Legal Clinic - Equality Ohio

Category Archives: Legal Clinic

Equality Ohio Legal Clinic Announces a New Online Series

By md spicer-sitzes on February 3, 2023 in Blog

The Equality Ohio Legal Clinic is excited to launch an all-new virtual meeting, held on the third Thursday of each month from 12-1 PM EST.

Equality Ohio Legal Clinic Virtual Meetings

Category Archives: Legal Clinic

ACLU Releases Crucial FAQ About Updating Gender Markers on Ohio Birth Certificates, and We’re Here to Help

By md spicer-sitzes on May 26, 2021 in Blog

Equality Ohio, in partnership with Equitas Health, Living With Change, OCTOPUS LLC, and TransOhio, will be working to assist those who want help changing their birth certificate to reflect their gender.

Category Archives: Legal Clinic

Is Your Driver’s License in Good Standing?

By md spicer-sitzes on May 19, 2020 in Blog

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have been paying more attention than usual to our physical health over these past few weeks which is incredibly important. However, while […]

The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the Victims of Crime Compensation Program

By md spicer-sitzes on May 12, 2020 in Blog

In our latest legal clinic vlog, our Southwest attorney, Emily Meyer discusses various aspects to the Victim of Crime compensation program in the state of Ohio. What is the Victims […]

Criminal Record Sealing and Expungement in Ohio

By md spicer-sitzes on May 5, 2020 in Blog

As a result of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of our fellow Ohioans are unemployed. For queer people who have been involved with the criminal justice system, it may be […]

Rent, Escrow, and Eviction

By md spicer-sitzes on April 29, 2020 in Blog

Despite the news and social media rumors, there is no statewide moratorium on rent in Ohio. There are some protections, but they vary widely by area and court––if you would […]

Professors Behaving Poorly

By md spicer-sitzes on April 24, 2020 in Blog

We are keeping our eye on two pending federal lawsuits—one filed in Ohio, the other in Kentucky—involving college professors behaving poorly on matters of gender identity. In each case, the action was filed by a professor facing negative consequences from his employer as a result of his behavior.

Here’s why some transgender Ohioans are having a hard time getting unemployment benefits

By md spicer-sitzes on April 8, 2020 in Blog

Some transgender Ohioans are experiencing trouble with obtaining unemployment benefits.

Anybody with a legal name change history may experience this challenge. We’ll work with them to fix this, but it will take time and if this problem affects you, you can’t wait. Here’s what you can do right now.

Co-parenting options in Ohio during COVID-19

By md spicer-sitzes on April 3, 2020 in Blog

Ohio Governor Mike Dewine and Dr. Amy Acton recently extended his stay-at-home order for the state of Ohio due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This order has resulted in the temporary […]

You have until April 27 to mail in your Ohio primary ballot, but you have to mail in a request for it first.

By md spicer-sitzes on March 26, 2020 in Blog

The Ohio Legislature acted the Ohio’s primary election amid coronavirus disruption. Here’s what you need to know about completing your Ohio primary vote. ♿️If you need to vote in-person because […]

Unemployment Changes in Ohio due to COVID-19

By md spicer-sitzes on March 24, 2020 in Blog

Due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, many businesses in Ohio have been forced to temporarily shut their doors, leading to lost jobs and wages across the state. Our Southwest Ohio […]

SCOTUS to Consider if Religious Adoption Agencies Can Turn Away Same-Sex Parents

By md spicer-sitzes on March 2, 2020 in Blog

I vividly remember exactly where I was when the Obergefell v. Hodges decision was announced in the Summer of 2015. I was sitting in a living room, and the news […]

Birth Certificates in Ohio and Indiana: An Update

By md spicer-sitzes on January 31, 2020 in Blog

We all rejoiced when the Obergefell v. Hodges decision was announced in 2015. Same-sex marriage became legal throughout the United States! A tremendous victory. But as these things go, a […]

How will the Court’s employment discrimination cases impact other discrimination protections?

By md spicer-sitzes on October 24, 2019 in Blog

For the past several weeks, the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic has covered the trio of cases in front of the Supreme Court concerning Title VII employment protections for LGBTQ people […]

SCOTUS Oral Arguments on Title VII: A Debrief

By md spicer-sitzes on October 17, 2019 in Blog

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, or if you’ve been paying attention to the news in recent weeks, you may have read about the momentous trio of cases […]

SCOTUS Arguments Demonstrate the Continuing Need to Educate our Courts

By md spicer-sitzes on October 17, 2019 in Blog

Last Tuesday, I felt like I was waiting with bated breath as I kept hitting “refresh” on the Supreme Court website. Finally, that afternoon, transcripts of two oral arguments were […]

Lawsuit Challenging Ohio’s Birth Certificate Policy: An Exciting Update!

By md spicer-sitzes on September 19, 2019 in Blog

Ohio’s Treatment of Transgender People Out of Line You may have heard that Ohio has the unfortunate distinction of being one of only two states in the entire United States […]

Tamper your High Expectations: Marijuana Possession vs State Law

By md spicer-sitzes on September 12, 2019 in Blog

After seeing Ohioans wearing shirts or waving flags with rainbow marijuana leaves across the state throughout Pride season, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that Ohio may have joined the […]

An Update on ACLU’s Transgender Birth Certificate Lawsuit

By md spicer-sitzes on August 29, 2019 in Blog

Equality Ohio is proud to support our friends at the ACLU and all the work they have done to help transgender Ohioans. It’s been a while since we’ve shared an […]

I’m LGBTQ—can I help my spouse get a green card?

By md spicer-sitzes on August 22, 2019 in Blog

Though there are many pathways to become a legal permanent resident in the United States, one common pathway to becoming a green card holder is through the filing of an […]

Category Archives: Legal Clinic

Back to School: Creating a Welcoming Environment for LGBTQ Students

By md spicer-sitzes on August 15, 2019 in Blog

As my retired-school-teacher mother always says, once you start hearing those cicadas in Ohio in mid-August, you know a new school year is upon us. And here (and hear) we […]

SCOTUS Term in Review and Fall Term Preview: An Uncertain Forecast

By md spicer-sitzes on August 13, 2019 in Blog

Last summer, the end of the Supreme Court’s term brought a variety of mixed emotions for advocates of LGBT rights. Disappointment with the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, but pleased that a solid majority […]

What’s the Doggone Law?

By md spicer-sitzes on August 1, 2019 in Blog

“Is that a service dog?” It’s one of the first questions business owners and employees ask when an animal walks into a public setting, like a store or restaurant. Unfortunately, […]

Public Interest Law: An Intern’s Perspective

By md spicer-sitzes on July 25, 2019 in Blog

Public interest law may not be the sexy, high paying, high-intensity law that you see on TV. However, it is a necessary occupation that provides attorneys a rewarding and educational […]

LGBTQ Parenting: What You Need to Know About Adoption

By md spicer-sitzes on July 19, 2019 in Blog

It is the goal of many same-sex couples to start a family, married or otherwise. However, the process of bringing a child into the world, or adopting one, can be […]

Camping OUT With TGNC Kids

By md spicer-sitzes on July 11, 2019 in Blog

Summer camp is a right of passage for many—whether it be day camp, sleep-away camp, a specific interest program, or just pitching a pup tent in the backyard or living […]

Category Archives: Legal Clinic

Are you in Need of a Protection Order?

By md spicer-sitzes on June 27, 2019 in Blog

Unfortunately, many LGBTQ Ohioans face the risk of experiencing violence or other harassment by a loved one, family member, or other people in the community. The growing number of murders […]

Crime Victim’s Compensation helps Victims with Costs

By md spicer-sitzes on June 20, 2019 in Blog

Crimes like assault, human trafficking, domestic violence, and homicide can be extremely traumatic for survivors and family members and often lead to expensive medical bills and lost wages. Fortunately, there […]

50 Years After Stonewall, Where is Ohio?

By md spicer-sitzes on June 13, 2019 in Blog

In 1971, Ohioans were traveling to New York City by carpool to join the Christopher Street Liberation Day march, which had begun the year before to commemorate the infamous Stonewall […]

Drugs Courts Promote Recovery, Offer Second Chances Incarceration Can’t

By md spicer-sitzes on May 10, 2019 in Blog

Since its creation in 1996, the Ohio Drug Court program has expanded from 3 specialty dockets to 112, spanning 54 counties. Last month, Governor Mike DeWine proposed the creation of […]

Possible LGBTQ Protections under EEOC

By md spicer-sitzes on April 25, 2019 in Blog

Despite the lack of explicit federal statutory protections against discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity, there currently are some protections afforded by federal administrative agencies. One of these […]

Ohio’s “Silent” Vital Records Policies

By md spicer-sitzes on April 19, 2019 in Blog

There are approximately 1.4 million transgender people currently living in the United States. We may never have an accurate account of how many gender variant people live here in Ohio, […]

Indigency: Can Your Civil Court Fees be Waived?

By md spicer-sitzes on April 11, 2019 in Blog

On March 22, 2019, Ohio Revised Code § 2323.311 became effective. Before this new statutory section was passed, Ohio law did not provide a uniform process for determining indigency (or […]

Ohio’s New Record Sealing Process

By md spicer-sitzes on March 28, 2019 in Blog

There are many people in Ohio who have criminal convictions and are in need of a second chance. Unfortunately, second chances don’t come easily when one’s criminal conviction shows up […]

Eviction Expungement in Cleveland

By md spicer-sitzes on March 22, 2019 in Blog

America is currently undergoing an eviction epidemic. In Cuyahoga County alone, over 27,000 eviction cases are filed every year, in large part due to lack of affordable housing options for […]

Equality Ohio Legal Clinic Welcomes New Staff Attorneys

By md spicer-sitzes on February 7, 2019 in Legal Clinic

We are excited to welcome Emily Meyer and Andy Dugan to the Equality Ohio family as Staff Attorneys for the new Equality Ohio Legal Clinic. Emily and Andy will traveling […]

Conclusion: Bread-Breaking Time at SCOTUS: How a Narrow, Process-Based Free Exercise Clause Loss for Colorado Can Still Be Positive (if not a Win) for the LGBT Community

By md spicer-sitzes on June 4, 2018 in Frosting on the Cakes: Non-Discrimination Laws, First Amendment in the Mix at Supreme Court

Welcome to the eighth and final part of a guest blog series titled Frosting on the Cakes: Non-Discrimination Laws, First Amendment in the Mix at Supreme Court (Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. […]