HER Stories: Attorney Kendra Weston provides legal representation, advocacy for LGBTQ+ Iowans

This story first appeared in HER Stories 2025, an annual special section that features Eastern Iowa women who have experienced powerful paths of achievement for themselves, their families and their communities.

Kendra Weston’s day-to-day work is in trying to make a difference for members of their community.

It is fitting then that Weston says time spent on the founding board of directors of Cedar Rapids' LGBTQ Youth Center is to thank for their current career trajectory.

Weston, who uses they/them pronouns, realized while serving on the board that there was a great need for legal services and support for the LGBTQ+ community in Eastern Iowa and beyond. With their background and law degree, Weston thought they might just be able to do something about it.

“I wondered if there were ways that I could in my professional capacity be more influential and more helpful to the queer community,” Weston said, which prompted research and connecting with mentors and those working with the National LGBTQ Bar Association.

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Lavender Legal Center was born in October 2020. Weston is an attorney and the executive director and founder of the organization based in Cedar Rapids. It is the only LGBTQ+ legal nonprofit in the state, working to champion the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals across Iowa through legal representation, advocacy and educational presentations.

“Cases have grown every year, as there have been a lot of LGBTQ specific laws that have gone into effect both at the state level and national level,” Weston said. “Our case load has tripled since we started, and we work to stay equipped to handle the challenge. When you have a tenacious team, you go full in, and you work together to get it done.”

Weston and her team work on a complex number of issues, including name and gender marker changes — a challenge because each county handles them differently, Weston noted, and it can require work on the state and federal level — as well as family formation work and helping non-biological parents through the process of adopting their children (in a same sex relationship) so everyone’s rights are protected proactively.

“Unfortunately, nationally we are seeing a domino effect of states that are denying parental rights to the non-biological parent and so, if you have a court order such as an adoption decree, it's kind of a full stop,” Weston said. “If they’ve already adopted them, they can’t take those rights away. We want to help people before they get to the point where they're being denied their parental rights.”

Lavender Legal also does a fair amount of work in youth education and advocacy with advanced directives, particularly for members of the transgender community. They also help with employment discrimination and immigration issues, something Weston said they are seeing more of.

“I tell everyone like I have the best clients,” Weston said. “Being a queer person, of course, the LGBTQ community has a special place in my heart, but more than that, our clients are always just so grateful … and that gratitude we receive from our clients is really motivating. It’s a reminder that we’re here for a reason.”

Weston has always been drawn to public interest law.

“It's why I went to law school … I was raised by my grandparents, and they very much instilled those values in me, so I’ve always been drawn to doing this work. This is my dream job,” they said.

Originally from Iowa, Weston received their bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish with honors from Central College and earned her juris doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. They, along with their wife, moved to Cedar Rapids in 2016 when Weston took a job with Kids First Law Center. They have been putting down roots in the community ever since.

Attorney Kendra Weston participates in a local pride event on behalf of Lavender Legal Center. (Submitted photo)

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Kendra Weston is recognized by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association as one of the 40 best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 earlier this year. (Devon Rowland Photography)

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“I think one thing that often sets Lavender apart is we definitely take a holistic approach with our services,” Weston said of supporting the community they now call home. “If I can get this person a name and gender marker change, but if they don't even know where they're going to sleep tonight or their next meal is going to be, that's also affecting our community. So we do a lot of work trying to provide people with resources that can do more than just survive the day and help them live safe, healthy lives.”

Alison Gowans, chair of the Lavender Legal Center Board of Directors, said she admires Weston’s ability to make a difference in the community.

“The work has been so demanding, and the case load is just overwhelming, but Kendra is really dedicated to making sure that Lavender's work can help as many people as possible,” Gowans said. “Kendra finds it very important to treat people with dignity and respect and make sure they're just getting what they need and deserve, which is good legal representation, something that people often can't afford on their own and wouldn't be able to access otherwise.”

Beyond having the support of the board, Weston’s h ard work over the past five years has been celebrated on a broader scale. Earlier this year, Weston was recognized by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association as one of the 40 best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40.

“They are coming to this work with a lot of joy,” Gowans added. “Joy is something our community needs right now. It can be hard to find as there can be a lot of bad news for the LGBTQ community. But we just did a fundraising concert with the Awful Purdies, and we put on a queer prom for adults in the last two years. Kendra is demonstrating showing up to celebrate as well as do the hard work.”

“Right now, there are laws that keep getting enacted that specifically harm the queer community,” Weston said. “I think that will continue, so my hope is that we just keep leaning into the need. I’ve always said that our plan is to evolve with the community's needs.”