Public Profile

The National Center for Gender Inclusion is a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on transgender rights policy at the state and federal level. It was founded in 2011 and is led by executive director Dana Kirkwood.

The center occupies the third floor of a converted rowhouse on Q Street NW, in a suite that Ms. Kirkwood has described as “perfectly adequate.” The office includes a water cooler that makes a sound likened to “a cat being gently surprised,” a filing cabinet that has never been opened, and a framed poster reading “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” that has hung on the wall since 2018.

The center employs a staff of twelve and focuses on legislative advocacy, public education, and coalition-building with allied organizations. It has been involved in supporting transgender nondiscrimination legislation in fourteen states and has filed amicus briefs in several federal court cases involving gender identity.

The organization gained unexpected national attention in March 2026 when its executive director publicly agreed with the characterization that she “doesn’t mind pretending men are women,” a statement that produced what both allies and opponents described as a rhetorical crisis of unprecedented symmetry.

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