Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

Federal Court Agrees with ACLU: Schools Can Protect Both Gay Students and Religious Speech (10/26/2007)
CINCINNATI - A federal appeals court today agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union, ruling that a school policy designed to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students from harassment went too far in squelching the right of some religious students to express their views on homosexuality.

African American Leaders Launch "Maryland Black Family Alliance" (10/25/2007)
BALTIMORE – In a landmark effort to foster dialogue within black communities across Maryland on the principles of fairness, justice and equality for all families, a group of prominent Maryland African American allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities gathered today at Morgan State University to announce the formation of the Maryland Black Family Alliance (MBFA). The founding members of the MBFA come from all walks of life -- elected officials, ministers, professors, medical doctors and community activists. The group is a growing coalition of black families and leaders of many faiths who know that discrimination is wrong and that it damages everyone when any group of Americans is excluded from the legal protections that other Americans enjoy.

House Committee Advances ENDA Legislation that Splits LGBT Community, ACLU Urges One Bill for One Community (10/18/2007)
WASHINGTON – The House Committee on Education and Labor today passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill the ACLU cannot support because it abandons the transgender community. The first iteration of ENDA this session would have made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but the bill that passed out of committee today would allow transgender workers to suffer from discrimination at work with no protection or recourse.

ACLU Urges Wisconsin Supreme Court to Bar Municipalities from Becoming Parties to Lawsuit Seeking Domestic Partner Health Insurance (10/03/2007)
MADISON, WI – In an appearance before the Wisconsin Supreme Court today, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the court to deny requests from a number of municipalities to become parties to a lawsuit seeking domestic partner benefits for lesbian and gay employees of the state. The ACLU explained that there is no reason to allow the municipalities to become parties to the lawsuit, which is already being vigorously defended by the state’s attorney general.

ACLU Cheers Free-Speech Friendly Hate Crimes Legislation (09/27/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the passage of the Matthew Shepard Amendment to the Defense Department authorization bill that for the first time punishes hate crimes without infringing on free speech. The amendment, offered by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), will broaden the definition of hate crimes and give more resources to local districts unable to investigate them single-handedly.

Religious, Civil Rights, and Child Advocacy Groups Support Same-Sex Couples in Legal Battle to Marry (09/26/2007)
SAN FRANCISCO - In 30 amicus briefs submitted today to the California Supreme Court, scores of religious, civil rights, and child advocacy organizations, along with numerous California municipal governments, bar associations, and leading legal scholars, urged the court to put an end to state laws that deny same-sex couples the protections of marriage.

School Board Allows Gay-Straight Alliance Club in Rockton, Illinois (09/20/2007)
ROCKTON, IL -- After months of controversy and warnings from the American Civil Liberties Union that blocking a gay-straight alliance club from forming would violate federal law, a school board in Rockton, Illinois voted late Wednesday night to allow the club to meet on campus. The board's 5-2 vote reversed an earlier decision by a board committee that had recommended the board ban the club.

ACLU Asks Georgia Appeals Court to Dismiss Jail Sentence for Lesbian Mother (09/19/2007)
ATLANTA -- The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Georgia Court of Appeals to dismiss a county judge's contempt order and jail sentence against a lesbian mother. Earlier this year, Wilkinson County Judge John Lee Parrott ordered that the child Elizabeth Hadaway hopes to adopt be taken away for three months because Hadaway is a lesbian, and now Hadaway is battling an order from the same judge that she spend as many as ten days in jail.

ACLU and Equality Maryland Denounce 4 to 3 Decision by Maryland High Court Denying Marriage Protections for Same-Sex Couples (09/18/2007)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The American Civil Liberties Union and Equality Maryland today denounced the divided Maryland Court of Appeals decision upholding a state law that bars same-sex couples from marrying and accessing the hundreds of family protections provided to married couples and their children under state law.

New ACLU Report, Working in the Shadows, Explains Why Congress Should Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (09/17/2007)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union issued a report today that shows why Congress should pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The act is expected to be voted out of committee later this month. Working in the Shadows: Ending Employment Discrimination for LGBT Americans uses the stories of workers from across the country who have experienced workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to make the case for passage of the bill.