our work

Legal Work

For almost two decades, Transgender Law Center has led the country in challenging the legal system to respect the dignity and humanity of transgender and gender nonconforming people. Our impact litigation in areas like employment, education, and immigration have redefined transgender people’s experience of rights and justice in the U.S. Our Legal Services Project produces guides and resources connecting countless people to the relief and rights they need, and operates TLC’s Legal Help Desk, which has supported thousands of people battling injustice over the last decade.

We believe in justice and liberation for all trans people, and that means change that starts with the people most impacted by the systems we fight — including trans people in prison, Black and brown trans migrants, Black trans women, trans people living with HIV, and trans youth.

Highlighted cases

Roxsana Hernandez

Transgender Law Center (TLC) and the Law Office of Andrew R. Free have filed a Notice of Wrongful Death Tort Claim in New Mexico, the first step in holding all parties responsible for Roxsana Hernandez’s death accountable.

Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District

On July 19, 2016, Transgender Law Center and co-counsel Relman, Dane & Colfax PLLC filed suit against the Kenosha Unified School District in Wisconsin on behalf of Ash Whitaker, a transgender boy.

Saunders-Velez v. Colorado Department of Corrections

Lindsay Saunders-Velez is a young, Black transgender woman who fought for her safety and to be treated for who she is by the Colorado Department of Corrections (“CDOC”) where she was in custody. 

Find cases by issue area

Legal Services Project

TLC’s Legal Services Project harnesses community power to meet community needs. We believe that trans and gender nonconforming people, when connected to the knowledge and resources we need, hold the power to protect ourselves, each other, and our community as a whole.

The Legal Services Project relies on two robust volunteer programs, our Community Resistance Network and Legal Resistance Network, to respond to the requests that come through TLC’s Legal Help Desk. We also develop and maintain resources, such as our Legal Clinic Calendar, to ensure members of our community have the knowledge needed to advocate for themselves.