Providing Legal Services to Low Income LGBT and HIV-Affected Clients

Legal Services NYC, the largest organization exclusively devoted to providing free civil legal services in the U.S., on November 7, 2013, held a workshop for lawyers providing legal services to low income LGBT and HIV-affected clients and families focusing on the impact of United States v. Windsor, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case which held that a key provision of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), excluding same-sex married couples from federal recognition, benefits, and protections, is unconstitutional because it violates the Fifth Amendment's due process and equal protection principles. As part of this workshop, CHLP's Legal Director Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal discussed how marginalized and vulnerable communities, including immigrants and people living with HIV, are affected by Windsor. Drawing from his article, Leave No Queer Behind, Espinoza-Madrigal addressed the critical need to commit to tackling poverty and HIV-related issues as part of the movement for LGBT equality.