Illinois launched Illinois Pride Connect, a new legal hotline offering free legal advice and advocacy to LGBTQ+ people and concerned family and friends. The service covers access to health care, discrimination, identity documents, housing, immigration, social services, family protections, and education. Services are offered in English and Spanish by trained advocates who can provide one-time advice or refer callers to legal partners. The program builds on the state's transgender and gender-diverse wellness and equity project launched in early 2024. The launch follows the closure of a federal LGBTQ+ youth suicide-prevention helpline. Governor JB Pritzker framed the initiative as combating cruelty with compassion.
"Illinois is launching a first-of-its-kind legal hotline for LGBTQ+ individuals. "Building on the state's transgender and gender-diverse wellness and equity project [that] we launched at the beginning of 2024, we will be the only state in the nation [to] provide free legal advice to protect the LGBTQ+ community. "Illinois Pride Connect will provide resources on health care and education, on immigration, social services, family protections and beyond. It will answer frequently asked questions and inform individuals of their rights and provide advocacy tools."
It will provide legal advice to LGBTQ+ people as well as for concerned family members and friends on issues including access to health care, discrimination, identity documents and housing. The helpline's website highlights that services are available in English and Spanish, and trained advocates are ready to speak to callers, offering one-time advice or they can refer them to legal partners. The launch comes after president Donald Trump's administration shut down a federal helpline that provided suicide prevention support for LGBTQ+ youngsters.
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