Justice Named: Living your true life with a little love from Philly AIDS Thrift

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and Philly AIDS Thrift recognize the importance of living your true life. Part of living your true life means self-determination over your body, your health care, your possessions, and your identity.

Tonight, at the main store at 5th and Bainbridge, Philly AIDS Thrift will present a $13,000 check to the AIDS Law Project to support our “Your Life, Your Decisions” Program.

Through this program, we represent clients in preparing estate documents, obtaining identification documents, and legally changing names. Our services are available to people living with or at risk for HIV in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. We developed this program in recognition that vulnerable populations, such as LGBT older adults, clients of Prevention Point Philadelphia, the city’s only legal needle exchange, and the transgender community are less likely to have the documents they need. As the majority of our clients are low income, free document preparation ensures peace of mind for individuals who would not otherwise have access to an attorney.

Identification and estate planning documents provide a fundamental level of security for our clients. These documents range from things such as identification documents that are crucial to engage in the daily activities of life to the planning documents that allow people peace of mind that their health care wishes will be honored and their property will be distributed appropriately.

Legal name change is a necessary first step in having identification documents that confirm a person’s chosen name, and mitigating the pain and humiliation of being mis-gendered or being called a name they no longer use.

We are grateful that Philly AIDS Thrift is here to provide financial support for communities that are vulnerable and in need.