Women at the Helm 2015
RACHEL EINBUND
Principal Attorney at the Law Office of Rachel Einbund, Esq.
The passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011 marked the end of one battle, and the beginning of many others. Rachel Einbund understood that from the start, and it's what led her to create her own legal practice, focusing on marriage-based green cards, work visas, domestic abuse victims and family-based immigration, to name but a few of her many specialties. Einbund, a graduate of NYU and New York Law School, prides herself on taking clients from all over, and on her belief in religious, political, gender and sexual freedom. In addition to running her own firm, she mentors law students; holds free workshops on the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) immigration policy; writes about immigration issues on her firm's blog, The LORE Review; and does pro-bono work for minors and unique cases. (She’s registered as a marriage officiant, too, as if all that weren't enough to keep her busy.) For her dedication to the law and our community, Einbund has received numerous honors: Just this year, the National LGBT Bar Association named her one of America's best LGBT lawyers under 40 and The International Women's Leadership Association called her a Woman of Outstanding Leadership. We here at GO simply call her "amazing."
Meet 16 dynamos who are true models of success
AMES SIMPSON
Co-Founder, Butch Basix and Clubhouse Caravan Charters
“Why should we have to pick one of two genders in order to go shopping? I don’t like that,” says queer-identified Ames Simpson. Sensing others might feel the same, she (along with Susan Donaldson) founded Butch Basix, an online store offering masculine-style clothing, accessories and other items for all genders. In addition to fighting gender-based clothing boundaries, Butch Basix is proud to be environmentally conscious. “We focus primarily on sourcing merchandise that comes from local vendors who follow sustainable and eco-friendly practices, use either organic or upcycled materials, and support artisan craftsmanship.” Simpson and Donaldson also run Bay Area-based green company Clubhouse Caravan Charters, which allows people to rent old trailers and use them as mobile event spaces. “For me, becoming an entrepreneur was a matter of survival,” she says. “As a genderqueer butch, the safest thing for me has been to navigate my way through the margins of the professional world as my own boss. Early in my working life, when I was offered a traditional, corporate job, the expectation was that I would have to conform to traditional feminine expression and presentation. Choosing to work for myself has allowed me to preserve my identity and to not sacrifice the whole of who I am.”
