Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights : Discrimination

ACLU Defends Blogger's Right to Parody "Ex-Gay" Group (03/22/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO – Citing First Amendment protection for parodies, the American Civil Liberties Union today came to the defense of a California man who received a cease-and-desist letter after posting a parody of a billboard advertisement for so-called “reparative therapy” on his website.

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.

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.

Law Schools Shouldn't Be Forced to Accommodate Military Recruiters, Says ACLU (12/06/2005)
WASHINGTON – In a case being argued today, the American Civil Liberties Union urges the Supreme Court to rule that it is unconstitutional for Congress to force law schools that object to discrimination against gay people to give the military access to their recruitment programs. The ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

ACLU Applauds Unanimous Kansas Supreme Court Decision Reversing Conviction of Gay Teen Unfairly Punished under "Romeo and Juliet" Law (10/21/2005)
ACLU Applauds Unanimous Kansas Supreme Court Decision Reversing Conviction of Gay Teen Unfairly Punished under ""Romeo and Juliet"" Law

ACLU of Tennessee Files Lawsuit Challenging State Amendment Banning Marriages for Same-Sex Couples (04/21/2005)
NASHVILLE -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed a lawsuit today challenging a proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that would ban same-sex couples from being able to marry in the state. The lawsuit charges that the state failed to meet notification requirements as outlined in the state constitution.

ACLU and Basic Rights Oregon Undeterred After Oregon Supreme Court Delays Ruling on Issue of Fairness for Lesbian and Gay Couples (04/14/2005)
PORTLAND, OR -- The American Civil Liberties Union and Basic Rights Oregon today said they were disappointed but undeterred by the Oregon Supreme Court's decision to delay ruling on the underlying issue of fairness for same-sex couples in a lawsuit brought by the groups.

ACLU Cheers Decision by California Appeals Court Removing Legal Challenge to Domestic Partnership Law (04/04/2005)
SACRAMENTO- The American Civil Liberties Union today cheered a decision by California's Court of Appeal throwing out a legal challenge by anti-gay activists to the state's comprehensive domestic partnership law.

ACLU Files Discrimination Lawsuit on Behalf of Couple Kicked Out of Health Care Center Because They Are Lesbian (02/24/2005)
SYRACUSE, NY - The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a discrimination lawsuit today on behalf of a Utica couple kicked out of the wellness program at the Charles T. Sitrin Health Care Center, Inc., because they are lesbian. One of the plaintiffs suffers from severe osteoarthritis and other medical conditions and needs to use the facility's pool to avoid losing her leg.

Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Fornication Law (01/14/2005)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia applauded a state Supreme Court ruling today that strikes down a law banning sexual relations between unmarried persons.

NYCLU Files Same-Sex Benefits Lawsuit on Behalf of Rochester Woman (01/13/2005)
ROCHESTER, NY -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court on behalf of a Rochester woman seeking health care benefits for her female partner whom she married in Canada.

Santa Monica Housing Authority Agrees to End Discrimination Against Gay Couple (12/09/2004)
LOS ANGELES - In response to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Housing Authority of Santa Monica today agreed to allow a gay man on disability to live with his partner of 10 years.

ACLU Resumes Challenge to Arkansas Anti-Gay Foster Care Policy (10/05/2004)
LITTLE ROCK - After a six-month delay, the American Civil Liberties Union's challenge to an Arkansas policy that prevents lesbian and gay people and anyone living in a household with a gay adult from being foster parents will resume today in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County with a new expert witness for the state.

ACLU Ends Discrimination Lawsuit Against the University of Pittsburgh Following Decision to Provide Equal Benefits to Gay Employees (10/05/2004)
PITTSBURGH - Following a decision by the University of Pittsburgh to provide domestic partner health coverage to its lesbian and gay employees, the American Civil Liberties Union today withdrew a legal challenge to the university's prior refusal to provide the benefits, ending an eight-year legal battle.

In Legal First, Appeals Court Says Texas Prison Officials Can Be Sued for Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation (09/09/2004)
WASHINGTON, DC- In a legal first, a unanimous federal appeals court has ruled that seven ranking Texas prison officials can be sued for damages due to discrimination based on sexual orientation, the American Civil Liberties Union announced today. The ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals came in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of a gay man who was repeatedly raped by prison gangs and whose pleas for help were ignored by officials.

Kansas Supreme Court Hears Appeal of Gay Teen Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (08/31/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reduce the sentence of a young man who is serving 16 years more in prison than he would if he were heterosexual because of Kansas's so-called ""Romeo and Juliet"" law. The law makes sexual relations with a minor a lesser crime if both people are teens, but only applies to opposite-sex relations.

Decision Leaves Door Open for Eventual End of Military Sodomy Law, ACLU Says (08/23/2004)
NEW YORK - Sidestepping the crucial question of whether the military can still regulate the private sexual lives of its personnel, the military's highest court today upheld an Air Force Sergeant's sodomy conviction on narrow grounds.

Social Workers Speak Out on Behalf of Gay Teen Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (08/09/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and its Kansas chapter are joining the American Civil Liberties Union in asking the Kansas Supreme Court to reverse the conviction of a teenager who is serving a prison sentence 13 times longer than he would have received if he were heterosexual.

ACLU Asks Kansas Supreme Court to Drop 17-Year Prison Sentence of Gay Teenager (06/24/2004)
TOPEKA, KS - In a brief filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reverse a 17-year conviction for a teenager who would have only had to serve 15 months if he were heterosexual.