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.

 In 2-1 ruling, 11th Circuit Allows Florida Transgender Health Ban to Take Effect Pending Action on State’s Appeal of Decision Blocking the Law

Federal Court Rules State of Florida’s Transgender Healthcare Ban Discriminates Against State Employees on the Basis of Sex. Federal district court judge Mark Walker ruled in favor of transgender state employees in SLC’s lawsuit Claire v. Florida Department of Management Services, finding that the state of Florida’s transgender healthcare ban discriminates against state employees on the basis of sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on July 10 denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a Florida statute that bars transgender and nonbinary teachers from using titles and pronouns that express their gender identities and threatens to decertify and fire teachers who do so.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger ruled July 18 that a Daytona Beach ordinance that criminalizes requests for donations under certain circumstances and in certain public spaces is unconstitutional. Berger’s order permanently blocks Daytona Beach from enforcing the ordinance and sets a damages trial for Sept. 16.

Federal Court Rebukes State Defendants for “Misleading Assertions.”

Yesterday, a federal district court denied the State of Florida’s request to stay a June 11 decision blocking enforcement of Florida’s law banning health care for transgender minors and restricting it for transgender adults.

“With legislators having loudly and proudly proclaimed their [anti-transgender] bias, the defendants ought not be allowed to hide from it now”

Criminalizing homelessness can cause a destabilizing cascade of harm. Rather than helping people to regain housing, obtain employment, or access needed treatment and services, criminalization creates a costly revolving door that circulates individuals experiencing homelessness from the street to the criminal justice system and back. - Justice Sotomayor’s dissent