Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

Religious and Civil Rights Groups Support Same-Sex Couples in Legal Battle to Marry (01/10/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO -- In eight friend-of-the-court briefs filed Monday with the California Court of Appeal, more than more than 250 religious and civil rights organizations urged the court to put an end to state laws that deny same-sex couples the protections of marriage. The Court is hearing the State’s appeal of the March 2005 decision by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer, which held that California’s current statutory ban on marriage of same-sex couples violates the California Constitution.

ACLU of Florida Creates John C. Graves Gay Rights Fellowship with Grant from Community Foundation of Broward (12/29/2005)
MIAMI -- Thanks in part to a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Broward, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today announced that it has created the John C. Graves Fellowship to advance gay and lesbian rights, and hired attorney Robert Rosenwald Jr. to lead the group's statewide efforts to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation.

ACLU Asks Court to Uphold Kentucky School’s Training Aimed at Reducing Anti-Gay Harassment (12/20/2005)
ASHLAND, KY – The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal court to dismiss the parts of a lawsuit aimed at shutting down a court-ordered anti-harassment training at a Kentucky school district, but agreed with the plaintiffs that the district’s earlier policy violated student free speech rights.

ACLU Urges Arkansas Supreme Court to Uphold Ruling (12/19/2005)
LITTLE ROCK – Joined by an array of national child advocacy organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief today asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to uphold an earlier court decision striking down a state regulation that banned gay people and anyone living in a household with a gay adult from being foster parents in the state. The trial court had found that living with gay or lesbian parents doesn’t harm children.

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.

Federal Judge Rules That High Schools Cannot Out Lesbian and Gay Students (12/01/2005)
LOS ANGELES – A federal judge has ruled that an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed on behalf of Charlene Nguon, an Orange County high school senior, and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network can proceed, rejecting the school’s motion that it was within its rights to reveal the student’s sexual orientation without her permission.

Following ACLU Lawsuit, Colorado Springs High School Ends Second-Class Status for Gay-Straight Alliance (11/22/2005)
DENVER -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today announced a settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit it had filed against Colorado Springs School District 11 on behalf of the Palmer High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in 2003. The school board approved the settlement at its meeting Monday evening.

Civil Rights Groups in New Mexico Denounce High School Contest Soliciting Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice Student Essays (11/22/2005)
FARMINGTON, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups are protesting an essay contest at Farmington's Piedra Vista High School that asked students to explain why preserving marriage between men and women is vital society and why unborn children merit respect and protection.

ACLU of Utah Files Friend-of-the-Court Brief in Support of Domestic Partner Benefits for Salt Lake City Employees (11/11/2005)
SALT LAKE CITY -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a Salt Lake City executive order that extends health and other employment benefits to city employees’ same-sex and unmarried heterosexual domestic partners.

ACLU, NCLR, and Lambda Legal Urge California Appeals Court to Affirm Decision Ending Unfairness Against Same-Sex Couples in Marriage (11/09/2005)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal are filing a brief before a California appeals court today urging the court to affirm a lower court decision saying it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the ability to marry.