Lambda Legal Launches Interactive “Know Your Rights in Court” Online Resource and Video

Lambda Legal has debuted one of its newest resources, “Know Your Rights in Court” on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and people living with HIV when navigating the court system. The hub is accompanied by an interactive video, in which Lambda Legal Fair Courts Project Director Eric Lesh helps answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

“LGBT people face discrimination in the courts at staggering rates,” said Lesh. “Resources like our video quiz are a great way of communicating this information to our audience in an easily shareable and engaging format.”

Lambda Legal, with the help of more than 50 supporting organizations, completed a national survey in 2012 to assess how well courts and other government institutions are protecting and serving LGBT people and people living with HIV. The results show some of the ways the promise of fair and impartial proceedings is tainted by bias against LGBT people and individuals living with HIV.

• Nineteen percent (19%) of people who responded reported hearing a judge, attorney or other court employee make negative comments about a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
• Sixteen percent (16%) of respondents indicated that their own sexual orientation or gender identity was raised when it was not relevant.
• Fifteen percent (15%) of respondents reported having their HIV status raised when it was not relevant

As is often the case, respondents with multiple marginalized identities – that is, LGBT people who are also low-income, people of color or disabled – reported significantly higher instances of discrimination. According to our study, only 27% of transgender and gender non-conforming people and 33% of LGBT people of color said that they “generally trusted the courts.”

The mobile-friendly digital resource, Know Your Rights in Court, is one of six Lambda Legal Know Your Rights hubs and covers topics such as:

• Is it proper for a judge to reveal my sexual orientation or HIV status in court?
•  Do judges and court staff have to respect my gender identity and expression?
• What are my rights regarding language interpretation if my primary language is not English?
•  Are there legal protections for me if I am discriminated against by a judge, attorney or court staff because of my gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation?
•  How can I or my attorney file a complaint against a judge?

The others are “Know Your Rights: Teens and Young Adults”; “Know Your Rights: Transgender”; “Know Your Rights: LGBT Employees & Employees with HIV”; “Know Your Rights: HIV”; “Know Your Rights: Life & Financial Planning” and “Know Your Rights at Work.”