Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

California Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Appeal in Lawsuits Seeking Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (12/20/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the national ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project welcomed today's decision by the state Supreme Court to hear appeals in six lawsuits seeking marriage for same-sex couples. The ACLU, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, Equality California, Heller Ehrman LLP and the Law Office of David C. Codell represent a group of same-sex couples in one of the six marriage lawsuits.

ACLU Supports New Jersey Civil Union Bill as a Step Toward Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (12/14/2006)
NEWARK, N.J. - The American Civil Liberties Union expressed support for a civil union bill passed today by the New Jersey Legislature as a significant step toward ensuring that gay and lesbian couples are afforded equal treatment. Although pleased that same-sex couples will now have access to hundreds of family protections, the ACLU will continue to press the state legislature for marriage.

Hillsborough County Schools Keep Open-Door Policy for Gay-Straight Alliances (12/13/2006)
TAMPA, FL - Students, parents and community leaders today commended the Hillsborough County School Board for rejecting a proposal to turn away students from extracurricular activities if they do not have a permission slip.

Trial for Orange County Teen 'Outed' by Principal Concludes (12/12/2006)
ORANGE, CA - The trial of an Orange County teenager who filed a lawsuit last year against the Garden Grove Unified School District in an effort to stop discrimination and harassment of gay and lesbian students on campus concluded Tuesday.

ACLU and Equality Maryland Urge Maryland High Court to Strike Down Law Banning Same-Sex Couples from Marriage (12/04/2006)
ANNAPOLIS, MD – A group of same-sex couples and a gay widower appeared before Maryland’s highest court today to urge the court to strike down a state law that bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections provided to married couples and their children. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Maryland brought the legal challenge in cooperation with Equality Maryland arguing that Maryland law barring same-sex couples from marriage and its many family protections violates the state constitution.

Maryland Psychologists, Social Workers, and Child Welfare Advocates Speak Out in Support of Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (11/30/2006)
BALTIMORE – In advance of oral arguments before Maryland’s high court, prominent Maryland psychologists, social workers, and child welfare advocates spoke out today in support of marriage for same-sex couples. At a press conference this morning at the Maryland chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, representatives of these groups stressed extensive, consistent scientific evidence showing that children raised by lesbian and gay couples develop as well as children raised by heterosexual couples.

California High School Journalists Win Free Speech Victory (11/16/2006)
LOS ANGELES - A Kern County judge is expected to issue a court order today that will ensure that Bakersfield high school students are not wrongly censored and that student free speech rights in the Kern School District are preserved.

ACLU Sues to Enforce Equal Access for Gay-Straight Alliance at Okeechobee High School (11/15/2006)
OKEECHOBEE, FL – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today filed a lawsuit against the School Board of Okeechobee County after school district administrators unlawfully prevented students who formed the Gay-Straight Alliance of Okeechobee High School (GSA) to meet on high school grounds. School officials denied official recognition to the GSA even though many other extracurricular clubs – including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Key Club, and the Rodeo team – are officially recognized and meet regularly on school grounds.