Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

Congressman Barney Frank in Orlando September 10 for Special ACLU Foundation of Florida Benefit (08/31/2005)
MIAMI - U.S. Congressman Barney Frank -- the funniest Congressman in Washington according to a 2004 survey of Capitol Hill staffers published in Washingtonian magazine -- will be in Orlando Saturday, September 10 for a special event benefiting the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida.

ACLU Urges Maryland Court to Strike Down Law Barring Same-Sex Couples from Marriage Protections (08/30/2005)
BALTIMORE - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a Maryland circuit court to strike down a state law than bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections afforded to married couples.

Maryland Religious Leaders Join Together to Support Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (08/29/2005)
BALTIMORE - Religious leaders from throughout the state convened today at a local church to express their support for providing same-sex couples with the legal protections of marriage. The gathering took place on the eve of a hearing on the constitutionality of Maryland law that bars same-sex couples from marriage. The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union with the support of Equality Maryland, the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, was filed on behalf of nine same-sex couples and a recently widowed man.

ACLU Persuades Utah to Approve Personalized License Plates with Gay-Positive Messages (07/27/2005)
SALT LAKE CITY -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah today applauded the state tax commission's ruling that it will, for the first time, approve personalized license plates with gay-positive messages. The decision, which the ACLU called a win for free speech, comes after the organization appealed an earlier denial of three such plates.

ACLU Asks Missouri Judge to Let Lesbian Become Foster Parent (07/21/2005)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed court papers today on behalf of a woman deemed ""exceptionally"" qualified to become a foster mother whose application was denied because she is a lesbian. The ACLU is asking the court to overturn an earlier administrative ruling upholding the denial.

ACLU Sets Record Straight on Costs of Domestic Partner Benefits (07/14/2005)
MADISON, WI -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed legal papers today urging a Madison judge to exclude the state legislature from interfering in a lawsuit seeking domestic partner benefits for lesbian and gay employees of the state. The ACLU charges that the legislators behind the move are misrepresenting the costs of the benefits to disguise their real motives for aligning themselves with the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund.

ACLU Asks Judge to Reopen Kentucky Gay-Straight Alliance Case (07/06/2005)
ASHLAND, KY -- The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal judge to reopen a lawsuit it brought two years ago on behalf of several students who had sought to form a gay-straight alliance (GSA) at Boyd County High School. In a motion filed today, the ACLU points to failures by the school district to keep up its end of the agreement to provide a mandatory training focused on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

California Supreme Court Clears the Way for Comprehensive Domestic Partnership Protections for Same-Sex Couples (06/29/2005)
SACRAMENTO -- The California Supreme Court today refused to hear an appeal in a case by anti-gay activists challenging the state's comprehensive domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples. The Court's order cleared the only remaining hurdle to the law, which became effective in January, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

ACLU and Los Angeles School District Settle Anti-Gay Harassment Case (06/29/2005)
LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the law firm Millbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy announced today that they have reached a settlement in their lawsuit charging that teachers and staff at Washington Preparatory High School regularly harassed gay and lesbian students.

ACLU Secures Promise from Missouri High School to Stop Censoring Student's Gay-Supportive T-Shirts (06/23/2005)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has secured assurances from a Missouri high school that it will no longer censor a student from wearing t-shirts expressing her support for gay rights. In return, the ACLU has agreed to end a censorship lawsuit that began in April.