Press Releases

Simone Chriss Simone Chriss

Trans and Non-Binary Activists Challenge Florida Bathroom Ban as Unconstitutional Prior to National March 

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.

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Simone Chriss Simone Chriss

REGISTER TODAY: Pride Month 2023 - Free Legal Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic on October 25th

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!

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Simone Chriss Simone Chriss

Transgender Floridians Seek Emergency Block on Adult Healthcare Restrictions in SB 254

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.

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Simone Chriss Simone Chriss

SLC Presents Annual “Back to School” Webinar for Parents of LGBTQ+ Students

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.

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Simone Chriss Simone Chriss

Victory! Court Voids Florida’s Policy Prohibiting Medicaid Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care.

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.

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