This statement from SLC’s Trans Rights Director, Simone Chriss, covers what to know about the devastating ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth, and provides updates about the recent ruling in the Passport ban case that should allow all trans people to obtain an accurate passport reflecting their gender identity.

As local governments grapple with enforcement of a new state law banning people from sleeping in public spaces, several advocacy groups have launched a campaign to urge Florida cities and counties to choose constructive solutions to homelessness over the criminalization of life-sustaining conduct.

On Monday, April 7, Southern Legal Counsel, the National Homelessness Law Center, the Southern Poverty Law center, and the Florida Justice Institute advocated for change by sending letters to public officials in 21 cities and counties.

We want to assure you that, regardless of the threats being made to the federal Department of Education by the current administration, it would take an act of Congress to undo the protections afforded to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

When I began working at SLC nearly seven years ago, I knew this was the role toward which my career had been building.

As we wait on the court to issue its ruling on the state’s motion to dismiss, we are pushing ahead. Our litigation team, comprised of Nancy Wright, who is lead counsel, SLC attorneys Chelsea Dunn and Jodi Siegel, and our colleagues Jeff Hearne and Jocelyn Armand at Legal Services of Greater Miami, is engaged in the complex discovery process needed to pursue our claims.

Right now, for many people, the courage to exist and to live authentically, is an act of resistance. For others, remaining vigilant and informed is an act of resistance. Refusing to succumb to hopelessness, fear, apathy, overwhelm, and the information overload that is designed to numb us and foster apathy is resisting.

To everyone impacted by the cruel and irrational Executive Orders that the Trump administration has issued over the past ten days: we are devastated, infuriated, and more committed than ever to continuing the fight for the rights of transgender Floridians. To all of my clients and members of the community who are reaching out for answers, guidance, and support, please hear me: you are worthy, you are valuable, you are loved, and this world needs you. There is no community more resilient, more capable of handling adversity, or better prepared to support and embrace each other through these dark and uncharted waters.

Simone Chriss, Director of the Transgender Rights Initiative at Southern Legal Counsel: “The extensive factual record in this case speaks for itself, and we believe that this Court will see the State’s politically motivated endeavor for what it is: a cruel attempt to strip healthcare from marginalized people without justification.”

A MESSAGE TO FLORIDA'S TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY: YOU ARE NOT ALONE

A Statement from SLC's Transgender Rights Initiative Director

Nov. 7, 2024

 Yesterday was a heavy day for America. We know that so many of our clients are feeling afraid about what the results of this election mean for the rights of LGBTQ+, and particularly transgender, Floridians. The collective hurt that we are feeling is not about politics, it is about humanity. And while we cannot take those burdens from you, we can walk beside you and share the weight. 

Florida-based legal aid organizations today filed a federal lawsuit challenging a St. Johns County ordinance passed in May 2023 in an effort to stop panhandling.

“As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see my right to make healthcare decisions for my child taken away by political bullies, and the hurt and harm that has caused my child.”

The suit claims that that the state’s management of its Medicaid Long Term Care (LTC) Waiver program violates the U.S. Constitution, the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Lawsuit was filed in response to a state-funded website dedicated to interfering with the vote on the citizen-led initiative to limit government interference with abortion.