Earlier this month, LCBH Staff Attorney, Spencer Haydary, was recognized on the Windy City Times 30 Under 30 List, honoring 30 individuals who’ve made substantial contributions to the Chicagoland LGBTQ+ community through their personal and professional lives. Read more about Spencer’s commitment advocating for LGBTQ+ people in and outside of eviction court here:
What motivates you to advocate for LGBTQ+ people? How does your work at LCBH intersect with that passion?
As a gay man, I am well aware of the disproportionate rates of homelessness that my community faces. I avoided coming out until I was in college because I feared my family might reject me because of my identity. Thankfully, that never happened, but other members of my community are not as lucky. Additionally, even more people lose their housing for reasons outside of their identity. The memory of the fear I faced and the injustice I see daily drives me to be the best attorney I can possibly be.
In addition to your work at LCBH, how else are you involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy?
While in law school at the University of Virginia, I served as president of the Lambda Law Alliance, where I built strong coalitions to increase the number and accessibility of gender-neutral restrooms at the Law School. We successfully advocated to include all forms of gender-affirming care into the University’s student health insurance. I also served as the Legal and Policy Director for the Virginia Collegiate Queer Collective, a student organization formed to oppose policies attempting to gut trans students’ and their parents’ rights in K-12 Virginia public schools. That, and pro bono work focusing on preventing expulsions and facilitating gender-marker changes, led me to my job at the Law Center for Better Housing, which turned out to be the best professional decision of my career.
What does it mean to you to be recognized on the 30 Under 30 list?
It’s nice to be recognized because it helps you reflect and ground yourself on what you’ve done and how far you’ve come. It affirms that I am good at what I do, and I can make an impact where I focus my energy. It helps you get back into that mindset of ‘I should be doing this more’. For example, it made me realize that I want to be more active in my community in Oak Park.