Monika: Some people break barriers; others shatter them entirely. Mia F. Yamamoto is firmly in the latter category. A distinguished criminal defense attorney, civil rights activist, and fearless advocate for justice, she has spent decades fighting for fairness in the legal system. Born in the Poston War Relocation Center during World War II, Mia’s journey, from co-founding the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association at UCLA to receiving prestigious awards like the Harvey Milk Legacy Award and the Liberty Award by Lambda Legal, is nothing short of inspiring. Beyond her legal accomplishments, Mia is a proud transgender woman who has dedicated her life to uplifting marginalized communities. She has served on California’s Judicial Council Task Forces and has been recognized by numerous organizations for her unwavering commitment to equality. Today, I have the honor of speaking with Mia about her life, career, and activism. Hello Mia!
Monika: Is it true that lawyers never watch legal dramas because they’re too unrealistic, or do you secretly enjoy them?
Mia: I watch legal dramas, crime dramas, and other legal programs, but I don’t take them seriously. I know that writers have to present their stories to entertain, instead of educate. Like most lawyers, I laugh or cringe at all the artistic license taken with the process, but I don’t pay that much attention to them.
Monika: There’s that old saying, 'Everybody hates lawyers - until they need one!' As someone who’s built such an impressive career in criminal defense, how do you balance being the hero in the courtroom while dealing with, let’s say, society’s complicated relationship with lawyers?
Mia: Steven Wright says, '99% of lawyers make the others look bad.' Many lawyers care only about themselves, and many are just in it to get rich. As my dad always said, 'Getting rich off the misery of others is immoral.' I definitely represent folks who have committed serious, even horrible, crimes, but I certainly am not getting rich doing what I do. Also, I don’t think anyone should be judged entirely by the worst thing they’ve ever done. I like being able to do pro bono work on behalf of protesters and other social justice activists, for whom progressive lawyers are their natural allies. My pro bono work is subsidized by my paying clients.
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| "I first thought I’d be an artist." |
Mia: When I applied to UCLA Law School, I was in Vietnam, and they asked me why I wanted to go to law school. I replied that 'I am a poet, so I’ll never make any money, so I need a job to support my poetry.' I was an early admit.
I first thought I’d be an artist, then an English teacher, but my dad was a crusading civil rights lawyer, and it seemed like a noble career. I worked at legal aid and the public defender's office because I wanted to serve the poor. I went into private practice because I needed that freedom to advocate against the government. I subsequently discovered that I loved music more than law, but I’m happy to be able to do both.
Monika: You’ve lived an extraordinary life - one that’s nothing short of cinematic. Born in 1943, behind barbed wire in the Poston Relocation Center during World War II, you later served in Vietnam, earned multiple military honors, and became a trailblazing legal mind. You co-founded the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association at UCLA, opened your own criminal defense practice, and have represented thousands of clients over the years. You've earned remarkable accolades, including 'Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year' from both the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Century City Bar Association. With all of that, I have to ask - why isn’t there an Oscar-winning movie or a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about your life? It’s the kind of story that deserves to be told on the big stage!
Mia: My story is interesting, at least to our community, but it probably isn’t very entertaining to those outside our community, so I don’t see that happening. I actually tried to write a memoir, but it sucked, so I quit.
Monika: Many of us embrace life as wives, mothers, and daughters, striving to move beyond our past. Yet, you’ve chosen to be a vocal advocate for transgender rights, shaping a positive image of our community in society. Have you ever felt the temptation to live quietly as a woman, without emphasizing your transgender identity?
Mia: I was in the closet for 60 years. I know the fear of coming out and transitioning. I had to find the courage to transition. Most of the trans people I knew had been hiding in the closet for much of their lives before coming out. I have to be as open and notorious as possible in order to help. Hiding in the closet helps no one, not even ourselves. I waited a lifetime before transition, but it is the most liberating experience ever. I take joy in advocating for community.
Monika: Based on my own journey and the stories of many women I’ve interviewed, I sometimes think we should be called ‘runners’ rather than trans women. We spend years running from our true selves until, inevitably, our femininity catches up with us. The only question is how long we can keep running. Did you have a similar experience?
Mia: I spent 60 years running from my truth. I’m just like every other transgender person who knew who they were by about 5 years old, then spent a lifetime hiding from our truth.
Monika: After your transition, did you find it easier to maintain your professional relationships with clients in prison or with your legal colleagues?
Mia: After my transition, I kept up all my relationships and my organizations. I tried to make sure I did everything I had done before, and I connected with everyone I knew to assure them that I was the same person with the same work I had done before. With respect to clients and colleagues, I did the same. It was not a quick process. It took time and conversation for people to understand and accept me.
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| "Being a trial lawyer, I encourage arrogance in my opponents. I appreciate being underestimated." |
Monika: When I came out at work, I noticed my male co-workers suddenly seemed to think my transition had lowered my IQ. Did you experience anything similar? Do you think this happens because we are women, because we are transgender, or a mix of both?
Mia: My male co-workers did not treat me as though I had lost IQ points. I had been practicing side-by-side or before them for decades as a man. The law profession was and has been populated primarily by white men, and I have lived long enough to witness the effects of white male preference in this country. I have lived long enough to witness our fight against the Nazis and their belief in white supremacy. However, they can’t claim academic supremacy, not in the field of law, which has seen women come into the profession and dominate, at least academically. So, I haven’t seen that. Being a trial lawyer, I encourage arrogance in my opponents. I appreciate being underestimated. It works well for me in the end.
Monika: Transgender rights have been under attack in recent years, particularly with new anti-transgender regulations issued by President Donald Trump. How do you think the legal community can best combat these policies?
Mia: Transgender rights are human rights. We are under attack by the bigot in the White House and his Nazi homies. They’ve learned that they can gain great political capital by attacking transgender people, especially transgender children. Our best advocates are still in the ACLU, their lawyers are already in the courts challenging attacks on gender-affirming surgery, gender marker changes - particularly on passports, and transgender inclusion. All these executive orders have to be challenged for their constitutionality. The ACLU is waging these battles, and I support them any way I can, usually financially.
Monika: If you were to give President Trump one piece of legal advice, what would it be?
Mia: You’re hilarious! I was in DC a few years ago when I was given an award by the ADL at the Kennedy Center. We were staying at the Watergate Hotel nearby, and my wife and I saw cops closing off the intersection, followed by a motorcade with government official flags flying and 6-8 black limos. As they passed us, my wife and I ran to the edge of the sidewalk and yelled “fuck you” at them, flipping them off as they went by. The lady behind us said, “You guys are awesome. I thought you were going to wave.”
It’s ironic that Trump is trying to take over the Kennedy Center. When it came time to accept the award, I had been told not to make any kind of political speech. So, I got up and said, 'We have to get rid of the fascist in the White House,' along with some other incendiary diatribes. I got some disapproving looks from the officials who had advised me, but I received a standing ovation from the mostly Latino waitstaff, who shook my hand and gave me high-fives back to my seat. My advice to Trump is to step down. We don’t want or need you.
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| "I was in the closet for 60 years." |
Mia: Trump and the Republicans played the 'transgender' card to the max, and they won the election based on bigotry and hate, starting with us. The Trumpholes will continue to use us to advance their right-wing political agenda. I believe we can fight back against the disinformation that has been so advantageous to the fascists and so detrimental to the Democratic Party cause.
So, I am optimistic that we can rise up to counter the political image that has been thrust upon us. We can’t sit passively back and let them control the narrative. We must stand up and speak out, transgender, non-transgender, men, and women alike, because our rights are just the first of the rights they are coming for. Next will be minorities, both ethnic and religious; every single advance of the Civil Rights Movement is under attack, and we are just the first target. We have to keep speaking out, keep podcasting, and keep the truth flowing in the face of the lies.
Monika: Leaving politics aside for a moment, what was the turning point in your life when you knew it was time to embrace your identity as a transgender woman?
Mia: My turning point was, amazingly enough, my 60th birthday. That night, I was playing a gig for some progressive cause, and they announced a surprise birthday party. I had all these people talking about me, telling me what a great guy I was, and all I could think was: I’m a phony, a fraud, and, worse, I’m a coward. I wished I was dead. I had wished it for most of my life, so it was either truth or die. I started telling everyone I was trans. Most were incredulous, thinking I was joking. But as it started to sink in, my friends had a variety of responses. I remember my favorite: 'It’s messed up that you had to hold this back for so long because society is so fucked up, because it’s so unaccepting.' Of all the responses I received when I came out as transgender, that was the best.
Monika: I absolutely love your names - Mia and Frances. Is there a special story behind how you chose them, or was it something that just felt right for you?
Mia: My original name was Michael Francis Yamamoto. Frances was my mom’s middle name. She had been waiting to have a girl to give her that name. But after three older brothers, I was the fourth. So she gave me her first name as my middle name. I chose Mia as my first name because it means 'mine.' I wanted to keep my middle name but feminized it to match my mom’s. My dad died when I was 13, so my mom had to raise six rowdy kids alone. She passed away over 40 years ago, but she is still my greatest inspiration. I hope I can live up to her legacy.
Monika: What role has your wife, Kimberlee, played in supporting you throughout your journey?
Mia: My wife, Kim, is my partner in so many things. I didn’t meet her until I was almost 10 years past transition, so it was something she always knew about me. We’re compatible in our values, aspirations, and feelings. She is a very vocal defender when it comes to transgender or any kind of queer rights. I met her through political protest, so we are very similar in our vision for a better world.
Monika: There’s this whole “passing” or “non-passing” thing we all face, and even with surgeries, society still judges us. How do you deal with that pressure?
Mia: Passing is always an issue as long as transgender people experience discrimination. Not passing can be a difficult and distressing burden, which is why we must continue to advocate for all transgender people, whether they pass well or not at all. We know that, because of who we are, people will read us, clock us, and react to our appearance and presentation. The current climate of transphobia affects us all, making it even more important to assert our truth as openly and notoriously as possible.
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| "We have to live courageously." |
The reason passing is such a difficult issue is because of these irreversible effects. Now, Trump has dictated that children have no right to gender-affirming healthcare, ensuring that passing will remain a challenge for many.
Monika: Before we wrap up, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to any trans women out there who are still navigating their journey, whether it’s about confidence, love, or just living their truth?
Mia: My advice to other transgender women navigating transition, coming out, and making the necessary adjustments is to be as true to yourself as your courage allows. We have to live courageously because that is the life we have been given. I lived for 60 years as a coward and a phony, the two kinds of people I truly dislike in this life. I am blessed to live it.
Now, I must try to help others by being out, loud, and proud. My ballet teacher was from Poland, and he once asked me, 'Isn’t that what America is all about, to be real?' I believe he was saying we all have a right to be real. I agree, but because of who I am, I have a duty and responsibility to be real, it’s the only way I can help others.
Monika: Thank you so much, Mia, for sharing your incredible insights and stories with me. You are a beacon of hope for so many, myself included. As we navigate these challenging times, you remind us all of the importance of standing up for what is right and never losing sight of our authentic selves. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity to speak with you and share your story with others.
All the photos: courtesy of Mia F. Yamamoto.
© 2025 - Monika Kowalska
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