PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Bar Association is gearing up to launch a pro bono name change clinic for many members of the city’s LGBTQ community, and they are looking for attorneys to sign up now to help.
The organization will hold the virtual clinic on April 9. It will be open to transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Philadelphia residents who are not able to access legal services.
Ian Evans, the co-chair of the association’s LGBT Rights Committee, said the event is meant to give a certain amount of legitimacy and affirmation to someone living their truth.
“Having an official governmental recognition of it [is] something that we want to encourage people to be able to have access to,” said Evans.
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He said this gives an opportunity for lawyers, as they are required to complete a certain number of continuing legal education programs to keep their licenses current.
“The purpose of this CLE is instruction on filing a name change petition, as well as instructing trans competency,” said Evans.
He added that for many members of the trans, non-binary, and non-gender conforming community, a legal name change is not a choice, but a necessity.
“When you present identification documents that don’t match your identity, it can lead to confusion. It can lead to shaming, discrimination, harassment, or violence,” Evans said.
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He said the free clinic will take out a lot of the guesswork and headaches that come with trying to obtain services for a name change. Attendees will also receive advice on how to handle things after the legal name change is complete.
“What they should do to make sure that their vaccination card reflects their new legal name,” Evans said. “They are many places in Philadelphia that require you to show those, and they look at your ID right next to it.”
Click here for more information and a link to sign up for the virtual clinic, to be held Saturday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lawyers who wish to volunteer for the event are asked to sign up for a Bar Association CLE instruction event on Wednesday, April 6.
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