RESOURCES

Our Resource categories

  • GENERAL LEGAL RESOURCES

    Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. (SLC) is a Florida statewide not-for-profit public interest law firm that is committed to the ideal of equal justice for all and the attainment of basic human and civil rights. SLC primarily assists individuals and groups with public interest issues who otherwise would not have access to the justice system and whose cases may bring about systemic reform. SLC believes all people should have access to the court system and know their rights.

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  • FLORIDA NAME CHANGE

    FloridaNameChange.org is a free resource that Southern Legal Counsel designed for Floridians to access the court system and complete a legal name change without involving a lawyer. This website was created to help transgender individuals change their legal name and gender marker.

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  • lgbtq+ student and school resources

    SLC’s LGBTQ+ school advocacy project focuses on ensuring schools are protecting and affirming LGBTQ+ youth and upholding their constitutional and statutory rights. This includes advocating for the school to use the students’ affirmed names and pronouns, ensuring the student has access to bathrooms, facilities, and gender-specific activities in accordance with their gender identity, assisting students in need of supports and accommodations through the special education process, and providing training and resources to school and district staff and administration statewide.

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  • Transgender Healthcare

    Access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender individuals is under attack in Florida on multiple fronts. To learn more about what is happening in Florida regarding transgender healthcare, and to learn how to get involved and have your voice heard, check out the resources below. SLC will continue to fight for equal access to safe, effective, medically necessary healthcare for all transgender Floridians!

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general legal resources

  • Driver’s license suspensions were originally used to promote the goal of highway safety, and related to offenses such as driving under the influence, reckless driving, repeated speeding tickets, and other driving-related offenses. More recently, suspension began to be used, not as a safety measure, but as a fundraising tactic. Suspensions were issued for nonpayment of fees, fines, and court costs related to violations, that had nothing to do with highway safety or even driving.

    Florida, like many other states, now uses license suspensions as a coercive means of collecting fines and fees. Millions of suspension notices are sent out every year in Florida. Florida law allows for the suspension of a driver’s license for failure to pay court costs and fines on criminal cases; however, 30 counties in Florida have been issuing license suspensions for unpaid court fees in noncriminal, ordinance violations. Our organizations, Southern Legal Counsel and the ACLU of Florida, are working to fix that.

    Check Your Status Here

  • Sponsored by the Florida Bar Association, on this website you can find information on:

    Disaster Relief

    Preparing for and recovering from natural disasters

    Families & Children

    Divorce, child support, DV, name change, guardians, parent rights & custody

    Going to Court

    Find information on the legal system, forms, & going to court in Florida

    Health & Public Benefits

    Food, cash, VA, disability, elder, & health care benefits

    Housing

    Tenants' rights, eviction, conditions, utilities, homeownership & foreclosure

    Jobs & Working

    Workers' rights & responsibilities

    Money, Debt, & Taxes

    Identity theft, credit, taxes, debt collection, fraud & small claims

    Wills, Estates, & Guardianship

    Wills & estate planning, powers of attorney, & advance planning

  • We primarily take cases that can change rules or policies which affect many people. Our current areas of focus are: LGBTQ+ rights; cases where people experiencing homelessness are criminalized by governments; and cases for children needing school accommodations for learning, behavioral or health-related issues.

    Apply Here

Florida Name change

Southern Legal Counsel’s Transgender Rights Initiative was initialy developed to fill a gap in access to justice by systemically providing assistance to transgender individuals statewide in obtaining legal name and gender-marker changes. SLC seeks to prevent discrimination against the transgender community as a result of having legal identification documents that do not reflect individuals’ gender identity. There is a direct correlation between possessing inaccurate identification documents and being denied employment, housing, and other life necessities, which contribute to high rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness within the transgender community.

We have offered legal name and gender-marker change assistance by conducting in-person clinics and workshops across Florida, providing training to legal aid organizations and pro bono attorneys throughout the state to build their capacity to do this work, and collaborating with trans advocacy organizations and support groups statewide.

Most notably, we developed Florida Name Change, a first-of-its-kind free online tool to assist transgender individuals statewide in changing their names and updating their identification documents. Nothing else like FloridaNameChange.org exists in the country. The website includes the forms and processes for obtaining a legal name change in all 67 counties in Florida and utilizes a question-and-answer format to easily complete the complex paperwork. The online tool also assists users in amending the name and gender marker on their Social Security record, Florida driver’s license or ID card, U.S. Passport, and Florida Birth Certificate.

LGBTQ+ STUDENT AND SCHOOL RESOURCES:

A LEGAL NOTES SERIES for affirming school environments

SLC strives to ensure all LGBTQ+ students have access to safe and affirming learning environments where they can thrive and succeed. Unfortunately, the majority of transgender or gender non-conforming students (77%) and gay, lesbian, and bisexual students (64%) experience mistreatment at school, 75% of trans youth report feeling unsafe or uncomfortable at school, and 17% of trans youth experience such severe mistreatment that they leave school as a result. SLC’s LGBTQ+ school advocacy project focuses on ensuring schools are protecting and affirming LGBTQ+ youth and upholding their constitutional and statutory rights. This includes advocating for the school to use the students’ affirmed names and pronouns, ensuring the student has access to bathrooms, facilities, and gender-specific activities in accordance with their gender identity, assisting students in need of supports and accommodations through the special education process, and providing training and resources to school and district staff and administration statewide.

In partnership with Equality Florida, the state’s largest statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, Southern Legal Counsel has engaged with all 67 Florida school districts to educate their leadership, personnel, students and parents on how to affirm, support, and protect LGBTQ students and their rights. Highlights from this project include:

  • Publishing a series of LGBTQ+ Legal Notes, each of which contain a topic-specific legal analysis, an overview of the districts’ legal duties, and self-empowering “Know Your Rights” tips for students and parents. These two-page explainers (links to each below) are distributed monthly to school district attorneys, social workers, staff, leadership, and LGBTQ+ liaisons within every school district in Florida.

  • Training more than 600 school district staff, principals, social workers, teachers, and others involved in Florida’s public school system through a comprehensive program on how to create an affirming, inclusive learning environment for transgender students. As a result of the training, school districts are making changes to their registration forms and student information systems and are moving towards more inclusive policies and practices that promote the academic success and overall well being of LGBTQ+ youth.

View the Downloadable Series Below

  • Use of Affirmed Name and Pronoun

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing “proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students.” Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). When a school does not address a transgender student using their affirmed name and pronouns in the school setting, or discloses information about the student’s gender identity through their education records, the school is placing that student at risk of harm and failing to provide a safe learning environment.

    Learn More Here

  • Access to Restrooms and Sex-Segregated Facilities/Activities

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing “proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students.” Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). When a school does not address a transgender student using their affirmed name and pronouns in the school setting, or discloses information about the student’s gender identity through their education records, the school may be placing that student at risk of harm and failing to provide a safe learning environment.

    Learn More Here

  • Participation in Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing "proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students." Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). To fulfill this responsibility, schools must treat LGBTO+ students in an affirming and respectful manner and permit access to sex-segregated activities in accordance with the student's gender identity.

    Learn More Here

  • Bullying, Harassment, SESIR Reporting

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing “proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students.” Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). To fulfill this responsibility, schools must treat LGBTQ+ students in an affirming and respectful manner and ensure that the school environment is a safe space for these youth, free from bullying and harassment.

    Learn More Here

  • Dress Code, Attire, and Freedom of Expression

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing “proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating to thewelfare of students.” Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). To fulfill this responsibility, schools must treat LGBTQ+ students in an affirming andrespectful manner that allows for freedom of speech and freedom of expression, including gender expression.

    Learn More Here

  • Post-Graduation Protections

    Every Florida School Board is responsible for providing “proper attention to [the] health, safety, and other matters relating tothe welfare of students.” Fla. Stat. § 1001.42(8)(a). To fulfill this responsibility, schools must treat LGBTQ+ students in anaffirming and respectful manner and ensure that the school environment prepares these students for post-graduation success.

    Learn More Here

  • Students’ Rights toInformational Privacy (Version 2.0)

    This iteration (Legal Notes Seven, Version 2.0) is intended to ensure that school districts and staff understand that the enactment of the Parents’ Bill of Rights did not alter the fundamental rights of parents or students, nor did it change the legal analysis required when the disclosure of sensitive, personal information about students is at issue.

    Learn More Here

  • Utilizing Special Education Plans toSupport LGBTQ+ Youth

    All school districts should strive to provide an affirming and safe environment for LGBTQ+ students to fulfill the state’s paramount duty under the Florida Constitution to make adequate provision for a safe, secure, and high quality education for all children residing within its borders. Art. IX, § 1(a), Fla. Const. For some students, access to the learning environment may require additional supports, services, and accommodations, which can be provided through special education plans such as IEPs and 504 Plans.

    Learn More Here

Additional LGBTQ+ School Resources

For Teachers and Staff

For school districts

For PARENTS AND FAMILIES OF LGBTQ+ STUDENTS

us dept. of education guidance

ANNOUNCEMENT:

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 and recent changes to laws and rules impacting LGBTQ+ students, the existing protections for LGBTQ+ students, and she will provide practical guidance and action items to ensure a successful start of the school year.

Registration required. Register today at: https://equalityflorida.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqde2rqDgrH9FxDuGaSHfZOvYAeO7BOB_Y#/registration

transgender healthcare

access to gender-affirming healthcare is under attack in the state of florida right now.

TRIAL CHALLENGING FLORIDA MEDICAID BAN:

DEKKER v. WEIDA, Case No. 4:22-cv-00325-RH-MAF (N.D. Fla. 2022)

We wrapped up a two-week trial in federal court on Monday, May 22, 2023 through which we challenged the state’s discriminatory ban on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents and adults in Florida who receive their healthcare through Florida’s Medicaid program. The state banned coverage of essential, safe, effective, and medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria by claiming it is “experimental.” Through our briefing, expert reports, plaintiffs’ experiences, and the testimony offered at trial, we hope to have demonstrated to the Court that this treatment is evidence-based, proven, effective, and aligned with the authoritative standards of care and the medical consensus.

Press Release re: Trial: https://www.southernlegal.org/news/trial-challenging-floridas-ban-on-medicaid-coverage-for-gender-affirming-medical-care-for-transgender-floridians-comes-to-a-close

Press Release re: Preliminary Injunction: https://www.southernlegal.org/news/lgbtq-and-health-groups-sue-to-block-floridas-anti-transgender-medicaid-health-care-rule-1

Washington Post article about Dekker: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/09/07/florida-transgender-medicaid-lawsuit/

Press release initial filing of lawsuit: Dekker v. Marstiller, 4:22-cv-00325-RH-MAF (N.D. Fla., 2022)

Pleadings:

CHALLENGING BOARDS OF MEDICINE BANS AND SB 254:

DOE v. LADAPO, Case No. 4:23-cv-00114-RH-MAF (N.D. Fla. 2023)

First, in March, we challenged the discriminatory rules promulgated by the Florida Board of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine that prohibit medical providers from prescribing gender-affirming care to minors in Florida. We sued the Surgeon General and the Boards of Medicine for violating the constitutional rights of our plaintiffs, including the fundamental due process rights of parents to determine medical treatment for their children, and the rights of transgender adolescents’ to equal protection under the laws.

Then, on May 17th, the very same day that Governor DeSantis signed SB 254 into law, we amended our federal complaint to include a challenge to the provisions in SB 254 that criminalize doctors for treating adolescents with gender dysphoria and create additional liability for providers and barriers to accessing this critical medical care for transgender Floridians. At that same time, we also filed a TRO (temporary restraining order) asking the Court to block enforcement of the discriminatory new law while our litigation proceeds.

Press release re: Preliminary Injunction: https://www.southernlegal.org/news/florida-parents-seek-emergency-ruling-to-resume-medical-care-for-transgender-adolescents

Press release re: TRO against SB 254: https://www.southernlegal.org/news/filed-motion-for-temporary-restraining-order-immediately-blocking-enforcement-of-sb-254

Article re: Boards of Medicine Public Hearing: https://www.southernlegal.org/news/florida-board-of-medicine-packed-with-desantis-appointees-bans-gender-affirming-healthcare-for-minors

Pleadings:

BACKGROUND ON FLORIDA’S ATTACKS ON TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE:

Read SLC’s Public Comment submitted to the Florida Board of Medicine in opposition to Proposed Rule, 64B8-9.019, Standards of Practice for the Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Minors

Read SLC’s Public Comment submitted to the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine opposing Proposed Rule, 64B15-14.014, Standards of Practice for the Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Minors

For more information, check out this PDF: “Attention - Access to Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Transgender Minors in Florida is Under Attack.”

Comments submitted in opposition to AHCA Medicaid Rule banning coverage of treatments for gender dysphoria:

SLC and other LGBTQ+ Organizations filed an Amicus Brief to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in regarding the bans on gender-affirming care for minors in Kentucky and Tennessee. Read the amicus brief here.

Looking for clarification about the Florida DHSMV gender marker policy change?

Check out the analysis by SLC’s Trans Rights Director here.