Kit Malone (c. 1975–1976)[1] is an American transgender rights activist and educator active in Indiana. As of June 2022, she serves as Advocacy Strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union Indiana chapter, where she leads the chapter's LGBTQ Rights Project.[2] Malone was formerly Director of Diversity and board member for Indy Pride.[3] As an advocate for transgender and LGBT rights, Malone has campaigned against state laws in Indiana, and is frequently cited as a spokesperson in the media.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Kit Malone | |
|---|---|
 Malone at a rally at Indiana State Capitol | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | LGBT rights activist |
| Employer | ACLU of Indiana |
Career
Early life
Malone is from Noblesville, Indiana, where she attended a local high school.[4] She worked as a high school teacher for 20 years without any prior involvement in advocacy.[10]
Malone is also a singer-songwriter who often performs local gigs. In 2006, she was awarded a Cultural Vision Award as Indianapolis's best folk singer by NUVO, a local alternative weekly newspaper.[4]
Malone has stated that she struggled with her gender identity her whole life before deciding she "couldn't function anymore unless she transitioned".[1] After she transitioned, she no longer felt safe using public restrooms, feeling like she had to work to make her appearance fit in with others.[1] She also has said found herself unable to get a job at a Rally's fast food restaurant after the transition.[10]
Malone first got involved in activism in 2015, amid the ongoing public debate around Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, national "bathroom bills", and other laws LGBT advocates viewed as discriminatory. She first worked as a community organizer for the Freedom Indiana campaign, which advocated for the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to the state anti-discrimination law, and in Indiana municipalities.[4]
Indy Pride
Malone joined the board of Indy Pride in 2016, and also served as its Director of Diversity. Malone spoke out about diversity on the Indy Pride board, where 16 out of 17 members were white in 2015.[11] At Indy Pride, Malone helped develop #TransGlam, the first Indy Pride-associated event "by and for the trans community".[3] She organized the first transgender marching group in the history of the Indy Pride Parade.[4][3]
ACLU
Malone's first position at the ACLU of Indiana, was as their Transgender Education and Advocacy Coordinator.[11] Malone currently serves as Advocacy Strategist, where she leads the organization's LGBTQ Rights Project and Transgender Education and Advocacy Program.[2][12] In this role, she campaigns for civil rights protections for LGBT people in Indiana, through education and outreach.[4] She also works to identify and develop leaders in the transgender rights movement.[2][12]
In 2019, she was inducted into Indy Pride's Hall of Fame for this work and in 2020 was named Community Leader of the Year by the Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.[2] In 2021, Malone was awarded a Trailblazer Award for Civic Engagement by the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative.[13]
Personal life
Malone grew up in Noblesville, Indiana and was the oldest of five children. She has lived in many different places in Indiana, but calls Indianapolis her home. In 2018, Malone authored a humorous self-help guide in McSweeney's with makeup tips for the newly out transgender woman.[14]
Kit is a singer/songwriter and performer who defines her music as fractured folk, country rock, and primitive guitar.[15] Her song, "Dear John Mellancamp," was recently described by Rachel Cholst, a music journalist from New York City as a "song with a heartland rock swagger and a punk rock ethos."[16] Kit was named by NUVO Newsweekly as Indianapolis's Best Folksinger in 2006 and her work has been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered as part of the online companion to Neil Young's, "Living With War". She has appeared with the likes of many well-known musicians, including The Avett Bros., Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, Murder By Death and The Coke Dares. She is currently working on her third album, "Big."[17]
Malone is engaged to her partner, Wade Arvizu, a human rights activist and philanthropist who works for an international funding organization dedicated to building a survivor-centric anti-trafficking movement.[18] She lives with her partner, step-daughter, and their pets in Indianapolis, Indiana.