Whether raising the alarm about future legal impacts of the Dobbs decision in the OpEd section of the Los Angeles Times or raising the IQs of his students at NYU’s School of Law, Kenji Yoshino is constantly raising the bar of what it means to be an #OutLEADER. And then he flies right over it.
We know and admire Kenji as an Out Leadership board member (emeritus), but readers of OutNEWS might just as easily know him from one of his three heralded books, his numerous publications in scholarly journals, or his many appearances on NPR, CNN, PBS, and MSNBC. No matter the platform, Kenji’s expertise in constitutional law, anti-discrimination law, and law and literature is widely respected, readily apparent, and easily consumable. He has an uncanny ability to communicate the highest level of legal analysis to a broad and diverse audience without sacrificing detail or nuance. He may very well be the smartest person in the room, but if you’re in the room with him, he’s likely making you smarter too.
Meanwhile, Kenji is always fighting for LGBTQ+ equality. As the Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, or as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Talent Innovation, the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice, or the External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion for the World Bank Group, he puts into practice what he teaches with great distinction at NYU, and formerly at Yale Law School.
And we’re the better for it. Look for his new book coming in February with co-author David Glasgow — Say The Right Thing: How to talk about identity, diversity and justice. He describes it as a research-backed, accessible, and uplifting pathway out of “cancel culture” and toward more meaningful and empathetic dialogue on issues of identity.
We’ll be ordering our copy ASAP. With gratitude and deep respect, we celebrate all Kenji has done and continues to do in the fight for equality!
