Jul 03, 2009  |  By: Staff & Wire Reports  | COMMENTS     

Lauren Dana is a senior associate at Ackerman Legal PLLC (www.ackerman-legal.com), a seven-member firm committed to working toward the fair and equal treatment of LGBT Americans. Dana, a lesbian, earned her doctoral degree from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, where she survived Hurricane Katrina and was able to get out 48 hours before it hit. Her house was flooded, but not badly.

“I was lucky and only lost some of my possessions,” she says. While at Tulane, she earned the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Legal Profession, served as president of Lambda Law Alliance, and was on the editorial staff of the Journal of Law and Sexuality. She earned her bachelor of arts with a double major in history and international relations from the College of William & Mary. The Falls Church, Va., native is newly single after the end of a six-year relationship. She enjoys singing, volunteering with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, cooking and her two cats, Maggie and Olivia.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
Since my first year of law school. Honestly, it wasn’t really hard to tell anyone. My mother knew I was gay before I did.

Who’s your gay hero?
Lately, Rachel Maddow. She’s brilliantly intelligent, incredibly well spoken and makes absolutely no apologies on air for being who she is.

What is Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
New Heights Restaurant. If you like gin, this place is like heaven on earth. 

If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot?
Absolutely.

What non-gay issue are you most passionate about?
Working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

What historical outcome would you change?
As a former New Orleanian and Katrina survivor, I’d love to go back pre-hurricane and reinforce the levees properly so that New Orleans wouldn’t have been flooded.

What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Does the election of Barack Obama count? More politics than pop culture, but it was absolutely amazing to witness.

On what reality TV show would you fare best?
No idea. I hate reality TV. Maybe “The Next Food Network Star”? I’m a great cook.

What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school?
A fisherman-knit sweater my mother bought at Harrod’s when she was my age. I stole it in high school and never gave it back. 

If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“La Vie En Rose: Why Everything Going Wrong Isn’t So Bad After All”

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
I would do everything in my power to prevent it being used to “repair” LGBT people.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
God in Heaven, the Communion of Saints. Everything every good Catholic girl believes in. But I think God is a lot more accepting and inclusive than the Church is willing to admit.

What would you order for your last meal?
The chateaubriand dinner from L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls. And yes — I’d eat both servings.

What would you walk across hot coals for?
For my partner. Or any other member of my family.

What gay stereotype annoys you most?
The idea that there is only one kind of gay man or one kind of lesbian. We come in all different shapes, sizes and colors and from all different walks of life.

What is the best gay film ever made?
“D.E.B.S.” Fantastically kitschy with a heart of gold. It’s tons of fun to watch, makes me laugh and really has a good message.

What is the most overrated social custom?
I love social customs — hostess gifts, thank-you notes. I am all about old-fashioned etiquette. It’s all about treating each other with courtesy and respect. And I think we as a culture have lost a lot of that.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Honestly it’s never something I’ve thought about. I’d just like to know that I’ve made a difference in people’s lives. I don’t need a prize to prove it.

What’s your advice for gay teens?
Know that there is nothing wrong with you and that you are not alone. There is a whole community of people out here willing to accept you for who you are.

Why Washington?
Because I was born and raised here. It’s my home town.