Ellen Jean Krug is a lawyer, author, and transgender activist whose life story is one of resilience, honesty, and transformation. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1956, she grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she graduated from Coe College in 1979 before earning her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School. After building a successful career in civil trial law, Ellen made history in 2009 when she became the first attorney in Iowa to conduct jury trials in separate genders following her transition. Two years later, she began serving as the first executive director of Call for Justice, LLC, a Minneapolis nonprofit that helps low-income individuals connect with legal resources, making her the only transgender person at the time to lead a nonprofit in the city not specifically focused on LGBT issues. In addition to her legal and nonprofit work, Ellen has shared her personal journey with remarkable candor in her memoir Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change, published in 2013.
She also became a columnist for Lavender Magazine, where her award-winning series Skirting the Issues reached a wide audience and offered a thoughtful voice on gender, identity, and inclusion. By 2013, Ellen had established herself as a sought-after speaker, appearing at universities, community events, and national platforms, including Iowa State University’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. Ellen’s visibility has also extended to national and local media, where she has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Lion’s Roar, and on Iowa Public Radio. She has spoken openly about the challenges and rewards of her transition, offering a deeply personal perspective that resonates far beyond the transgender community. Her journey highlights the power of authenticity and the importance of creating space for compassion and understanding in society. Through her work and her words, Ellen has become not only an advocate for transgender rights but also a voice for human connection and dignity.
