Community Partner : FreeState Justice Intern : Anthony Boutros Site Supervisor : Mark Procopio
What is FreeState Justice ? FreeState Justice is a social justice and legal advocacy organization that works statewide to improve the lives of LGBTQ Marylanders and their families through legal services , policy advocacy , outreach , education , and coalition-building . Our work brings to the forefront the experiences of youth , communities of color , low-income individuals , and transgender and gender non-conforming people .
" Waking up at 8:00 a . m . to catch an 8:30 a . m . public bus just so I can walk four blocks in the smoldering temperatures of a Baltimore summer heat wave sounds like hell .
And it would be … especially for a morning-hating , alarm-snoozing , pillow-clutching , sweat-loathing person like me .
Yet , at the expense of sounding like a hopeless romantic , it became one of my favorite journeys because of the passionate , driven , hilarious , kind ( and I can ’ t forget extremely competitive !) co-workers and friends on the other side .
The summer has become a collage of memories : Jen hurling her body from the conference room chair to the floor in a game of Head ’ s Up during the first annual FreeState Justice Game Night Extraveganza TM ; Mark allowing me and the million jittering butterflies in my stomach to accompany him to an event with Mayor Pugh and Senator VanHollen ; Laura explaining the nuances of Maryland law relating to gender and name changes for transgender people .
Yet the result of this summer is undeniable : I have a FreeState family ." -Anthony
• Nonprofit management
• Grant writing
• Policy research
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