This project is complete!

This project has been completed thanks to the efforts of our volunteers.

Visit the Project Directory to check out other projects that still need your help!

completed
Black & Pink

Represent Incarcerated LGBTQIA+/HIV+ Folks

Help an incarcerated person vindicate their civil rights and reduce the harm of incarceration.

Posted April 8, 2021

Background & Context

LGBTQIA+ people in prison disproportionately experience abuse, mistreatment, and violence. Yet, they often have the least access to legal representation. Our incarcerated relatives need safety, gender-affirming care, medical and mental health treatment, and the tools to do their time in peace and never go back to prison again.

Immediate Problem

Currently we field requests from thousands of LGBTQIA+ people in prisons. Their needs range from criminal appeals and post conviction remedies, to civil rights needs (abuse, discrimination, harsh conditions), to other legal issues (family law, tax law, etc). In most cases we assist members with pro se representation, and/or refer them to outside attorneys.

This is where you come in! If you are a lawyer who supports abolition of the prison-industrial complex, black liberation, and trans liberation, we would love to have your help representing our clients. Ideal volunteers may self-identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or as folks with disabilities. We are happy to support and educate on our organizational culture, but you should have some experience in representing LGBTQIA+ clients and a trauma-informed approach.

PRIORITY STATES: TX, NE, OH, MO, FL

Work & Deliverables

We need attorneys to provide full and limited-scope representation on a variety of different legal cases; primarily civil constitutional litigation, and appeals and habeas petitions.

Project Plan

Preparation Phase

  • Application Processing
  • Intro Call/Training Session
  • Waiting for cases to be assigned.

Collaboration Phase

  • Case intro meeting
  • Litigation (with ongoing support from B

Wrap Up

  • Case closeout meeting

This project is complete!

This project has been completed thanks to the efforts of our volunteers.

Visit the Project Directory to check out other projects that still need your help!

Additional Information

  • Time Commitment: 21+ hours
  • Training Provided: Yes
  • Additional Training Details: Advocacy staff will hold a training session for new volunteers on basic LGBTQIA+ competency, Black & Pink's values, as well as our members' needs.
  • Site-Preference: Remote
  • Open to Law Students: No
  • Additional Location Details: May require court appearances in your state.
  • Bar License(s) required: Any Bar License
  • Required Languages: None
  • Preferred Languages: American Sign Language, Other, Spanish
  • Required Legal Expertise: Administrative Law, Civil Rights, Criminal Law, Human Rights, Immigration
  • Mentoring Provided: Yes
  • Supervision Provided: Yes
Black & Pink

Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. Black & Pink National, founded in 2005, now has a strong grassroots network of 11 volunteer-led chapters and more than 20,000 current and formerly incarcerated LGBTQIAS2+ and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) members located across the country.

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