Best Women's Rights Warrior

Ana Rodriguez DeFrates

After battling on the front lines of the state’s war on women as the Texas Latina Advocacy Network’s policy director for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, DeFrates brings her repro rights warrior creds to the Austin Commission for Women (nominated by D3’s Pio Renteria). This year, DeFrates, along with a host of dedicated advocates, including rape survivors and community leaders, pressured City Council to prioritize sexual assault within the city budget. Their efforts resulted in a commitment from APD to end the backlog of forensic rape kits sitting on shelves. DeFrates has also been developing a crop of young progressive leaders in Austin through her work with the New Leaders Council. A nonprofit consultant, DeFrates continues to advocate for repro rights and justice on the state level, and we’re excited to see what more she’ll help accomplish citywide.

www.newleaderscouncil.org
www.facebook.com/NewLeadersCouncil/