Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has always required a level of resilience—but right now, it also demands an unprecedented level of caution. Today, we’re seeing a constant onslaught of legislation and cultural attacks targeting trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals across the United States, as well as the queer community more broadly. And here in the South, including in North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, the fear is real and deeply personal. It’s not just about discriminatory comments or hostile policies—it’s about safety, access to healthcare, healthcare decision-making, marriage equality, and the right to exist authentically and legally.
What’s at Stake For LGBTQIA+ Folks Today
This can show up in everyday decisions: Whether it’s wondering if a hospital will respect your name and pronouns, whether your partner will be acknowledged during a medical emergency, or whether your identity will be respected in your legal documents after you pass away—these are not hypothetical worries. These are lived experiences and real possibilities. For trans folks, especially, the mismatch between legal documents and gender identity can lead to dehumanizing, harmful, and flat-out dangerous situations.
How Legal Planning Can Offer Protection and Empowerment
That’s why we’re so grateful for professionals like Sophia Munson, Kirstin Hawthorne, and Stephanie Faris, attorneys and staff with Munson Law, who are actively working to protect LGBTQ+ clients and empower them through inclusive estate planning. In their blog post, Navigating the Complexities of Identity in Today’s Legal Landscape, they highlight critical concerns for LGBTQ+ individuals when it comes to legal documentation, federal ID policies, and evolving threats to marriage and adoption rights. They emphasize not only what’s at stake, but also what’s still possible—and how estate planning can be a powerful tool of self-protection and affirmation.
Highlights from Munson Law’s Blog
- Name specificity and documentation can reduce confusion and prevent will contests.
- Using trusts and no-contest clauses can offer privacy and protect your wishes from being challenged by non-affirming family members.
- Working with affirming attorneys is essential to ensuring your documents match your lived identity and values.
Read the Full Legal Guide by Munson Law and Take Action: Click here!
The Role of Affirming Therapy in a Hostile Legal Climate: How Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting Can Help
As a queer-owned, LGBTQIA+ celebratory, and neuroaffirming practice, we at Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting recognize the emotional toll of navigating these systems. Not only have we been supporting our clients, but many of our staff have been navigating these challenges, including Estate Planning, ourselves. We feel the anxiety, made the calls, and asked the questions. We are figuring it out truly alongside of and with you.
We know our clients are deeply impacted by anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and feel paralyzed by fear, grief, and rage. You’re not alone in this. And while therapy can’t solve systemic injustice, it can help you process the trauma of these experiences, reconnect with your agency, and take empowered steps toward care and safety—including your legal planning.
We’re here for you. Be BOLD offers virtual therapy in NC, VA, and SC and has immediate openings for individuals, couples, families, and folks in relationships seeking affirming care. Whether you’re exploring your identity, coping with anxiety around legal precarity, or simply need space to process the weight of today’s world, our team is ready to support you. We have immediate availability, including nights (Monday through Friday until 8 or 9PM!) and Saturdays!
Be BOLD: Here to Support LGBTQIA+ Clients Across NC, VA, and SC
Click here to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with an LGBTQIA+ celebratory therapist today! Or, feel free to send us an email at info@beboldpsychnc.com!
We see you, we’ve got you, and we are fighting hard for you.
