The Law Foundation of Ontario is pleased to announce that Bennett Jensen is the recipient of the 2025 Guthrie Award, the Foundation’s signature award to recognize exceptional access to justice champions.
Bennett is a human rights lawyer renowned for his compelling and impassioned advocacy for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, in particular for trans and gender diverse youth. He currently serves as the Director of Legal at Egale Canada, one of the country’s leading organizations dedicated to 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and issues.
“Bennett is one of the most respected 2SLGBTQIA+ advocates and leaders in Canada,” says Gerald Chan, the Foundation’s Board Chair. “At a time when it is often unpopular and even unsafe to do so, Bennett has prominently led some of the most significant human rights wins for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, mobilized a coalition of new advocates and allies, and generated awareness and understanding about 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their lived experience.”
Before joining Egale, Bennett was a policy advisor and later a Director of Litigation for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada where he supported the passage of the criminal ban against conversion “therapy”. Bennett began his career as a litigator at Paul Weiss, a global law firm based in New York City, where he served as deputy head of the firm’s award-winning pro bono practice. He was instrumental in the firm’s response to the family separation crisis at the US-Mexico border, leading child reunification efforts by dispatching lawyers to work with detained parents. Bennett also led work responding to the Muslim travel ban and ran projects to meet the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.
“Anyone who has interacted with Bennett can see that his dedication to justice for vulnerable communities is unwavering,” says Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of Egale Canada, who nominated Bennett for the Guthrie Award. “Through his compassionate leadership, trans and gender diverse youth and their families know they have someone standing up for them during this exceptionally difficult period for 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Bennett’s work is instilling optimism and fostering hope. He is a role model to trans youth and a relentless champion of their right to grow up feeling safe and accepted for who they are.”
Credited with revamping Egale’s legal advocacy efforts to respond to rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate, Bennett has been at the forefront of some of Canada’s most important 2SLGBTQIA+-related legal actions, including cases against discriminatory policies that target gender diverse youth. In Ontario specifically, under Bennett’s leadership, Egale intervened in cases that concern the ability of regulators to issue remedial orders to professionals engaging in transphobic speech, that ensure appropriate access to gender-affirming care for nonbinary individuals, and that address whether the Charter of Rights applies to school boards.
Bennett is respected as an inspiring and effective community-builder. He has been instrumental in assembling and mobilizing legal professionals to join Egale Canada’s Legal Issues Committee. His efforts have built a coalition of legal advocates who work collaboratively to craft innovative legal strategies, advocate for policy changes, and ensure that human rights are central to 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy in Canada.
Bennett earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from McGill University, and he is a member of the Ontario and New York State Bars. He was recognized as a Rising Star by the American Bar Association and as one of the LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s Best 40 Lawyers Under 40. In 2024, Bennett received the Hero Award from the Canadian Bar Association’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section.
The Guthrie Award Medal will be presented at a private reception later this year.
Supporters of Bennett Jensen’s Guthrie Award nomination
“We are fortunate in Canada to have many dedicated and effective public interest advocates among us, but from what I have seen Bennett is truly in a league of his own. He has built an unmatched network of partnerships between legal professionals, advocates, and community members to ensure that 2SLGBTQIA+ voices are at the forefront of the fight for equality. His passion for advocating on behalf of vulnerable communities, and his skill in working with them, ensures that the young people and their families whom we have the honour to represent feel heard, validated, and supported, even in some of the most difficult moments. This, to my mind, is an indispensable feature of access to justice: that those who most need the courts’ protection feel supported in seeking it. For 2SLGBTQIA+ people across Canada, Bennett makes this possible.” – Adam Goldenberg, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault
“Bennett’s unwavering dedication and strategic vision have significantly strengthened the fight for equality and justice for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities across the country. Under his guidance, Egale has taken on critical legal battles in order to ensure the voices of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are heard. Bennett’s dedication to advancing equality has ensured that the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals are protected and upheld. Bennett’s impact extends beyond legal strategy — he has worked tirelessly to ensure that individuals impacted by discriminatory policies feel seen and heard. His leadership, dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to human rights make him a truly deserving candidate for the Guthrie Award.” – Daniel Girlando, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and Chair, Legal Issues Committee, Egale Canada
