Tessa Lauren

Tessa joined the Transgender Law Center team as the new Development Assistant in June 2019. Tessa is a Jewish queer trans femme with a background in queer and trans activism throughout the state of California, beginning with her role in the creation of the first trans and non-binary-specific student group at her university back in 2009. After college, Tessa began her career in Development Operations by volunteering for the Development Departments of various LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS-focused non-profit organizations throughout Southern California. A passionate advocate for the intersectional potential of queer/trans and sex worker activism, Tessa also served as the Secretary for Sex Workers Outreach Project – Los Angeles (SWOP-LA) from 2017-2019.

Originally from a small town in California’s Inland Empire, Tessa received her BA in History from UC Santa Cruz and has been moving around California ever since. Having lived in the Inland Empire, the Central Coast, San Diego, Los Angeles, and most recently the San Francisco Bay Area, Tessa fully embraces her identity as a ‘Trans-Californian’.

In her spare time, Tessa enjoys geeking out over any and all books related to history, geography, and linguistics. Ask her about any of these topics at your own risk; you may lose several hours of your life to deep discussion!