Post by Ayla on Jan 10, 2016 5:31:57 GMT 8
... Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) back in May. TLDEF provides legal services pro bono to ensure that transgender people are guaranteed equal rights. Whether someone experiences employment or housing discrimination or hits yet another bump in the road while trying to access health care or educational opportunities, he or she works closely with a lawyer over a period of several months to resolve the issue(s).
Much emphasis has been placed on TLDEF’s Name Change Project because a name change is often the first step to ensuring equality for transgender people. As of now, the Name Change Project is available in 13 cities across the country, including New York City, Chicago, Houston and more recently, Detroit.
“The clients we’re serving are living at the intersection of discrimination based on race, class and gender and that can be an overwhelming situation for someone to be in,” says TLDEF’s Executive Director Michael Silverman. “Providing legal services to help people address the discrimination they’re facing is a critical component in ensuring the transgender community is treated equally.”
In Trammell’s case, she learned that her name had officially been changed on her birthday. “It was the best gift I could’ve asked for,” she says.
.. Many transgender people need legal, social and health services and to be honest, there aren’t many available, especially for Black transgender people.
Transitioning is by no means an overnight process and depending on where they are in their transition, they may need exams that are gender specific. For instance, a man transitioning into a woman may still need a prostate exam. However, transgender people are often denied these procedures by insurance companies.
Additionally, poverty poses a serious threat to the transgender community. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 15 percent of those who completed the survey reported earning less than $10,000 a year. For Black transgender people, that number more than doubled at 34 percent.
www.ebony.com/life/for-transgender-community-legal-hurdles-require-extra-help#ixzz3wmkAvX7K
Much emphasis has been placed on TLDEF’s Name Change Project because a name change is often the first step to ensuring equality for transgender people. As of now, the Name Change Project is available in 13 cities across the country, including New York City, Chicago, Houston and more recently, Detroit.
“The clients we’re serving are living at the intersection of discrimination based on race, class and gender and that can be an overwhelming situation for someone to be in,” says TLDEF’s Executive Director Michael Silverman. “Providing legal services to help people address the discrimination they’re facing is a critical component in ensuring the transgender community is treated equally.”
In Trammell’s case, she learned that her name had officially been changed on her birthday. “It was the best gift I could’ve asked for,” she says.
.. Many transgender people need legal, social and health services and to be honest, there aren’t many available, especially for Black transgender people.
Transitioning is by no means an overnight process and depending on where they are in their transition, they may need exams that are gender specific. For instance, a man transitioning into a woman may still need a prostate exam. However, transgender people are often denied these procedures by insurance companies.
Additionally, poverty poses a serious threat to the transgender community. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 15 percent of those who completed the survey reported earning less than $10,000 a year. For Black transgender people, that number more than doubled at 34 percent.
www.ebony.com/life/for-transgender-community-legal-hurdles-require-extra-help#ixzz3wmkAvX7K