---
title: Lauren R. Taylor
date: 2025-06-18T11:30:00-04:00
author: Grace Koch
canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/people/lauren-r-taylor"
section: People
---
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[Who We Are](/who-we-are)# Lauren R. Taylor

Content Expert, [Gender-based Violence](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/subject-area/gender-based-violence)

![Lauren Taylor headshot](data:image/png;base64,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)

Lauren R. Taylor is a leader in the field of preventing, interrupting, and healing from gender-based violence. Her book, “Get Empowered: A Practical Guide to Thrive, Heal, and Embrace Your Confidence in a Sexist World,” co-authored with Nadia Telsey, is a blueprint for resilience, self-advocacy, and collective liberation.

Lauren has been working to end gender-based violence since 1978, when she co-founded Washington, D.C.’s, first shelter for abused women. She’s a survivor who, for more than 35 years, has been teaching skills for stopping harassment, abuse, and assault to those most targeted: women, LGBTQIA+ people, and disabled people.

As a trainer and director of Defend Yourself, Lauren and her team have reached more than 40,000 people in the D.C. area and nationally.

> From my first look at a "Our Bodies, Ourselves" when I was 16 and it was just a few pages of newsprint, it’s been a trusted friend in understanding health and sexuality. Now I have decades of work in ending gender-based violence, and I’m thrilled to contribute to the work of OBOS. Well beyond print, it’s a way to share skills and knowledge with those who can benefit from it.

![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)### *Why You Can* **Trust Us** 

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- We address the social, political, and economic factors that affect health and sexuality

[read more](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/why-you-can-trust-us)

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