Program areas at NCLR
Legal: nclr undertook new litigation, challenging Florida's and Kentucky's bans on essential medical care for transgender youth; challenging Arizona's sports ban on behalf of two transgender girls; representing a Lesbian spouse in Oklahoma in appealing a trial court decision in which a judge refused to apply the presumption that both spouses are legal parents of a child born during marriage and instead ruled the sperm donor is the child's legal parent. Nclr secured an important victory for lgbtq equality when a u.s. district court entered a final order prohibiting enforcement of Tennessee hb 1182, a law passed in 2021 requiring businesses to post a demeaning notice if they permit lgbt (continuted on schedule o) patrons to use the same restrooms as other patrons. In its challenge to Utah's sports ban for transgender girls, nclr obtained an order from the third district court of Utah blocking enforcement of h.b. 11. Nclr sustained ongoing litigation against Alabama's law that makes it a felony to provide medically necessary health care to transgender youth, Arizona's surgical requirement for correcting birth certificates, and Florida's "don't say gay or trans" law. Nclr was an intervenor in a case in which the ninth circuit unanimously affirmed that Washington state's law protecting minors from conversion therapy is constitutional and may be enforced and filed an amicus brief in a similar case in Colorado.
Youth: nclr served on the juvenile regulations executive steering committee for the California board of state and community corrections (bscc) which reviews revisions to the title 15 and title 24 regulations governing juvenile facilities in California; and helped coordinate the georgetown Center for juvenile justice reform (cjjr) virtual certificate program supporting the well-being of system-involved lgbtq youth in november 2022.
Born perfect: nclr's born perfect program provided public education and technical assistance to state-level activists advocating against conversion therapy, with positive changes in state law and policy taking place in states including Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Utah.
Rural pride: nclr organized an in-person north dakota lgbtq summit, two cultural competency trainings for inland counties fair housing and mediation board in California, a National training on partnering with community organizations to provide legal services to lgbtq clients at equal justice conference, and four all-staff cultural competency trainings for legal aid of west Virginia. Poverty: nclr sustained our role in convening the National lgbtq+ anti-poverty action network. In august 2022 nclr co-hosted unwashed justice: uplifting queer workers and economic justice for all at the kennedy Center. Nclr sustained our free National legal helpline, which responded to 1,225 requests for assistance. Immigration: nclr sustained our robust immigration & asylum program, assisting 150+ lgbtq+ immigrantsproviding legal referrals, advice about seeking asylum in the context of rapidly shifting federal policy, 1:1 assistance to detainees, some direct representation, and support in accessing social services. Five of our clients successfully secured asylum.additional advocacy: nclr filed friend-of-the-court briefs in 14 cases; assisted private attorneys in at least 22 cases; and submitted or joined 9 comments on federal regulations.