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.

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. 

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.

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”

State of Florida Loses Federal Challenge as Court Strikes Down and Enjoins Law Targeting Transgender Adults and Adolescents

Today’s ruling in Doe v. Ladapo permanently blocks adult and minor health care restrictions in Florida SB 254 and the Florida Boards of Medicine rules and finds that Florida unlawfully targeted transgender people, in challenge brought by Southern Legal Counsel, GLAD, NCLR, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and Lowenstein Sandler.

Southern Legal Counsel and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of trans and non-binary activists, asking a federal court to declare Florida’s bathroom ban unconstitutional and to issue an order temporarily prohibiting authorities from enforcing it against them while they are in Florida in the coming weeks.

FREE LEGAL NAME CHANGE CLINIC ON OCTOBER 25, 2023! Southern Legal Counsel’s Transgender Rights Initiative, in collaboration with León Cosgrove Jiménez, LLP and Greenberg Traurig, P.A., have partnered to provide another free Zoom clinic to assist trans adults, and parents of trans minors, with navigating the process of obtaining a court ordered legal name change in Florida, and the subsequent processes of amending the legal name and gender marker on government-issued identification documents. Register today by filling out the Registration Form - don’t miss your chance to get free assistance with your legal name and gender marker change!

U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a Daytona Beach ordinance that prohibits asking for donations under certain circumstances and in certain public spaces, which plaintiffs argue is a violation of their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression.

The bans deny care to transgender adolescents, even when they, their doctors, and their parents agree it is essential for their health.

Transgender Floridians Seek Emergency Block on Adult Healthcare Restrictions in SB 254. Motion for a preliminary injunction in Doe v. Ladapo follows the July 21 filing of an amended complaint adding four adult plaintiffs to the suit challenging Florida’s healthcare ban and seeking class-wide relief for all impacted transgender adults and minors.

Organizations Suing to Stop Florida’s Transgender Health Ban Add Challenge to Restrictions on Adult Care and Request for Class-wide Relief

Register today for the Back to School Safety Planning Webinar for LGBTQ+ Families, which will take place on July 19th at 6:00pm. Simone Chriss, Director of SLC’s LGBTQ+ Rights work, will educate parents on the current legal landscape, recent changes to laws and rules impacting LGBTQ+ students, the existing protections for LGBTQ+ students, and she will provide practical guidance and concrete action steps to ensure a successful start of the school year.

Today, a U.S. District Court Judge struck down Florida’s anti-transgender health care rule that denied the state’s transgender Medicaid beneficiaries coverage for evidence-based, widely accepted gender-affirming medical care. The ruling came in Dekker v. Weida, a federal lawsuit challenging the rule filed by Southern Legal Counsel, Lambda Legal, Florida Health Justice Project, the National Health Law Program, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.