Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

Same-Sex Couples Appeal to California Supreme Court in Marriage Case (11/13/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -Today, attorneys representing same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition asked the California Supreme Court to decide whether barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the California Constitution.

Updated Second Edition of ACLU Publication "Too High a Price" Details How Children are Hurt by Restrictions Against Parenting by Gay People (11/13/2006)
NEW YORK –The American Civil Liberties Union released an updated second edition of its publication "Too High a Price: The Case Against Restricting Gay Parenting," which compiles decades of social science research, the positions of the major child health and welfare organizations and government data to show how children are hurt by restrictions on parenting by lesbian and gay men.

ACLU Cheers Unanimous New Jersey High Court Decision Saying State Can’t Bar Same-Sex Couples from Marriage Protections (10/25/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today cheered a unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court holding that it is unconstitutional for the state to bar same-sex couples from the hundreds of family protections the state provides through marriage. The court referred the matter to the state legislature, which has 180 days to either amend existing marriage laws or create some other system to give same-sex couples the same marriage protections under the law.

ACLU of Virginia Urges Manassas City Council Not to Discriminate Against Gay Business Owner (10/23/2006)
MANASSAS, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today urged the Manassas City Council not to deny a permit for a home-based massage therapy business simply because the owner is gay. Although the City Council has approved two other home-based massage businesses in the last two years -- and rejected none -- Howard Daniel’s request has provoked an unusual degree of opposition.

Divided California Court of Appeal Rejects Challenge to Discriminatory Marriage Law (10/05/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO - In a 2-1 decision that will be appealed to the California Supreme Court, a divided panel of the California Court of Appeal ruled today that the state may continue to bar same-sex couples from marriage.

ACLU and Lambda Legal Urge Federal Appeals Court to Reconsider Ruling Upholding Nebraska's Extreme Anti-Gay Family Law (07/28/2006)
— The American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal today asked a federal appeals court to reconsider its July 14th ruling upholding an extreme Nebraska law that bans all protections for same-sex couples.

Washington Supreme Court Fails to Uphold Marriage Equality (07/26/2006)
OLYMPIA, WA -- Reversing rulings in favor of marriage equality by two state courts, the Washington Supreme Court today found that the state’s ban on marriage by same-sex couples does not violate the state constitution. In the appeal of cases brought by 19 couples who wish to marry, the Court upheld the state’s Defense of Marriage Act of 1998 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

ACLU Helps Los Altos Community Reverse Gay Proclamation Ban (07/26/2006)
LOS ALTOS, CA -- The American Civil Liberties Union cheered a unanimous decision by the Los Altos city council rescinding a ban on proclamations having anything to do with sexual orientation that had passed in February.

Best Interests of Children Triumph Over Politics in Missouri (07/19/2006)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- The American Civil Liberties Union and PROMO, Missouri’s statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality organization, are very pleased with the new rule issued by the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) allowing lesbian and gay people to be considered as foster parents. DSS has rightly put the interests of children ahead of politics. The foster care system is in crisis, with thousands of foster children languishing in institutional and group facilities due to a severe shortage in foster homes. The new rule is a victory for the nearly 2,000 foster children in Missouri.