About me
Simone Chriss is a civil rights attorney, and the Director of the Transgender Rights Initiative, at the non-profit public interest organization Southern Legal Counsel (SLC). Chriss developed the organizations’ Transgender Rights Initiative in 2017 to fill a gap in access to justice for the transgender community in Florida by systemically providing assistance in areas such as access to legal name and gender marker changes, obtaining accurate IDs, protection from discriminatory laws and policies, representation in accessing a safe and affirming school and work environment, and more.
Chriss utilizes federal impact litigation to challenge discriminatory laws and policies that infringe upon the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, and is currently lead counsel for SLC on several federal lawsuits against the state of Florida, including Dekker v. Weida, Case No. 4:22-cv-00325 (N.D. Fla. 2022) (striking down Florida’s discriminatory Medicaid ban on gender-affirming care); Jane Doe v. Surgeon General Ladapo, Case No. 4:23-cv-00114 (N.D. Fla. 2023) (permanently enjoining Florida’s law and rules criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors and restricting it for adults); Wood v. Fla. Department of Education, Case No. 4:23-cv-00526 (N.D. Fla. 2023) (challenging the provision of the Florida law known as “Don’t Say Gay/Trans” that prohibits transgender teachers from using their affirmed pronouns and titles); and others.
Chriss conducts LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings and transgender rights trainings statewide and nationally, she works statewide to ensure all LGBTQ+ students in Florida have access to a safe and affirming learning environment, and she works with the UF Health Youth Gender Program through a Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) to provide free legal assistance to trans patients and their families to address health-harming legal needs.
Chriss was selected by the National LGBTQ+ Bar as one of the “40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40.” Her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community has been recognized statewide and nationally, including but not limited to: receiving the “Fearless Children’s Lawyer Award” from the American Bar Association (ABA); receiving the first ever “Presidential Citation” from the Florida Psychological Association in recognition of her tireless work seeking to protect the rights, mental health and wellbeing of transgender individuals in Florida; and receiving the “Outstanding Recent Alumni Award” from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, the “Allan H. Terl Civil Rights Award” from the Public Interest Law Section of The Florida Bar, the “Exceptional Community Impact by an Individual” Award from the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, the “Voice for Equality” award from Equality Florida, among others.
Chriss is a member of The Florida Bar, the bars of the U.S. Northern, Middle, and Southern District Courts of Florida, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Chriss is also a member of the Executive Council of the Public Interest Law Section of the Florida Bar.
