Life with Mara Kiesling and Paisley Currah (Mar 31, 2009). A CONVERSATION WITH Mara Kiesling and Paisley Currah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfcd6GliUaw

KQED Forum with Michael Krasny, J. Michael Bailey, Alice Dreger, Joan Roughgarden, and Mara Keisling (August 22, 2007). Transgender Theories. https://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R708221000 [archive] transcript: https://www.transgendermap.com/issues/psychology/j-michael-bailey/kqed/

GenderTalk with Gordene MacKenzie and Nancy Nangeroni (January 7, 2006). Program # 543: Mara Keisling and Pauline Park. https://www.gendertalk.com/radio/programs/500/gt543.shtml

GenderTalk with Gordene MacKenzie and Nancy Nangeroni (August 9, 2004). Program # 473: Gayle MacKenzie, Bill Logan, and Mara Keisling. https://www.gendertalk.com/radio/programs/450/gt473.shtml