FreeState Justice

FreeState Justice is a statewide legal aid and policy advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Marylanders. Headquartered in Baltimore, the organization was created through the merger of FreeState Legal Project, founded in 2008, and Equality Maryland, the historic LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. By combining direct legal services with policy advocacy, community education, and coalition organizing, FreeState Justice works to actively dismantle systemic discrimination and legal hurdles across the state of Maryland.

The direct legal services program delivers free, high-quality legal representation to low-income LGBTQ+ individuals across all 24 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. The legal team focuses on critical issues where sexual orientation and gender identity intersect with poverty, including employment discrimination, housing denial, healthcare access, school bullying, public accommodations, and elder law protections. Staff attorneys provide trauma-informed, zealous representation to clients who often have nowhere else to turn for essential legal assistance.

A signature service is the Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic, which guides transgender and nonbinary individuals through the process of updating court orders, birth certificates, driver licenses, social security cards, and state identification records. Volunteer attorneys and legal fellows assist clients with document preparation, fee waivers, court filings, and administrative hearing representation to ensure that official identity records accurately reflect each person true self without unnecessary administrative hurdles.

FreeState Justice also handles complex family law cases, securing second-parent adoptions, custody protections, parental recognition, and marital rights for LGBTQ+ parents and children across Maryland. In addition, the organization advocates for incarcerated transgender, nonbinary, and queer individuals, working to ensure safe housing assignments, necessary gender-affirming medical care, and protection from harassment and abuse within correctional facilities throughout the state.

Through legislative and policy advocacy, FreeState Justice collaborates with community coalitions, grassroots partners, and lawmakers in Annapolis to advance inclusive state laws and protect civil rights. The organization has led landmark efforts to pass the Trans Health Equity Act, modernize parentage statutes, and strengthen hate crime protections across Maryland. Policy staff also track administrative rule changes, testify before legislative committees, and advocate for regulatory reforms that benefit marginalized LGBTQ+ communities statewide.

The organization also delivers extensive cultural humility and legal rights trainings to judges, practicing attorneys, healthcare providers, educators, and social workers to foster affirming systems of care. Through its robust pro bono program, FreeState Justice trains and mentors private attorneys willing to take on pro bono civil rights cases, greatly expanding legal capacity for vulnerable communities. Marylanders in need of legal representation or guidance can submit an intake application online or call the Baltimore office. Community members can attend educational webinars, participate in legislative advocacy days, volunteer their professional skills, or make charitable financial contributions to sustain free legal aid programs.