Alexander Chen

Professor Alexander Chen is the Founding Director of the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School, where he teaches Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and the Law. A leading expert in LGBTQ+ civil rights law, his work spans landmark litigation, legislative advocacy, and scholarly publications. He clerked on the Ninth Circuit and in the Southern District of California, and co-founded the National Trans Bar Association and the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition.

Education:

• B.A. English Language and Literature, University of Oxford (2009)
• M.A. English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University (2012)
• J.D., Harvard Law School (2015) – first openly transgender editor of the Harvard Law Review

Research & Advocacy: Focuses on trans rights, including gender-affirming care access, prison rights, and anti-discrimination policy. His clinic achieved settlements in cases like Lopez v. Department of Homeless Services and Edmo v. Corizon.

Publications: Includes influential work on gender-affirming care legislation and co-authored the Trans Youth Handbook.

Awards:

• Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law & Policy
• National LGBTQ Bar Association’s 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40
• Harvard AAPI/APIDA Affinity Celebration Faculty Award (2023)

Labs/Teams: Leads the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic and collaborates with organizations like the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Active in policy reform and public education initiatives.