NCLR partners with the Pacific Juvenile Defense Center on “COVID-19 and California’s Detained Youth: Vulnerable and Overlooked.” Published in the California Journal of Politics and Policy, this article describes the unique dangers posed by COVID-19 to incarcerated youth in county-run detention facilities in California. It delves into the efforts of advocates to urge government stakeholders […]

Poverty at the End of the Rainbow is a group of fact sheets written in an attempt to equip advocates, lawmakers, community members and allies alike with a greater understanding of the unique challenges facing LGBTQ+ people living in poverty. These challenges are specifically heightened during the pandemic but go far deeper than the current circumstances. Please […]

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, in collaboration with legal and education experts at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Education Association, released Advocating for LGBTQ Students with Disabilities, a powerful new resource that provides educators and parents an overview of the rights of LGBTQ students with disabilities, […]

A State-by-state overview of relationship recognition.  View PDF

If you have questions, updates, edits, or suggestions for the resource guide, please let us know The mission of the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network is to end poverty in the U.S., advocate for economic justice, and pursue solutions to economic, racial, gender and social disparities as they specifically impact low-income LGBTQ people. We seek […]

This practice guide provides an overview of SOGIE data collection in pubic youth-serving systems in California and nationally, discusses the lessons learned from these efforts, and conclude with recommendations for public agencies in Santa Clara County that are contemplating or implementing SOGIE data collection. SOGIE Data Collection in Public Systems of Care: A Practice Guide […]

NCLR collaborated with the National Juvenile Defender Center to create this tool for juvenile defenders who represent transgender, gender nonconforming or intersex (TGNCI) youth. The checklist identifies policies and procedures necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of TGNCI youth in detention and correctional facilities, as well as other types of secure and nonsecure facilities. […]

NCLR partners with Ceres Policy Research on “The Whole Youth Model, “ an approach to serving youth in the justice system that prioritizes health and well-being over punishment and surveillance. The model is based on the premise that public safety is furthered by authentic conversations with young people and individualized responses tailored to their unique […]

NCLR received support from the National Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center (PRC) to develop a model policy for confinement facilities that house transgender, gender nonconforming and intersex (TGNCI) youth – a population that experiences high rates of mistreatment and victimization in secure settings. NCLR and the Center for Children’s Law and Policy collaborated with […]

A voluntary acknowledgment of parentage or voluntary declaration of parentage (also called a VAP, or VDOP in some states) is a document that establishes a legal relationship between a parent and a child. VAPs must be signed by the person who gave birth and the person establishing their parental rights.  View PDF

FAQ: Documents and Protections for LGBTQ People and Their Families During COVID-19 Crisis In the current Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, LGBTQ+ people may be considering how to protect themselves and their families, and what they wish to happen if they become seriously ill or incapacitated. This FAQ provides information about documents and other legal protections LGBTQ+ […]

The Department of Labor’s overtime pay rule change would benefit hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ workers, their families, and their communities. Despite the significant political, social, and legal gains made by the LGBTQ community in the United States, many LGBTQ workers still struggle to make ends meet. LGBTQ individuals – particularly women, transgender people, and people of color […]

We have seen unprecedented advances in equality for same-sex couples with marriage now equally open to same-sex couples in the majority of the states. In addition to the dignity and respect that marriage equality provides for our relationships, marriage provides tremendous legal and financial protections to same-sex spouses. However, marrying does not provide all the […]

This publication provides an overview of the legal rights of LGBTQ parents and their children in the United States. Download PDF

This tip sheet was created in conjunction with California Rural Legal Assistance to help legal services attorneys and advocates better serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients. View the tip sheet

In April 2023, after years of sustained advocacy, the Department of Education proposed a new rule affirming that Title IX secures the right of transgender, non-binary, and intersex students to play school sports free from discriminatory rules that seek to ban them. This is the first time that the Title IX rules would address trans […]

Introduction Lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, gender nonconforming, and transgender (LGBTQI) youth are well documented as disproportionally represented in the juvenile justice system. These disparities, coupled with the high visibility of LGBTQI youth as leaders amongst prominent campaigns to abolish the youth prison model, emphasize the importance of examining the concerns facing LGBTQI youth involved in […]

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ruling that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee access to abortion as a fundamental right, overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the longstanding recognition of that right. (Read NCLR’s statement about that decision.) Although abortion remains legal […]

The U.S. does not regulate surrogacy on a federal level, so each state has its own laws about whether surrogacy is permitted and how it is regulated. In partnership with the Center for Genetics and Society and Surrogacy360, we have created a map and detailed narrative about surrogacy laws throughout the U.S., including whether and how intended […]

The regulations governing county-run youth facilities were revised in 2018, resulting in significant new rights for youth. NCLR joined with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and the Children’s Defense Fund California to create this accessible summary of these new rights for youth. New Rights for Youth in Juvenile Halls, Ranches and Camps