Meet the masc lesbian judge challenging the justice cis-tem with lived experience

The first openly lesbian Latine judge in Texas, Denise Hernández, was awarded the Bettie Naylor Award by the Human Rights Campaign last month for her outstanding dedication to LGBTQ+ rights and for paving the way for better regulations in courtrooms. The award was created in honor of Bettie Naylor, a lesbian Texan activist and founding member of the Human Rights Campaign.

In 2022, Travis County, Texas — which has a population of over 76 percent white residents and a male majority — made history by electing Hernández. And over the last three years, she has made it her mission to change the system.

Hernández, 38 (she/they), says that while growing up, she often acted as a court document translator for her migrant farm worker family as they navigated a justice system that regularly dehumanized and oppressed them.

A tireless advocate for social justice, Hernández holds various titles, including presiding judge of County Court at Law #6 and adjunct professor at Huston-Tillotson University and St. Edward’s University. They’re also the presiding judge of the Transformative Youth Justice Program, a community-centered diversion program for at-risk, system-impacted youth. Their work and dedication have been recognized locally and nationally, and their impact extends far beyond the courtroom.

“I have that firsthand experience of watching the dehumanization that happens in courtrooms … and that shaped my lived experience around how I see systems and how to bring humanity to the courtroom,” Hernández tells The Advocate.

Those experiences have not only shaped her perspective as a system-impacted person, but it now drives her passion as a professional who influences the law and runs a courtroom — one of the youngest to do so in Texas.

“It’s really what sparked the beginning of my passion for the law, because I wanted to be someone who could fight for my parents, and that eventually shifted into ‘I want to become someone who will fight for my community.’ I carry that with me every day,” they say.

Since 2023, Hernández has been running the courtroom in her district and creating opportunities for youth to get their records expunged, while also ensuring that every room she enters knows that she is unapologetically and undoubtedly herself.

“Ever since I stepped into this role, [I have been determined] to ensure that my work helps create fair access and true equality in the courtroom,” Hernández says. “Meaning, that anybody, no matter their gender expression, their gender identity, or sexual orientation — feels safe in the courtroom and that they feel and know that they are receiving justice in the courtroom.”

Achieving true justice and equality in the courtroom starts with acknowledging people’s humanity, by respecting their chosen pronouns, and addressing them by their chosen or preferred names rather than dead names, according to Hernandez.

As part of her work to protect and advocate for marriage equality, Hernández officiates LGBTQ+ marriages for free every June.

“When the Texas Supreme Court changed some of the judicial rules around allowing judges to decline to perform marriage ceremonies for LGBTQ couples, I immediately knew that there was something that we needed to do to create safety for queer couples in Texas — to let them know that no matter what, there are safe judges here,” says Hernandez. “So, I’ve been doing free weddings every Pride month for the past four years.”

Hernández celebrates love and thrives on creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people and communities of color, to ensure they're treated with respect and dignity when dealing with the justice system in the conservative state.

“I’m the youngest judge in Travis County, so it’s hard navigating these systems as it is, but looking the way I do — being a queer person of color who is masc-presenting in Texas — I get undermined quite a bit,” they add. “But I have a fight in me that no one can ever take away, and I’m constantly fighting.”

This article was written as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship program at our sister publication, The Advocate, which is underwritten by a generous gift from Morrison Media Group. The program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.