PHILADELPHIA, PA — Angela Giampolo, a Philadelphia lawyer, is embarking on a mobile legal service this June. She’ll journey in an RV named “Caravan of Hope” across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, offering life-changing legal advice – free of charge – she’ll also be marrying people, doing transgender gender name changes, and adoptions. Her mission is to ensure every LGBTQ+ member receives access to legal aid. It’s a much-needed initiative in states without laws to curb discrimination.
“There are so many people who need legal services but can’t afford them,” Giampolo said. “I want to be able to help as many people as possible, and this seemed like the best way to do that.”
Giampolo will be traveling in an RV, which she has dubbed the “Caravan of Hope,” throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She plans to make stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Alabama and multiple other cities.
The Caravan of Hope seeks to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people have access to legal services. Alleviating the burdens and stress experienced by the most vulnerable in the LGBTQ+ community and ensuring that people living in rural communities have access to the resources they need to thrive.
“The sad reality however is that LGBTQ+ individuals in the 29 states without state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, consistently see greater disparities than in the other states, including less social acceptance and greater economic vulnerability, especially among African-American LGBT and individual transgender people. There is work to be done!” Giampolo said.
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