Illinois launched IL Pride Connect, a first-of-its-kind legal hotline offering free, affirming support and referrals for LGBTQ+ residents. The service includes a digital resource hub, referrals to affirming legal and community services, and advocacy tools. The hotline is staffed Monday through Thursday and can assist with accessing healthcare, changing names, and updating gender markers on documents. Governor JB Pritzker said the initiative will inform individuals of their rights and connect them to health and social services. The launch follows federal rollbacks to LGBTQ+ funding and specialized services, increasing the need for state-level support.
Illinois has launched a first-of-its-kind legal hotline that provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when they face increased hostility across the US. Legal services in the US can be costly and inaccessible, and the creation of the phone line is aimed at helping LGBTQ+ people access them despite other federal cuts that may affect them. This hotline is a groundbreaking opportunity to receive free, affirming legal support from the comfort
The hotline is staffed Monday through Thursday and can assist people with tasks such as accessing healthcare and changing their name and gender marker on documents. In Illinois, we are fighting ignorance with information and cruelty with compassion, Pritzker said at the launch. IL Pride Connect will inform individuals of their rights and connect them to health and social services support making us the only state in the nation to provide free legal advice and advocacy tools to protect the LGBTQ community.
This hotline is a groundbreaking opportunity to receive free, affirming legal support from the comfort and safety of home, said Joshua Gavel, the executive director of United Pride, an LGBTQ+ resource center in Illinois. It sends a powerful message, Gavel added, that Illinois values and protects its LGBTQ+ residents, and we are proud to see our state leading the way.
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