Ellen Krug

Ellen Krug (born Edward on December 28, 1956, in Newark, New Jersey) is a transgender activist, author, and lawyer. In 2009, two months after transitioning from male to female, she became the first attorney in Iowa to engage in jury trials in separate genders.

Early life, education, and career

Krug’s family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa when she was eleven years old. She graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids in 1979 and later earned a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School (1982). She originally practiced law in Boston and then later returned to Iowa where she ultimately opened and oversaw her own law firm which specialized in civil trials from 1996 to 2010. In March 2010, Krug relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she now lives and works.

Author and activist

Krug is the author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change, published in February, 2013 (Stepladder Press).^[1] In February, 2010, Krug became a contributing author to ACCESSline, an Iowa-based monthly publication that covered lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) topics of interest.^[2] Krug later became a columnist for a Minneapolis LGBT publication, Lavender Magazine, in August 2011; her column, Skirting the Issues, received a Gold Medal Award for Excellence from the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association in 2013.^[3] Collectively, Krug’s columns total more than 80,000 published words. Krug began speaking on transgender and LGBT topics in 2011 and continues to present on those subjects and as a motivational speaker in various venues nationally, including Iowa Public Radio.^[4] In November 2013, Krug presented a keynote address to Iowa State University on Transgender Day of Remembrance.^[5] Krug was recognized as a Lavender Magazine Community Award honoree in October 2014.^[6]

Nonprofit executive director

In December 2011, Krug began as the first executive director of a Minneapolis nonprofit, Call for Justice, LLC, which helps persons earning lower incomes to connect with attorneys. Krug’s role with Call for Justice, LLC makes her the only transgender person to head a Minneapolis nonprofit which is not devoted to LGBT-related causes.^[7]

Personal life

Krug is the parent of two adult daughters. Her personal struggle with gender identity and self-acceptance are chronicled in her memoir and various columns.

References