Baltimore nonprofit provides free legal, outreach services to LGBTQ+ communities

BALTIMORE - FreeState Justice is a Baltimore nonprofit organization that provides essential legal and outreach services to the LGBTQ+ community. 

Launced in 2016, with a mission to eliminate barriers, FreesState Justice provides legal services at no cost. 

"It's been extremely rewarding working at this organization and getting to make an impact on people who not only look like me but also have gone through experiences that are similar to mine," said Phillip Westry, Executive Director of FreeState Justice.

Westry told WJZ that FreeState Justice provides legal assistance ranging from family law issues to name and gender marker issues and also discrimination cases.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community often face discrimination and violence due to sexual orientation and gender identity. 

"Things are getting better in certain circles and getting worse in others which makes it hard to navigate because you don't always know when you are walking through the door what space you are walking into." 

Westry says fear often prevents members of the LGBTQ+ community from living authentically which make achieving their goals an uphill battle.

 That's when FreeState Justice steps in. 

"We want to be there we want to hear your story," Westry said. "We do take our time and we listen to our clients to pull out every possible legal issue that they may have and we are here." 

The FreeState Justice team also does policy advocacy, community outreach, education and trainings. 

Westry said Pride Month is the best time to connect with the LGBTQ+ community. 

"It is the best time to connect with our population on a face-to-face basis and the ones that don't know about us," Westry said. "When they find out who we are, they are so excited that they can come to us for services."

For information on how you can get involved, check out their website.