In 2022, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Foundation established a need-based grant available to graduating transgender and/or nonbinary law graduates of color. The 2024 Trans/Nonbinary Law Graduates of Color Grant Fund will award three unrestricted $1,000 grants, to help offset the costs associated with the period of time between graduation and taking the Bar Exam/employment. Accepted grantees will also receive a 1-year free membership with the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
2024 Grantees
Riss Aguilar
Riss has a deep commitment to the well-being and livelihoods of Black and brown trans folks. They are particularly dedicated to advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ people held in pretrial detention. In their work as an attorney, they hope to significantly reduce government harm, stay connected to on-the-ground efforts, and be an accessible advocate for their community.
Ashley Hoyt
Ashley Hoyt is a dedicated young legal professional with a commitment to social justice. A recent graduate of Florida State University College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree, Hoyt has accumulated diverse experience in the legal field. His background includes roles as a legal intern, teaching assistant, and library circulation desk associate. Notably, he also served as the program coordinator for a significant pro bono initiative, overseeing a yearly trip for law students to Apopka, Florida. This program, in collaboration with the Farmworker Association of Florida, provides students with invaluable hands-on experience and insights into legal issues surrounding farmworker and immigrant rights, labor, and human trafficking. During his tenure as a certified legal intern with Florida’s 2nd Circuit Office of the Public Defender, Hoyt developed legal acumen by representing clients in various stages of their cases, ranging from initial detention reviews to trial. His academic excellence was recognized through book awards in Scientific Evidence, Transitional Justice, and Human Rights Advocacy Clinic. Hoyt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Latin American Studies and a certificate in Spanish from the University of Florida. His professional interests are centered on criminal defense, farmworker and immigration law, and the advancement and defense of LGBTQ+ rights. Outside of his legal pursuits, Hoyt is an avid musician and multi-instrumentalist, holds a brown belt in Japanese karate, and is a passionate amateur cook and baker. He also enjoys riding motorcycles, adding a sense of adventure to his well-rounded lifestyle.
Bryan Huang
My name is Bryan Huang, and I recently graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law. I aspire to become a dispute resolution attorney and aim to join an LGBTQ legal association to provide legal assistance to the LGBTQ community.
Sean King
Sean is a Brooklyn native and recent graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to law school, he worked as a foreclosure paralegal in Staten Island, assisting families fighting to stay in their homes. While in law school he sat on the board of OUTLaw, helping to bring both entertaining and educational LGBTQ+ focused events to campus. He also helped local Philadelphians change their legal name as a coordinator with Temple’s Name Change Project. After passing the New York bar, Sean intends to help LGBTQ+ families plan for their future as a Trusts and Estates attorney. When not figuring out how to practice law, Sean can be found scouring the internet for new desert and dinner recipes.
Valentine
Valentine is a 2024 graduate of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, and will be sitting for the July 2024 Illinois Bar Exam. In addition to earning their J.D. from DePaul, they also received a Degree Certificate in Intellectual Property, with a concentration in Art and Museum Law. They have experience working on trademark, copyright, trade secret, right of publicity, and unfair competition matters, and are working toward a career in intellectual property and business law for the arts, entertainment, and adult industries. Valentine is also an experienced business consultant serving alternative, creative, and adult companies and organizations throughout Chicago and beyond.
Additionally, Valentine is involved with the First Amendment Lawyers Association, the Free Speech Coalition, the Lesbian & Gay Bar Association of Chicago, the Richard Linn American Inn of Court, the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, and many other affinity, practice area, and special interest organizations.
Valentine also holds a B.A. in Musical Theatre Performance and an M.A. in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago, as well as a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University. Their teaching credits include various law school, university, and conference lectures, workshops, and panels, covering topics including DEI, creative entrepreneurship, the performing arts, sex worker rights, and more.
They are deeply grateful for the LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s assistance in their legal journey. After the Bar, they look forward to continuing to leverage their experience in niche and marginalized industries, combined with their legal expertise, to promote labor rights, worker safety, free expression, and the right to contract, with the aim of helping their clientele protect themselves and their work, while generating comfort, security, and generational wealth.