Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

ACLU of Tennessee Files Appeal Over Passage of Anti-Marriage Amendment (02/23/2006)
NASHVILLE – The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee today announced an appeal to the State Supreme Court after Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled to allow an anti-marriage amendment to go forward.

ACLU Hails Federal Court Ruling on School Trainings Aimed at Reducing Anti-Gay Harassment (02/18/2006)
ASHLAND, KY – In a strongly-worded opinion, a federal judge ruled late Friday that there is no religious right to stay out of school trainings aimed at reducing anti-gay harassment. The American Civil Liberties Union entered the case when a national conservative legal organization filed a lawsuit seeking to exempt students from an anti-harassment training implemented in response to an earlier ACLU case.

Missouri Judge Rules That Lesbian Can Be Foster Parent (02/17/2006)
KANSAS CITY, MO – A Jackson County Circuit Court judge today overturned a Missouri Department of Social Services decision denying a woman’s application to become a foster parent because she is a lesbian. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the applicant, Lisa Johnston, in challenging the denial, hailed the ruling as an important move towards increasing the pool of qualified foster parents for the nearly 2,000 children in Missouri who need foster homes.

ACLU Promises to Appeal Marriage Case for Same-Sex Couples to New York’s Highest Court (02/16/2006)
ALBANY – The American Civil Liberties Union today promised to appeal to New York’s highest court after an intermediate court refused to strike down a state law that bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections afforded to married couples.

Oral Arguments Held in Federal Appeals Court: ACLU and Lambda Legal Urge Court to Uphold Prior Ruling Striking Down Extreme Antigay Nebraska Law Banning All Protections for Same-Sex Couples (02/13/2006)
ST. LOUIS - In oral arguments today at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the America Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal urged the court to uphold a lower court ruling which struck down the extreme antigay family law in Nebraska banning all protections for the relationships of same-sex couples.

Gay Airline Employee Denied Free Roundtrip Tickets Won at Northwest Airlines Holiday Party (02/09/2006)
LOS ANGELES – Northwest Airlines violated California's anti-discrimination laws when it refused to allow a gay couple to use tickets an employee won at a holiday party, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said today in a letter urging the company to change its policies.

Six Same-Sex Couples Urge Florida Supreme Court to Strike Initiative Threatening Families of Same-Sex Couples (02/08/2006)
TALLAHASSEE, FL –An anti-gay proposed Constitutional amendment that failed to gather enough signatures to be placed on the 2006 ballot should be thrown out altogether because it deceives voters, the American Civil Liberties Union argued before the Florida Supreme Court today.

Judge Blasts Hawai’i Juvenile Detention Facility for Pervasive Harassment of Gay and Transgender Youth (02/08/2006)
HONOLULU – In the first case in the country to specifically address the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in juvenile facilities, a federal judge has agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union that conditions at the Hawai’i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) are dangerous, that harassment is pervasive, and that the facility is “in a state of chaos.”

ACLU of Florida Warns School Board Not to Deny Students' Right to Form Gay-Straight Alliances (02/06/2006)
TAMPA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today issued a stern warning to the Hillsborough County School Board and the Extracurricular Clubs Task Force that denying students' right to form Gay-Straight Alliances violates federal law.

ACLU Says Charges Against Southern Baptist Minister Accused of Soliciting Sex with Another Man Should be Dismissed (02/01/2006)
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging an Oklahoma court to dismiss charges against a Southern Baptist minister who was arrested for soliciting private sex with another male.