Mia Yamamoto

Mia F Yamamoto
BornSeptember 1943 (age 82)
Arizona
OccupationLawyer
PartnerKimberlee Tellez (m. 2015)
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Branch
United States Army
Service years
1966-1968
Conflicts
Vietnam War
Awards

Mia F Yamamoto (born September 1943) is a Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney and civil rights activist. Yamamoto is a transgender woman of Japanese American descent, born in the Poston War Relocation Center during World War II.

Personal life

Yamamoto was born in September 1943.[1] She was born in the Poston War Relocation Center during World War II[2][3] due to her parents being forced into interment camps due to Executive Order 9066.[4]

Yamamoto fought in the Vietnam War for two years, earning both the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.[5] Seeing similarities in the treatment of Vietnamese people to the abuses of Japanese Americans during World War II, Yamamoto became opposed to the war efforts.[6]

After serving, Yamamoto attended UCLA's School of Law, where she co-founded the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association (APILSA).[7][3] She married Kimberlee Tellez on September 2, 2015.[8]

Career

Yamamoto was appointed to serve on the California Judicial Council Task Forces on Jury Improvement and on Fairness and Access in the Courts by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.[9] Yamamoto served as President of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice in 2001.[10]

Yamamoto is the recipient of the Rainbow Key Award by the City of West Hollywood,[11] the Liberty Award by Lambda Legal,[12] and the Harvey Milk Legacy Award by Christopher Street West/LA Pride.[13] She has also been honored by API Equality and the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission for her advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community.[14] She has received honors from the Criminal Courts Bar Association,[15] National Lawyers Guild,[16] and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Wallace, Nina (4 March 2019). "From Poston to the Prison Industrial Complex: Mia Yamamoto's Unwavering Fight for Justice". Densho.
  2. ↑ Drucker, Zackary (7 December 2018). "After Years of Fighting for Trans Kids, Lawyer Mia Yamamoto Came Out Herself". Vice. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Criminal Defense Mia Yamamoto Attorney Talks Race, Identity, Community". NBC News. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Espinoza, Miguel (December 2017). The Integration of the UCLA School of Law, 1966—1978. Lexington Books. p. 183. ISBN 9781498531634. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Cruz-Herr, Sterling (31 July 2023). ""Born Behind Barbed Wire": How Mia Yamamoto Became a Legendary Defense Attorney". Them. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Wong, Kristina; Chao, Theodore; Anna Michelle, Wang; Jenessa, Joffe (2026). Auntie Kristina's Guide to Asian American Activism. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 9781506496412. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Mia Yamamoto Honored by Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations - JABA". www.jabaonline.org. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "'Our LGBT Stories' at SFVJACC". www.rafu.com. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Larson, John (15 April 2003). "TASK FORCE ON JURY SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS" (PDF). California Courts. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Past Presidents". www.cacj.org. CACJ. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "LGBT Community Celebrates Local Luminaries at Annual Awards". West Hollywood, CA Patch. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Lavender Graduation". www.lgbt.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "LA PRIDE 2012 Community Honorees". archive.constantcontact.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "Defense Attorney/Rights Activist Mia Yamamoto Receives Human Relations Award". www.rafu.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  15. ↑ "Mia Frances Yamamoto | APAWLA". www.apawla.org. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "News". law.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "ABOUT WLALA - Life Members - Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles". www.wlala.org. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
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