The first-ever pro-bono LGBTQ2 legal clinic in B.C. has been unveiled in Vancouver.
It has been funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia and the office of B.C.’s Attorney General.
The legal clinic will fall under the umbrella of QMUNITY at its facility on Bute Street.
QMUNITY, formerly known as the Centre, is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver that provides support for the LGBTQ2 community.
“Queer, trans, and Two-Spirit people experience disproportionate barriers to accessing legal services. We know from our 45 years of serving these communities that 2SLGBTQIA+ people have distinct legal needs that are not being met,” Anoop Gill, QMUNITY’s executive director, said.
Housing, employment, and family law have been identified as key issues and will be priorities for the clinic, QMUNITY said.
Self-identified LGBTQ2 British Columbians will soon be able to access services through the clinic free of charge.
“We are committed to ensuring that there are resources available to help 2SLGBTQIA+ people navigate the law, protect their rights, and increase equality in our province,” B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said.
QMUNITY said the opening of the clinic comes at a time of a perceived increase of backlash against LGBTQ2 rights.
“It is very clear that there is a need for equitable access to legal services for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in BC, and that need is drastically increasing now,” said Josh Paterson, executive director of the Law Foundation of BC.
The clinic will open sometime in 2024, QMUNITY said.
Global News has reached out for an exact date.
The BC NDP government also recently provided more than $38,000 to QMUNITY’s Queer, Trans and Two Spirit Resource Centre to support the Healing Hearts program.
The program provides free mental health counselling services to vulnerable, low-income Indigenous individuals, who are also members of the LGBTQ2 community.
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