As you get ready to celebrate the holidays, we hope you will consider giving the gift of LGBT equality by having three conversations with friends and family members about what it means to be LGBT. Opinion research shows that people are much more likely to support equality when they’ve had an opportunity to get to know what it really means for someone to be LGBT. The best way to let others what it’s like is through personal conversations. And no, you don’t have to be LGBT to have these conversations. You can talk about LGBT people you’ve known.
Today a Florida circuit court today struck down a state law that bars lesbians and gay men from adopting (see yesterday's blog post for more about the case). The court granted adoptions to our client Martin Gill, a North Miami resident who, along with his partner, has been raising two foster children since 2004.
The court ruled that the ban violated the equal protection guarantees of the state constitution because it singles out gay people and children raised by gay people for different treatment for no rational reason. The court also found that the ban denies children the right to permanency provided by federal and state law under the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
Tonight voters in Florida approved an amendment to the state constitution that bars lesbian and gay couples from marriage. This is obviously very disappointing to the many lesbian and gay couples in the state who form lasting commitments just like straight couples and need legal protections for their
ACLU client Constance McMillen made headlines this spring when her Mississippi high school took the extraordinary step of canceling the school prom rather than allow her to go with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. But as humiliating as that experience was — she was eventually sent to a "decoy" prom that was attended by only a few other students while the rest of her classmates attended a private prom 30 miles away — McMillen has reason to be proud of this pride season. This evening she will join President Obama at a White House ceremony recognizing the contributions of LGBT Americans. Sunday, she will be a grand marshal in New York City's pride celebration. She has also been asked to participate in pride celebrations in Los Angeles and San Diego, and is the guest of honor this Friday night at the "All Love, All Woodstock" party in Woodstock, N.Y.
On April 15, the Texas State Board of Education released amendments to the state's social studies curriculum that essentially rewrite history to comport with the personal ideological and religious beliefs of some members of the board.
After meeting on Monday with the ACLU of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice has agreed to investigate the brutal murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado as a hate crime. The Department of Justice has also agreed to work with the ACLU to train Judges and prosecutors on hate crimes prosecutions.
We have learned that the Department of Justice will not be seeking an appeal in transgender veteran Diane Schroer’s victory against the Library of Congress. This is, of course, great news. It means that our case against the Library of Congress is final and that the groundbreaking federal court decision ruling that transgender people are protected by Title VII will stand. It shows that the Obama administration had decided to put some muscle behind its promises to help end discrimination against transgender peoples. And it means that Diane won’t have to wait through a lengthy appeal process before getting the $491,190 that is due her from the government for the discrimination she faced by the Library of Congress.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a classroom discussion on bullying at the University of Puerto Rico High School in San Juan. Our Puerto Rico chapter is working with a number of students at the school who have developed a very effective anti-bullying presentation. I got to see the presentation being given to a 10th grade history class of about 25 students.
Yesterday afternoon the Federal Appeals Court for the 9th Circuit dealt a significant blow to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The ACLU of Washington represents a decorated Air Force Major, Margaret Witt, who was discharged for being in a relationship with another woman.
The ACLU filed an appeal brief last Friday in its lawsuit against a Louisiana school district that segregates students by sex. The ACLU is representing two girls who attend the Rene A. Rost Middle School in Vermilion Parish School District in Kaplan, Louisiana. Two weeks before classes were to begin last fall, the mother of our clients learned that the school would be segregating the students by sex in all of the core curriculum classes in all grades in the school.
ACLU client 