13 Facts About Mara Keisling

Mara Keisling was born on September 29,1959 and is an American transgender rights activist and founding executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

In 2003, Keisling founded the National Center for Transgender Equality to advocate for the rights of transgender people in the United States.

Mara Keisling was born to William and Elaine Mara Keisling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as one of seven siblings in a Jewish family.

Mara Keisling graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University, and did graduate work in American Government at Harvard University.

Mara Keisling has worked for 25 years in social marketing and public opinion research, while teaching government as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University and Marymount University.

Mara Keisling first co-chaired the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition, during which time she recognized the need for a professional activist presence in Washington for transgender people.

Mara Keisling moved back to Washington in 2002 and established the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2003.

In recognition of her activism, Mara Keisling has won awards from PFLAG; the Equality Forum; GayLaw; the Transgender Law Center; the Harvard Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance; and Out for Work, among others.

Mara Keisling has appeared as a guest on news channels such as CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Mara Keisling is frequently quoted in newspapers, news magazines, and online news sources, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Time, BuzzFeed, and The Huffington Post.

Mara Keisling has published op-eds in numerous outlets, including The New York Times, Time, NBC, CNN, and The Huffington Post.

Mara Keisling was arrested along with other demonstrators for holding a sit-in at the North Carolina State Legislative Building.

In 2019, the majority of NCTE staff members resigned from the nonprofit organization, citing concerns about workplace culture and the mistreatment of trans staff and community members of color under Mara Keisling's leadership, dropping the total organizational staff count from 23 to only 7.