The American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity honored Kristen Galles, founder of public interest law firm Equity Legal, California Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge D. Zeke Zeidler with its Stonewall Award during a reception Feb. 1 at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix.
Named after the New York City Stonewall Inn police raid and riot of June 28, 1969, which was a turning point in the gay rights movement, the award recognizes lawyers who have considerably advanced lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the legal profession and successfully championed LGBTQ+ legal causes.
ABA President Bill Bay said the honorees “embody the essence” of the award. “You inspire all of us to live our truths and be our best selves,” he said, adding that the Stonewall Award “underscores the ABA’s commitment to supporting and advancing fairness and diversity.”
Here are the stories of the 2025 award recipients:
Since 1996, Galles has represented students in Title IX equal protection or gender equity and sexual harassment cases against school and state athletic associations. She has litigated and supported groundbreaking cases and efforts for equity throughout her career. From influencing Title IX case precedent to arguing or writing briefs on Title IX, Galles is now a mentor for other lawyers in this area.
Having served in varying roles in the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and the Labor and Employment, Litigation and Business Law sections, Galles has worked on legal issues that relate to women, LGBT+ and Title IX amicus briefs. She also developed and conducted Title IX continuing legal education programs and assisted with developing and promoting ABA policy. Most notably, she co-wrote the ABA’s Supreme Court amicus brief in Jackson vs. Birmingham, Alabama Board of Education and wrote the ABA’s official commentary on the final report issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s 2002-2003 Title IX Commission.
From 2013-2019, Galles served as a commissioner and liaison to the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. She led an effort to amend the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to include nondiscrimination provision Rule 8.4(g).
Galles has a B.A. from Creighton University and J.D. from Washington University School of Law.
In 2006, Kolakowski became the first openly transgender administrative law judge, and in 2010, she became the first openly transgender trial court judge. Prior to becoming a judge, she was an attorney for 21 years in Louisiana and California. Ensuring and expanding access to justice has been the centerpiece of her career. She is a member of the Judicial Council of California’s Advisory Committee and the California Council of Churches’ appointee to the California Access to Justice Commission.
Kolakowski is past president of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges. A global advocate on LGBTQ+ and transgender legal issues, she is also a leading educator for the judiciary and the legal community on transgender issues.
Currently, she is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She teaches the class, “Equality and Religious Freedom,” on the intersection of religious freedom and equality rights.
In 2019, Kolakowski was named the 2019 California Legislative Women’s Caucus “Woman of the Year - 18th Assembly District.” Five years earlier, she was named a “Pioneer in the Law” by the California Women Lawyers.
Kolakowski has a B.A. from New College of Florida, an M.S. from Tulane University and the University of New Orleans, a J.D. from Louisiana State University and a Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge D. Zeke Zeidler is a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has led efforts to bring about positive change throughout his extensive legal career. In 2004, he was the first openly gay man initially elected to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. He is a former president of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges.
Zeidler was appointed as a juvenile court referee in 1998, where he was served in the Edelman Children’s Court. Previously, he was senior staff attorney for Dependency Court Legal services, where he represented more than 2,000 children and other parties in Juvenile Dependency Court. He continues to focus on juvenile issues.
He is a member, chair and board member of a number of legal, judicial and professional organizations, including the Judicial Council, Center for Judicial Education and Research, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, California Judges Association, California Court Commissioners Association and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
Zeidler was elected to the Redondo Beach Unified School District School Board in 1995 and served as president from 1997-1998. He was reelected to the board in 1999.
Zeidler has a B.A. from California State University, Northridge and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.
The ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity leads the ABA’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and full and equal participation by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the ABA, the legal profession and society.
Created in 2007, the commission seeks to secure equal treatment in the ABA, the legal profession and the justice system without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/ 2025/02/aba-honors-lgbtq-luminar ies-with-stonewall-award/)
