Mara Keisling is a transgender

Transgender

Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....

 rights activist and founding executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality

National Center for Transgender Equality

The National Center for Transgender Equality is a nonprofit social justice organization, founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling...

, based in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Penn State University and did graduate work in American Government at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

.

National Center for Transgender Equality

Mara was the founding executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Present politics

Mara works towards the goal of transgender equality through lobbying, public education, and building coalitions with other progressive organizations and causes.