Cyrus Dugger

Brennan Center Program to Improve Access to Justice for Low-Income Same-Sex Parent Families

From the Brennan Center for Justice:

National Center for Lesbian Rights Initiates Program to Improve Access to Justice for Low-Income Same-Sex Parent Families
Low-income same-sex parent families will benefit from a recent initiative of the California-based National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) called the Family Protection Project. The Center has found that civil legal aid organizations often do not have the specialized knowledge that is needed to serve same-sex parent families. The Family Protection Project will increase the capacity of civil legal services organizations by developing a training curriculum about the specific needs of gay and lesbian families. The project will also raise awareness in the gay and lesbian community by educating same-sex parents about their rights. A recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA School of Law found that same-sex parents with children, on average, earn $10,000 less than their married counterparts. Kate Kendell, the executive director of NCLR says, "This is a huge unmet need. By training attorneys who work specifically with low income and poor communities about the unique legal issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, we will be giving them the tools to assure that their LGBT clients get meaningful help and representation." The program will work initially in California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Newscenter Staff, Group Expands to Provide Legal Aid to Low-Income LGBT Families Nationwide, 365Gay.com, Jan. 18, 2007.

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Posted at 9:51 AM, Jan 29, 2007 in
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