Meet Kate (they/them) Mozynski of Equality Ohio Legal Clinic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate (they/them) Mozynski.

Hi Kate, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
– I always knew that I wanted to do something that made a difference in the world. I grew up in a very conservative area of Texas, and I knew from the time that I was young that I never really fit the mold of the gender expectations that surrounded me. When I started high school, I finally found my community in speech and debate, and I realized that I could use my voice to advocate, educate, and challenge existing systems (I actually still coach debate today because it had such a positive impact on me).

I left Texas for college, and then I decided that law school was the natural fit. I had so much opportunity to challenge myself and grow during law school. First, I worked at a refugee rights organization in Kampala, Uganda. I found myself drawn to working with queer communities, but I wasn’t quite ready to by honest with myself that that was MY community. I did a few other international assignments, and when I returned stateside, I finally came out to my friends and some folks who I knew were close to me. After a few years of making it work as a solo practitioner or in the corporate world, I realized that all I really wanted to do with my life was to use my law degree and education to amplify the voices of people who don’t often have the privilege to be heard,

It was shortly after that that I began working specifically with queer communities. I think there’s something incredibly unique about being of the community that you’re serving. My liberation is tied with the liberation of the clients that I serve. Audre Lorde said that there’s no such thing as a single issue struggle because we don’t live single issue lives. That intersectionality is where my work lives- the folks that we serve at the legal clinic are at the intersection of queerness and poverty and often BIPOC identities as well. As Legal Director, my goal is to center the agency and lived experience of every client that we serve, Our community is vibrant and resilient, and I am so honored that I have the privilege to work alongside my queer community as a career.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think that working in civil rights is ever a smooth road. Advocating for what is right very rarely means advocating for what is easy, and we are in an era right now in which we are seeing a retrenchment and reversal of hard won rights. One of my clients and I were talking the other day about some of the attacks on the dignity of trans folx, and she told me “I just keep being me and putting one foot in front of the other, honey.” There is so much power in that.

On a personal level, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of doing advocacy sustainably and developing community. Someone explained it to me in the terms of a choir- when you run out of breath, you know that the folks singing alongside you will keep singing. I’ve had to learn the hard way that it’s okay to take a break and to decouple myself from this deeply ingrained productivity culture that is such a huge part of the culture of the legal industry. Mindfulness and intentionally is key to doing movement-based work for the long run without burning out.

As you know, we’re big fans of Equality Ohio Legal Clinic. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m the Legal Director at the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic, We provide free legal services to LGBTQ+ Ohioans who are at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, and we do it through a community lawyering model. This means that we meet our clients where they are both physically and mentally.

We arrange client meetings in community spaces, and we work really hard to improve access to justice for the folks that we serve. A lot of our clients have been failed by system after system, often because culturally humble services aren’t available to them and because there are real systemic barriers that are preventing them from being able to access justice in meaningful ways. I view my role as “human first, lawyer second.” My goal is that every client who comes to our clinic feels seen, heard, and respected.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Sometimes, you’ve got to be scrappy. I joke with other attorneys sometimes that all I need to make a law office is a computer and a table (chair optional). I remember completing paperwork for a trans client’s name change on the hood of my partner’s Prius, Even with limited resources, you can still get a lot done with a bit of creativity and a sense of humor.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.equalityohio.org/intake for folks with legal needs. https://equalityohio.org/get-involved/donate/ to dnate to help us keep this work going.