About Us
Our Mission
QLaw Foundation of Washington promotes the dignity and respect of 2SLGBTQIA+ Washingtonians within the legal system through advocacy, education, and legal assistance.
Our Vision
A world in which no 2SLGBTQIA+ person will face additional barriers to authentic living, access to justice, or equality before the law because of their queer identity.
Our Services
QLaw Foundation offers a wide range of services to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Washington, including free consultations with an attorney, attorney referrals, trainings and presentations, legislative advocacy, litigation support, and amicus work.
QLaw Foundation was founded in 2008 as a community-oriented sibling organization to the QLaw Association of Washington, the LGBTQ+ bar association for Washington’s lawyers and legal professionals. While our organizations maintain separate boards and finances, we often work cooperatively on advocacy projects related to LGBTQ2S+ rights. Our LGBTQ2S+ Legal Clinic opened its doors in July 2009, and was almost entirely volunteer-run until January 2019. Since then, QLaw Foundation has expanded its legal services to include providing community legal resources, attorney and court trainings, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation. We are proudly an organization that is run by, for, and about 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, grounded in and accountable to community relationships, centering the inherent wisdom our communities hold, and working for racial justice.
About Us
Since January 2023, Pandemic Civil Legal Aid Advisory Committee (PCLAAC) has been advising on processes to efficiently and more equitably provide legal aid, and evaluate the best ways QLaw’s programs can mitigate harms and redistribute power to ensure more equitable access to justice.
PCLAAC supports and advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ communities by engaging in ongoing dialogue with QLaw staff and making recommendations based on programmatic evaluations to ensure QLaw’s current and future programs, policies, and practices are meeting the needs of the community they serve.
The PCLAAC is made up of 2SLGBTQ+ community members: who access QLaw Foundation legal services, who work and organize for justice solutions outside the legal system, as well as Pandemic-impacted individuals and QTBIPOC individuals who are most impacted by inequities in the legal system. PCLAAC is born out of the COVID19 pandemic, and in a time of crisis.
QLaw and the PCLAAC remain committed to centering the experiences of those most impacted by the ongoing pandemic, that many marginalized communities face, to inform its guidance and stewardship of the ways QLaw will continue to show up for community. The pandemic affects all of us regardless of health status, even if it materially and socially impacts disabled/immunocompromised people in more extreme ways. Forcing people back to work, eliminating funding, and normalizing mass death/mass disabling events impacts us all.
PCLAAC is Important because:
The law and legal profession are rooted in a history of causing and perpetuating harm; disproportionately affecting people who are queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, undocumented, workers in the sex industry, and other folks under the 2SLGBTQ+ umbrella. Recognizing the gatekeeping function that the legal profession has traditionally played, PCLAAC, made up of individuals in the aforementioned groups, centers the communities most harmed by these systems of oppression by ensuring the programs and services provided by QLaw Foundation address these historical and ongoing harms. It is vital QLaw centers and relies on the voices of those most impacted, and therefore PCLAAC was created to reflect these community voices, and advocate for these communities within QLaw and its services.
Co-design:
Together, QLaw Foundation Staff, Board, and PCLAAC strengthen their individual and collective capacity to improve legal services, policies and practices by engaging in ongoing dialogue and collaboration.
They aim to stay grounded in the following commitments:
- PCLAAC and QLaw work to understand and dismantle the systemic harms to 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities to create more equitable legal aid and outcomes.
- QLaw staff and Board remain learners committed to an ongoing and iterative process with the PCLAAC.
- PCLAAC are seen and honored as leaders and experts.
- PCLAAC highlights concerns or observations around equity issues, from their community perspective, as insights for QLaw Foundation to examine and address when possible.
- PCLAAC is assisting QLaw in developing methods for welcoming, receiving, and responding to input from marginalized communities – specifically, QTBIPOC, disabled, and further impacted communities regarding the accessibility, effectiveness, and accountability of QLaw Foundation’s programming within communities.
- PCLAAC provides advice and experience on social, economic, and racial equity.
- PCLAAC assists in identifying best practices for improving and expanding equity to inform how QLaw operates.
- PCLAAC recommends best practices and actively supports community outreach, planning, and engagement around pandemic-related legal issues.
- QLaw remains accountable to PCLAAC with transparency when recommendations are realized.
Staff
Veronica “Ronnie” Borean
(she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Legal Programs
Ronnie Borean
Veronica Borean (Ronnie) has joined the Qlaw Foundation family as our Paralegal/Legal Services manager after working in several different areas of law including family, real estate, employment, business, and probate law. She graduated from South Puget Sound Community College with her Paralegal Studies degree and certification in June 2022. She is now working on her bachelor’s degree in Pre-law Political Science at Washington State University. As a student, she was regularly involved with GSA activities/outreach and still offers herself as a resource to her former underclassmen. Ronnie is passionate about establishing strong communication within the LGBTQ+ community to create support networks and share knowledge regarding reliable aid resources.
Ronnie was born in Canada in the picturesque coastal city of Victoria. Growing up with a parent in the U.S. Military she moved all over the country, her favorite being Hawaii, before settling in the PNW in 2015. Outside of work and school, you can often find Ronnie getting lost on a hiking trail, burying her nose in a book, or cooking for her friends and family.
Ronnie was born in Canada in the picturesque coastal city of Victoria. Growing up with a parent in the U.S. Military she moved all over the country, her favorite being Hawaii, before settling in the PNW in 2015. Outside of work and school, you can often find Ronnie getting lost on a hiking trail, burying her nose in a book, or cooking for her friends and family.
Rebekah Gardea
(she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Community Advocacy & Outreach
Rebekah Gardea
Rebekah was raised in Southern California and received a B.A. in Anthropology at Humboldt State University, before heading to Seattle to pursue her Master of Education from the University of Washington with a Certificate in Education for Environment and Community from IslandWood.
She has worked as an early childhood educator, elementary school teacher, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, and School District Equitable Family Engagement Coordinator. She has also served as a member of a school Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Parent-School Board committee and as co-chair of several subcommittees; leading and collaborating alongside parents, students, and community members.
As a mixed race Chicanx & white individual, she moved through feelings of racial identity rejection growing up and struggled with a sense of racial imposter syndrome. She now proudly embraces her queer Chicanx identity – something she wouldn’t be able to do without the community of friends and mentors she built following grad school, who supported and challenged her in unpacking and better understanding (and loving) her own identity. She now views her self-love as a radical act of resistance, her lens for critiquing systems as an asset, and accountability as a love language.
While working in education, she found that what she loved much more than teaching was working in solidarity with others to demand change for a more just future. In community with others, she has worked as a leader and advocate, but more importantly as a learner and equitable partner; unapologetically pushing for shared power in spaces where decisions are often made by those who hold the most power and impact those with the least.
With that perspective, she is excited to continue to critique and re-imagine systems as QLaw Foundation’s Community Organizer! While holding this role, she is committed to advocating with our LGBTQ2S+ and QTBIPOC communities, and approaching members as leaders and experts with the wisdom to problem-solve and co-create a more supportive, affirming, and liberatory society.
Shaun Wha Nieh
(they/them)
Co-Executive Director
Operations and Finance
Shaun Wha Nieh
Shaun Wha Nieh (they/them) is deeply committed to furthering queer liberation and racial justice. Shaun Wha draws from their multifaceted community and from their experiences as a queer, trans masc, first-generation Taiwanese-American to inform their politics around community organizing and social justice work.
Raised in Southern California, Shaun Wha started out in film production and received a B.A. in Film and Electronic Arts from Cal. State University, Long Beach. Their background in film led them to work at both local and international film festivals, including SIFF, Outfest, Sundance, and Tribeca.
Shaun Wha developed a mind for operations and shifted to program coordination and management, with their focus primarily on supporting local non-profit and educational organizations. They have worked at Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), Town Hall Seattle, and with Synchronicity Events, where they produced fundraisers and community events for non-profits.
Shaun Wha feels strongly about developing effective systems to set communities and organizations up for success. They enjoy developing and supporting meaningful, values-aligned projects to better uplift our communities. When they are not working, they enjoy hiking with their dog, gardening, and playing with clay.
Volunteerism and Leadership
Queer Scouts Seattle
Seattle Asian American Film Festival
Community Advisory Board
Fortune Johnson
(they/them)
Fortune Johnson
Fortune is a Black bi-racial, non-neurotypical, agender person whose passion for art and community shapes everything they do. They’ve worked with several organizations in Texas, Seattle, and Japan centered around minimizing obstacles LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people face when accessing healthcare, legal services, and community spaces. In their free time, they love to paint, sculpt, and care for their two very affectionate and playful cats, Bean & Fig.
Question: What positive change has this group and the other members brought to your life?
The Community Advisory Board has helped me find my voice and the other members have shared so much knowledge with me. This organization has gifted me with so many opportunities to contribute ideas in a space filled with love.
Lee Wapnitsky
(they/them)
Lee Wapnitsky
Lee is a chronically ill, fat, Jewish, queer and genderqueer dyke living, working and building community on occupied Coast Salish lands. They are deeply driven by their lived experiences to pursue justice and work towards collective liberation. During the day, they are an arts and culture worker, and on nights and weekends, they are an avid reader, loyal friend, lakeside lounger, and doting cat parent to Joey.
Question: Why do you dedicate your time to participating on the QLaw Community Advisory Board?
I feel connected to QLaw’s vision, particularly the notion that, “no LGBTQ2S+ person will face additional barriers to authentic living, access to justice, or equality before the law because of their queer identity.” I also appreciate the opportunity to connect with staff and others on the advisory board to problem solve, strategize and share our lived experiences to work towards actualizing mission and vision.
Smitty Buckler
(they/them)
Conspiracy of Geniuses
Smitty Buckler
Smitty’s an amalgamation of intersectional identities which they express through their work as an artist, organizer, writer, illustrator, performer, dancer, coder, researcher, healer, and advocate. Their work is centered around topics of intersectional feminism. They have been creating opportunities for individuals within intersectional, QTPOC, Disabled, Native, and Latinx spectrum artists since 2004 through the Conspiracy of Geniuses (CoG). CoG is now working to bridge the gap between art as social change and essential healing tools with a project called RAD* Care and an app called UXMAL**. Enthusiasts say their best quality is phlebotomizing the patriarchy’s blood, replacing it with glitter – evident in their artful fierceness they bring to intersectional art and activism. RAD = Radical, Accessible, & Decolonizing. UXMAL = User Experience designed Mutual Aid and Liberation.
linktr.ee/smittybuckler
ConspiracyofGeniuses.org
Janely Salazar
(she/they)
Janely Salazar
You can find me binge watching my favorite show on my days off or working on some art.
Question: Why do you dedicate your time to participating on the QLaw Community Advisory Board?
To be able to give back to different communities and participate directly into what resources are being put out or how information is being shared.
Simbiat
(she/her)
Simbiat
Simbiat cares deeply for the various communities she’s a part of, especially queer Black femmes. As someone that has firsthand experience navigating the legal system, she is determined to connect people to valuable resources and be a voice to foster positive change for the community. She is a maker, crafting custom waistbeads as a way to connect to her culture and community. She is a full-time working, single mom of two who enjoys witnessing her kids in their joy.
Question: Why do you dedicate your time to participating on the QLaw Community Advisory Board?
I dedicate my time to participating on the advisory board because I understand firsthand just how hard, confusing and scary it is navigating the legal system. During that time, I didn’t know where to turn and because of that, things happened to me that could have been avoided had I had the support I needed in the very beginning. I know that I can’t fix or change everything… but if I can have even the slightest positive impact or be able to offer warmth and comfort to someone going through this, it would make my heart feel so happy and also help to heal the wounded me who didn’t get this help when I needed it.
Board of Directors
Anthony Canape
(he/him)
Board President
Anthony Canape
Anthony is a fundraiser for Town Hall Seattle and passionate member of the arts community. They moved to Seattle from Tucson, AZ over 12 years ago to study music at Cornish College of the Arts and fell in love with the city’s combination of nature, culture, and art. Anthony is a former board member of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County and is focused on supporting organizations based in and empowering excluded communities. When not at work, Anthony enjoys reading, making music, exploring nature and museums, going to shows, and learning about liberatory practices.
Minerva Zayas
(she/her)
Board Vice President
Minerva Zayas
Minerva is a community outreach specialist at Planned Parenthood of Greater WA and North ID. She is currently working with the Public Affairs team on outreach, advocacy and getting out the vote efforts. Minerva is also a development officer for the Wenatchee region where she resides. She is a part of the board of advisors for Wenatchee for Immigrant Justice and a steering committee member for Rural People’s Voice. In her free time, Minerva enjoys volunteering, spending time outdoors, cooking, and spending time with her partner and family.
Jonathan Barnard
(he/him)
Board Treasurer
Jonathan Barnard
Jonathan is a patent attorney at Stoel Rives LLP where he provides patent prosecution, tech transaction, and IP litigation support services relating to electrical and computer engineering technologies. Jonathan is also strongly committed to providing pro bono representation to underrepresented communities. In furtherance of this commitment, Jonathan has represented unaccompanied minors before State and Federal court regarding SIJS and Asylum proceedings, represented individuals convicted under unconstitutional Jim Crow-era laws, assisted in protecting voting rights, and assisted trans individuals in obtaining accurate government-issued ID, including name and gender-marker changes. Jonathan is a Pacific Northwest native (Portland), and in his free time, enjoys watching college football, playing tennis, swimming, and traveling.
Jane Carmody
(she/her)
Board Secretary
Jane Carmody
Jane is an associate attorney at Perkins Coie, where she focuses on environmental and energy litigation along with project permitting and development. She is a native to both Eastern Washington, where she attended Whitman College, and New Mexico, but has settled into life in Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was the Co-President of OUTLaws, the LGBT law student organization. Outside of legal work, Jane is an avid hiker and bird-watcher and likes to spend as much time outside with her wife, Phoebe, and other close friends.
Kay Lee
(she/her)
Kay Lee
Kay is a Principal Corporate Counsel at Rad Power Bikes, where she supports the Digital, Customer Operations, Brand, and Technology groups. Kay manages Rad’s global Trademark portfolio and claims/litigation docket. Kay is passionate about Privacy laws and is building Rad’s Privacy program. In her free time, Kay enjoys home-roasting coffee, exploring new restaurants and flavors, glamping, and visiting zoos and museums with her wife and toddler.
Tenya Moravec
(she/her/ella)
Tenya Moravec
Tenya Moravec is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Organizational Development for Yakima Valley College. She is an educator, trainer, advocate, and has been working in equity and access work for nearly 20 years. Personally, and professionally, Tenya works to break down systemic oppression and remove barriers in the workplace for employees, in learning environments for students, and in the community, advocating for marginalized and underrepresented populations.
Quita St. John
(she/her)
Quita St. John
Quita is Owner and Managing Attorney, St. John Law Group where she practices exclusively in juvenile, criminal and DUI defense litigation. An alumna of Seattle University School of Law, where she graduated cum laude, Quita received her undergraduate degree – also with honors – from the University of Vermont. Her academic success and approach to compassionate counsel led to a successful career with the largest criminal defense law firm in Washington State before she moved on to private practice at St. John Law Group. Quita serves on the executive committee of the William L. Dwyer Inn of Courts. Quita volunteers her legal expertise with organizations such as QLaw free legal clinic and the Latino/a Bar Association free legal clinic.
