Laura Kanter (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the Youth Services Manager at the Montrose Center in Houston, TX. Laura previously served as the Director of Policy, Advocacy and Youth Programs at the LGBT Center Orange County. She joined the Center in 2011 following many years as a social worker, organizer and social justice activist. She has fought for women at risk for HIV/AIDS in the 1990s, marriage equality across the country, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, transgender rights, and immigration reform. Laura earned a MSW from UCLA and worked as a middle and high school counselor in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Her post-graduate research centered on the experiences of LGBT youth and the best policies and practices to support them.