CBA Record September-October 2022

YOUNG L AWYERS S EC T I ON : BU I LD I NG BR I DGE S

Post- Dobbs Pro BonoWork: Chicagoland LGBTQ+ Advocacy Groups That Need Our Help

By Nikki Marcotte

A s attorneys, we have a unique ability and a profound moral obligation to stand up for the rights of his f )/+OWsLLn 2s+QO0sLOmUV W/22(0O)OU*g uQP) for these rights in state and federal courts across the country, and to help create policies and laws that strengthen these rights. As a young queer and genderqueer attorney, I felt compelled to write about what our Chicagoland legal community can do to help our local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in the aftermath of the United =)s)U* =(-+U2U !/(+)5* *P/WMO0QRnU) -+UVOW)srLURVUWO*O/0 O0 Dobbs v. Jackson Women ’ s Health Organization , 597 U.S. ___, 142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022). The purpose of )PO* s+)OWLU O* )P+UUfS/LVB lKk )/ -+/'OVU s brief background on Dobbs and how it Ps* Ws(*UV S(+)PU+ )(+2/OL O0 )PU uQP) S/+ Z`";?h +OQP)*g lJk )/ POQPLOQP) LU**U+f known local LGBTQ+ organizations that 0UUV /(+ u0s0WOsL PUL- s0V /(+ -+/ r/0/ services, and (3) to explain how attorneys can directly impact these organizations through our pro bono services. Dobbs & LGBTQ+ Rights In Dobbs , the high court overturned Roe v. Wade , 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and Planned

Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey , 505 U.S. 833 (1992), holding that the United States Constitution does not confer a private right to abortion on indi f viduals. In doing so, the opinion reiterates )PU *(--/*UVLn L/0QfU*)srLO*PUV -+O0WO-LU that unwritten or unenumerated substan f tive due process rights (typically only conferred and enforced by the courts) 2(*) rU

)/ 2s++n s -U+*/0 /S )PU *s2U *UokB O0 other words, the core cases that directly implicate fundamental LGBTQ+ rights. `O'U0 ](*)OWU ;P/2s*5* VO+UW)O'Ug O) Ps* become increasingly clear that (1) Dobbs has the potential to dismantle not only reproductive rights but also LGBTQ+ +OQP)*g s0V lJk s0n /)PU+ <0/0f)+sVO)O/0sL: +OQP)* l+UsVB +OQP)* /S PO*)/+OWsLLn 2s+QO0f alized communities) could be next in the =(-+U2U !/(+)5* W+/**PsO+*e #* s))/+0Un*g we must stand up to face these injustices PUsVf/0 s0V PUL- uQP) S/+ )PU +OQP)* of LGBTQ+ individuals and other his f torically marginalized communities. Of W/(+*Ug pU Ws0 PUL- 2/+U pULLfM0/p0 organizations such as Lambda Legal and the ACLU by providing pro bono time s0V V/0s)O/0*R)PU*U s+U Ss0)s*)OW -LsWU* to dip your toe in if you are relatively new to LGBTQ+ advocacy. However, the purpose of this article is to shine a LOQP) /0 */2U LU**U+fM0/p0 L/WsL /+Qs0Of zations that also need us in their corners. _U+U O* s 0/0fUoPs(*)O'U LO*) /S */2U of those Chicagoland organizations, a brief description of the services they provide, and ways you can put your pro bono services to meaningful use.

44 September/October 2022