Lambda Legal today announced that Kell Olson has been named the new F. Curt Kirschner Strategist for LGBTQ+ Seniors, a position focused on issues impacting older LGBTQ+ adults and funded by a $1 million grant from the Jones Day Foundation, in 2022, to honor retired Jones Day Labor and Employment partner F. Curt Kirschner, Jr.
“We are excited to appoint Kell Olson to this important role celebrating the leadership of Curt Kirschner in protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and those living with HIV,” said Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings. “The Jones Day Foundation has honored Curt and Lambda Legal with this transformational gift. Kell Olson was inspired to become a lawyer by the work of Lambda Legal, and it is fitting that he is being named to this position dedicated to building on the example of Curt’s commitment to our community.”
As a staff attorney with Lambda Legal, Kell Olson has represented students and parents challenging harmful school laws and policies, including in Cousins v. The School Board of Orange County, which challenged Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” school censorship law. In Roe v. Critchfield, he worked on behalf of Idaho students who were excluded from school facilities matching their gender under a statewide law that singles out transgender students and encourages others to report their presence in restrooms. He has also worked to remove barriers to gender-affirming health care, including in van Garderen v. State of Montana, where the team secured a preliminary injunction of Montana’s statewide ban on care for minors. Olson has also litigated on behalf of incarcerated people to improve policies and conditions, for example in Roe v. Precythe, which was brought on behalf of a transgender woman living with HIV who was placed in solitary confinement for over six years. Olson has also participated in amicus briefs addressing Eighth Amendment standards protecting against the sexual victimization of incarcerated people and the implications of Lawrence v. Texas on civil registration statutes. Olson was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Southern Arizona Senior Pride.
The $1 million grant from the Jones Day Foundation in honor of Curt Kirschner funds a legal position at Lambda Legal with a focus on issues impacting the Senior LGBTQ+ community. Lambda Legal has long been committed to ensuring that LGBTQ+ older adults and people aging with HIV have equal access to the full range of programs, institutions, and systems designed to support us as we age. Safeguarding seniors’ equal access to housing, health care, and government programs, and protecting seniors’ equality, privacy, and dignity are central to securing the full civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV.
“The Jones Day Foundation has been thrilled to celebrate and honor Curt in his retirement. He is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ legal community,” said Jones Day Partner and Lambda Legal Board Member Maureen Bennett. “This $1 million grant furthers the tremendously important work Lambda Legal does in support of LGBTQ rights and all those living with HIV.”
Curt Kirschner served on Lambda Legal’s Executive Board for seven years and continues to serve on the National Leadership Council. He also initiated and helped lead Jones Day’s Legal Recognition of Same Sex Relationships Guide, which was cited by the American Bar Association in awarding its Pro Bono Público honor to Jones Day and received Chambers USA’s inaugural diversity award. His work within Jones Day also contributed to the creation of the Firm’s first affinity group for LGBTQ+ lawyers, which led to the creation of numerous other affinity groups within the Firm.
“As LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV age, they face a unique set of legal challenges – from housing discrimination, where doors are unjustly closed, to the denial of deserved social security benefits,” said Kell Olson. “It is a privilege to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ older adults and those living with HIV, and I am honored to be selected to represent the example set by Curt Kirschner.”
Lambda Legal has been at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights for 50 years as a national legal nonprofit organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV. Lambda Legal’s lawyers have won precedent-setting civil rights cases on everything from marriage equality to expressions of gender identity to health care discrimination. Through education, advocacy, and legal action, Lambda Legal strives to protect and advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for a society that embraces diversity and inclusivity.