Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

Federal Appeals Court Says It's OK for School to Teach Children's Book Encouraging Tolerance for Gay People (01/31/2008)
BOSTON – A Massachusetts federal appeals court today ruled that an elementary school can continue to use children's books that encourage tolerance for gay people. The ACLU cheers the decision, which rejected the claims of parents who said exposing their children to such books violated their ability to direct the religious training of their children.

ACLU Sues Florida High School for Suppressing Free Speech (01/31/2008)
PONCE DE LEON, FL - A Florida high school has been trampling the First Amendment rights of students who support equal rights for gay people, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union. In its lawsuit, the ACLU described an atmosphere of fear and censorship at Ponce de Leon High School, where the school board's attorney says even expressions like a rainbow sticker may mean students are members of an "illegal organization."

ACLU Demands Virginia High School Stop Censoring Gay Student (12/20/2007)
PORTSMOUTH, VA – The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded that a high school that punished a student for wearing a t-shirt featuring a lesbian pride symbol apologize to the student and guarantee that it will no longer illegally censor her in the future. School officials at I.C. Norcom High School had threatened the 17-year-old senior with suspension because a teacher was upset by her t-shirt, which bears an image of two overlapping female gender symbols.

Hate Crimes Provision Stripped from National Defense Authorization Act (12/06/2007)
Washington, DC – The ACLU today expressed its disappointment that Congress has stripped from the National Defense Authorization Act a provision that would have extended federal civil rights protections to individuals targeted for violent crimes based on their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. The Matthew Shepard Amendment would allow federal law enforcement officials to step in to prosecute hate crimes where local law enforcement can not, or will not.

Library of Congress Can Be Sued for Discriminating Against Transgender Veteran, Says Federal Court (11/28/2007)
WASHINGTON – Rejecting the federal government's attempt to throw out a transgender veteran's sex discrimination lawsuit against the Library of Congress, a federal judge ruled today that the case can go forward. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the lawsuit in June 2005 on behalf of 25-year U.S. Army veteran Diane Schroer who was offered a job as a senior terrorism researcher but was later told she was not a "good fit" after her future boss learned she was in the process of transitioning from male to female.

ACLU Challenges Dismissal of Lesbian Major From Air Force (11/05/2007)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the dismissal of a decorated U.S. Air Force flight nurse on the grounds that she engaged in homosexual conduct. The ACLU is representing Major Margaret Witt in her appeal of a lower court rejection of the lawsuit she filed in 2006.

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.