By John Miller, Lambda Legal Help Desk Attorney
For a lot of people, Lambda Legal shows up in their lives through a social media post, a press release, or a newsletter. But for folks facing discrimination—or anyone just looking for help or information—their first real interaction often comes through the Lambda Legal Help Desk.
The Help Desk is Lambda Legal’s public-facing front door. It’s where people come with legal questions, concerns, or experiences they want to share. And while we can’t give legal advice, we can help educate people about their rights, connect them with resources, and provide general information that may help them navigate their next steps.
In light of this year’s record-breaking surge in Help Desk requests,, I want to share what it’s like to do this work every day. As I reflect on the Help Desk’s growth these last few months and how it has informed Lambda Legal’s work, I hope this blog offers a snapshot of the kinds of issues our community is bringing to us—especially during this particularly tough time in our nation’s history.
A Day in My Shoes
I consider it a privilege to be a Help Desk attorney. I don’t take lightly the trust people place in us when they reach out—sometimes at the hardest moments in their lives.
To stay grounded and ready, I stick to a pretty regular routine. My mornings usually start between 7 and 8 a.m. with refrigerated oats, a glass of water, and some early attention from my cat, Dolores. From there, my day unfolds across calls, emails, and texts—listening, responding, and connecting people with the resources they need.
We meet regularly as a team to talk about emerging issues, how changes in ongoing legal cases might impact people, or trends we’re seeing in community outreach. After work, I usually go for a walk or spend time with friends. When I have a little extra time, I like to unwind by learning languages (right now, it’s Irish), reading (I’m working through “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers”), or watching soccer (go Angel City FC!).
It’s been especially important to keep a steady rhythm this year because the Help Desk has seen more activity and more urgent needs than we’ve had in a long time.
A Record Year—and Why It Matters
In 2024, we responded to 4,257 inquiries. This year? We surpassed that number in early June. The shift was immediate after the January inauguration, and we’ve been responding to a nonstop wave of outreach ever since.
These aren’t just numbers. They represent real people facing real harm—often due to discriminatory policies at the federal and state level. From this frontline vantage point, we not only support individuals; we gather data, spot trends, and feed insights back to our legal team. In fact, Help Desk inquiries have helped shape community resources, identify plaintiffs, and inform litigation now underway.
Trans Rights Under Attack
Two of the most urgent areas we’ve heard about this year are health care access and military discrimination—especially for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people.
Trans service members have been singled out under a discriminatory executive order which bans transgender military service and restricts veterans’ access to gender-affirming care. Some, like Commander Emily “Hawking” Shilling (the lead plaintiff in Shilling v. United States), have courageously stepped forward as plaintiffs in our lawsuits. But not everyone can—or wants to—be in the spotlight. For everyone else, the Help Desk is here. We’ve helped trans veterans understand how to document delays and denials of care and where to turn for help.
Some callers have reported Veterans Affairs doctors being let go for offering gender-affirming care. Others are seeing new barriers to medication access, appointment scheduling, and even basic treatment. While the legal battle continues, we’re doing everything we can to offer clarity and connection.
Discriminatory Passport Policies Caused a Surge
Another major driver of calls? Passports.
After the so-called “Gender Order,” the State Department abruptly changed how it processes gender marker updates. The result was confusion, fear, and an immediate spike in Help Desk activity.
To put it in perspective: in February 2024, we received 294 inquiries. In February 2025, we received 1,338. And the trend continued through March, with most of those inquiries involving passport concerns — from students planning study abroad programs to parents worried about international travel and people afraid their mismatched documents might get them stopped at the border—or worse. To be clear, there have been no confirmed reports of passport seizures or detentions, but the fear (and misinformation) is real.
To help inform the community, we worked with our legal team to publish a comprehensive resource on identity documents, including travel tips for transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and intersex people. The stories we heard through the Help Desk played a key role in building the case behind Schlacter v. U.S. Department of State, which challenges the legality of the passport restrictions.
The Heart of Our Work
You won’t always see the Help Desk in news stories or press releases, but behind the scenes, this is where we first hear what our communities are going through. Every inquiry is a reminder of the stakes. And every day, I’m reminded of the strength, courage, and dignity of the people we serve.
If you or someone you love is facing discrimination, please reach out. We can offer general information on your rights, education resources, or help connect you with a local attorney in your area. Start by filling out the Help Desk’s online intake form. And if you do reach out, it just might be me (and Dolores) on the other end of the line.
Together, we’re here. We’re listening. And we’re fighting back.