Nevada Legal Services have announced their attorneys will offer free legal help to members of the trans community concerned about post-election discrimination. 

Trans individuals wanting to change their names and gender markers before the Trump administration takes office can access free help from Nevada Legal Services, who made the decision after an increase in worried callers after the election. Nevada Legal Services says trans people are concerned they may lose the legal protections they currently enjoy in the state. 

“A lot of them live below the poverty level, so they can’t afford a lawyer to represent them,” says Kris Bergstrom, directing attorney for Nevada Legal Services’ Las Vegas office, according to Public News Service. 

“They may have been kicked out of their home, and so they might not have access to their original documents. They may have been using a different name informally for years, so their documentation will have many different names on it, which can make it a little more difficult to change their name.”

Landing a job is particularly difficult if someone’s name doesn’t match their Social Security card. Nevada prohibits discrimination against trans people in employment, housing and public accommodations. It’s one of about 20 states that does so. 

“When we say ‘public accommodations’ in Nevada, that includes the right to use the bathroom that best matches your gender,” says Bergstrom. “And so, I think people are worried that if some sort of federal law passes, that it might nullify Nevada’s law.”

The free legal help is available in Las Vegas and Reno. 

More information can be found at NLSLaw.net.