Legal Help for LGBT Parents

• Politics and Law • aclu, glad, lambda legal, national center for lesbian rights • 2 Comments

I often get e-mail from lesbian parents seeking legal advice for various matters: protecting both parents’ rights as they embark on parenthood; wanting advice in a custody or other dispute; wondering if their county/state will allow second-parent adoptions, and the like.

I am not a lawyer, so I can’t offer advice myself, but I can mention a few resources that may be able to point you in the right direction. In alphabetical order:

  • The ACLU LGBT Report LGBT/HIV Discrimination form: “If you’ve been mistreated or harassed based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status, the ACLU wants to hear about it — we might be able to help.”
  • The Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders Legal InfoLine: “Trained volunteers work one-on-one with callers to provide information, support and referrals within New England.”
  • Lambda Legal Helpdesk: “Lambda’s Legal Help Desk staff respond directly to members of our communit(ies) who are seeking legal information and assistance with discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status.”
  • The National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Information Helpline: “Provides basic information about laws that affect LGBT people, including family law, and about resources available for people who are facing discrimination or other civil rights issues. The Legal Information Helpline is not a client intake line. We do not provide any legal advice, legal representation or take on cases through the Legal Information Helpline.”

In a perfect world, none of us would ever need these resources—but no, I don’t live in that one, either.

2 thoughts on “Legal Help for LGBT Parents”

  1. reader

    Also, your local LGBT community center may have legal referrals. They might also have volunteer lawyers who can help with basic issues. If you need free access to case law, use Google Scholar. It isn’t exhaustive, but it’ll at least provide some idea of whether there were earlier cases involving related issues. If there’s a law school in your area, see if they have a law clinic. This provides free (though limited) help from attorneys. And I would also get familiar with my state bar’s website. See if there are articles on your concern posted there. These ideas could save you some money as you get ready to meet with an attorney.

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