Legal Support and Rights
Last updated September 9, 2022
&Together / Together Movement | GLAAD’s campaign to stand with all communities subject to discrimination: including women, immigrants, communities of color, and LGBTQ people
ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union | LGBT Rights
AIC: Advocates for Informed Choice | Protecting the rights of children born with variations of sex anatomy
Al Gamea | Support, socialization, education, awareness and to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to defend human and civil rights secured by law to GLBT people of Middle Eastern descent
Basic Rights Oregon | Know your rights, programming, training, and more
Center Action Network | Organizes and mobilizes LGBT community centers
Connecting Rainbows | Connects LGBTQ+ families with attorneys and fertility specialists all over the US and Canada to make it easy to start, expand, and protect your family
CTAC: Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition | Typically offers Transgender Lives Conference; tracks and fights for rights within the state.
CSE: Campaign for Southern Equality | Produces resources such as Trans in the South: A Guide to Resources and Services
Destination Pride | LGBTQ+ laws, rights, and social sentiment for every place on earth
Drag Out The Vote™ | Nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy
EQCA: Equality California | Working toward LGBTQ+ civil rights at the local, state, and national levels
Equaldex | Explore the progress of LGBTQ+ rights across the world
Equality Federation | Amplify the power of the state-based LGBTQ movement; track what’s happening in the states
Family Equality | Advancing equality for LGBTQ families
GALE: Global Alliance for LGBT Education | A learning community focusing on education about LGBT issues; includes an interactive map
Gender Justice LA | Campaigns, leadership training, and resources for the transgender and gender non-conforming community in Los Angeles, CA
GLAAD | LGBTQ+ inclusive in advertising and media. Offers a media resource guide, hosting a yearly media awards event, and more.
GLAD: Legal Advocates and Defenders | Serving the New England area
GSA Network | LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans, and allied youth leaders
HRC: Human Rights Campaign | Advocates for LGBTQ equality for all; includes state guides and other resources to take action
InterACT | Advocates for intersex youth
Lambda Legal | Legal Support and Rights Includes Resources for Queer Youth by State and Resources for Changing Your Name/Gender Markers on Documents
LGBT MAP | Laws by state and policies
The Matthew Shepard Foundation | Outreach, advocacy, and resource programs
National Black Justice Coalition | Civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBTQ and same-gender loving (SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS
The National LGBTQ Task Force | Training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you
Open to All | Businesses open to the public should be open to all
OUR Restroom | Educates business owners on gender-neutral stall restrooms
PrideLegal | San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County in California
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative (SNaP Co.) | A black, trans-led, broad-based collaborative in Atlanta, GA; works to end criminalization and gender-based violence.
Soulforce | Works to end the political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people through relentless nonviolent resistance
Southerners on New Ground | “Movement in which LGBTQ people – poor and working-class, immigrant, people of color, rural – take our rightful place as leaders shaping our region’s legacy and future”
Trans in the South: Resource + Services Guide by Campaign for Southern Equality | Directory of 400+ trans-friendly health service providers in 13 Southern states in areas like Primary Care, HIV Care, Endocrinology, Legal Resources, and Mental Health
Transform California | Committed to making California a place where all transgender people can feel safe and live free from discrimination
Trans Lifeline Microgrants | Monthly microgrants and support to help with a legal name change and updating your government identification documents. Includes Passport, Driver’s License and State ID, Court Order Name Change, and Immigration Documents
Unity Coalition | Coalición Unida | Advocating equality and fairness for Southern Florida Latinx, Hispanic, and Indigenous LGBTQ community
Victory Fund | Works to elect LGBT leaders to public office
More to Consider
ACLU: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! A GUIDE FOR LGBT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Anti-LGBT harassment is one of the most pervasive, frightening, and potentially damaging threats LGBT students face in our public schools. If you’re being bullied, called names, threatened, or physically harmed at your school because of your sexual orientation, you don’t have to take it! This ACLU page lays out various policies governing the rights of all students – including LGBT students – to be free from harassment in public schools, as well as resources to help you respond to and stop harassment in situations in which schools are not doing their part to protect students’ rights. To check out the tips, download the PDF file here.
PDF: MAP′S ALLY′S GUIDE TO TALKING ABOUT NONDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS FOR LGBT PEOPLE
An Ally’s Guide to Talking About Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBT People provides conversation approaches to help build and sustain solid, lasting support for nondiscrimination laws, and also factually and effectively address concerns that might be raised when discussing the need for such laws. Among them: emphasize the values that are at the heart of people’s existing support for non-discrimination; explain why nondiscrimination protections are important and needed; share stories and model people’s journey toward solid support; and help conflicted audiences think through and calm their own anxieties—all while avoiding missteps that can inadvertently intensify those concerns.