Paul Carlos Southwick
Paul Carlos Southwick (he/him) is the Director of the Religious Exemption Accountability Project. As a youth, Paul attended a conservative Christian college, George Fox University (05'), in Newberg, Ore., where he was subjected to conversion therapy and struggled to survive as a Christian who, in the words of his community, experienced "same-sex attraction." Paul graduated from the University of Michigan Law School ('09) and now advocates on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth at religiously affiliated educational institutions like his alma mater.
In 2015, Paul testified before the Oregon legislature in support of a successful ban on conversion therapy. He has represented many LGBTQ+ students in trailblazing legal cases before the U.S. Department of Education, in court and through mediations. Prior to serving as the Director of REAP, Paul spent ten years as a litigation attorney at a major law firm. Paul has been recognized as one of the Best LGBTQ+ Attorneys Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association and as a "Queer Hero" by the Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest and Q Center.
Paul lives with his husband in Portland, Oregon.