Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

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.

ACLU Praises House Subcommittee Hearing on Employment Non-Discrimination Act (09/05/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education & Labor Committee for its consideration of HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Co-sponsored by Representatives Barney Frank (D – MA), Deborah Pryce (R – OH), Tammy Baldwin (D – WI), and Christopher Shays (R –CT), this bipartisan legislation is aimed at protecting individuals from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Marriage Lawsuit Advances to California Supreme Court (08/17/2007)
SAN FRANCISCO -- In briefs filed today with the California Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal argue that California violates its own constitution by denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry.

ACLU Joins National Gay Rights Groups Calling on Fort Lauderdale City Commission to Condemn Mayor's Anti-Gay Remarks (08/02/2007)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today announced it has joined forces with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in an open letter calling on the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission to promptly pass a resolution condemning Mayor Naugle's recent series of hostile remarks about the City's gay community. In recent years the City has become a prime vacation venue for gay tourists.

Federal Judge Reunites Gay Couple Barred from Seeing Each Other After Release from Prison (08/01/2007)
PHILADELPHIA - A federal judge issued an opinion today allowing a long-term gay couple to resume contact with each other while completing the period of supervision imposed on them as part of a drug sentence. The ACLU, which represented the couple, cheers the court’s historic decision recognizing that same-sex couples are equally protected by the Constitution and must be treated the same as other families.

ACLU Tells Federal Court It Can Protect Both Gay Students and Free Speech (07/25/2007)
CINCINNATI – The American Civil Liberties Union today told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 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. The group insists, however, that schools can protect students from anti-gay harassment constitutionally.