Lambda Legal is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve and protect the rights of LGBTQ individuals. It provides educational resources and legal assistance on various focus areas related to the LGBTQ community, including marriage and family, teens and young adults, transgender issues, and healthcare. For teens and young adults specifically, Lambda Legal works on issues related to schools and out-of-home care, providing publications, information on legal rights, and details on prominent cases. Teens and youth can get involved through advocacy, education, volunteering, and fundraising.

1. Lambda Legal
Sierra K. Johnson

2. About Lambda Legal
• Lambda Legal is a nonprofit organization that
seeks to improve and protect the rights of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV+
individuals.
• Litigation
• Education
• Public Policy
• Extremely transparent: leadership, financials,
strategic plan

3. What Lambda Does
• Lambda provides information
and educational resources on a
selected set of focus areas
within the LGBTQ community.
Most info focuses on legal
rights.
• Publications and cases related to
each area
• Toolkits and online workshops
• Legal help desk and referrals
• Amicus Curiae briefs
• State specific resources
• Special Events
• Focus Areas
• Marriage & Family
• Teens & Young Adults
• Transgender
• Latino Outreach
• Senior Issues
• Workplace
• Government Misconduct
• HIV
• Healthcare
• Fair courts
• Casework

4. Teens & Young Adults
• Two main focus areas, Schools and Out-of-Home
Care.
• Also includes publications specific to youth and
teens; recommended “best practices” for out-of-
home youth; and a comprehensive “know your
rights” page.
• Current and recent cases and
important news in LGBT youth
issues
• Don’t Erase Us campaign

5. Youth and Schools
• Outlines facts and statistics about LGBT issues
in schools
• Highlights cases that have been especially
prominent in furthering rights in school
settings
• Couch v. Wayne Local School Distract
• “Jesus is not a homophobe” shirt
• Video promoting respect of “out” students

6. Youth in Out-of-Home Care
• Discusses highlighted risks of abuse, neglect, and
suicide among LGBT youth
• Aims to increase awareness among professionals
working with youth – Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Project
• Connections to helpline and resources aimed at
educating youth themselves
• Prominent cases – In the Matter of Brian (a.k.a.
Mariah) L.
• NYC Children’s Services must provide sex reassignment
surgery if medically necessary, BUT court unable to
require specific treatment, and this case essentially
stalled

7. Know Your Rights
• This section is aimed specifically at helping teens
and youth educate themselves about their rights.
• It includes not only established legal rights, but
what to do if you face a situation where the law is
unclear. Provides steps and processes to advocate
for yourself and where to reach out for help if you
need someone to advocate for you.
• Also includes information for Family & Friends and
Educators

8. Publications and Resources
• Includes Fact Sheets, Toolkits, and articles from Impact Magazine.
• Many available in hard copy for free.
• All available to view or download for free.
• Example: Out, Safe, and Respected
• How to Negotiate with Adults
• Your Speech Rights
• Etc.
• Example: Preventing Censorship of LGBTQ Information in Public School
Libraries
• Facts and Stats from organizations such as the CDC that show access to
equitable non-fiction information is crucial
• Examples of students fighting for their rights
• Reasons why LGBTQ fiction is important
• Addresses adding, as well as the prevention of removal of, LGBTQ
materials.

9. Cases
• Includes prominent cases where Lambda Legal either
represented one of the parties or wrote amicus briefs.
• Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley
• Protecting the rights of students and teens to have access to
safe, accurate information about mental health issues,
including counseling services and special consideration of
LGBTQ needs and issues
• Augusta College
• American counseling Association Code of Ethics
• Content includes Complaints (if Lambda acting as
representation), Briefs, Decisions, Other Documents, and
Press Releases.

10. News
• Covers latest news and issues affecting LGBTQ
youth, especially concerning legal matters
• Confirmation of Rev. Meeks as Chair of the
Illinois State Board of Education
• Safety and proper education of LGBTQ youth at
risk

11. • Working to end “no
promo homo” laws
• Mentioning = turning
people gay
• Range from “prohibited
to discuss LGBTQ
persons at all” to
“prohibited to discuss
them in a positive light”
to “required to portray
them in a negative light.”
• Contents:
• FAQ page addresses what the laws are, where the most
onerous ones are found, what they cover, how to fight them,
and why they are harmful and unconstitutional
• Able to join the campaign as a student, faculty member, or
other individual.
• Primarily sex ed, but also art, history, music, science, etc.

12. Involvement
• Teens and Youth can get involved in several ways.
• Throughout the teens and youth pages, there are
ways to become an advocate, educate yourself,
reach out to others, and push for change.
• Volunteer opportunities almost everywhere
nationwide, and for all ages and experience levels
• Donating and fundraising
• Members of the legal profession are always
welcome to join!
• UNC Lambda Law

13. ??????
That’s all!
•Any questions?