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Atlanta Lesbian Couple 'Related' Through Vermont Civil Union, ACLU Says in Appeal of Custody Case (07/17/2001)
ATLANTA, GA - A woman being denied visitation with her own children because she lives with her same-sex partner should be allowed to see her kids because she and her partner are ""related"" by a Vermont civil union, the American Civil Liberties Union said in court papers filed today. 

Constitutional Amendment Would Ban Gay Marriage (07/12/2001)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An anti-gay organization "dedicated to promoting marriage and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families in the United States" today announced the launch of a campaign to add an amendment to the United States Constitution defining marriage as "the union of a man and a woman," gay.com/PlanetOut.com network reported. 

ACLU Denounces Proposed Anti-Gay Constitutional Amendment That Would Deny Millions of American Families Their Fundamental Rights (07/11/2001)
WASHINGTON - Saying it would deprive millions of families of their most fundamental rights, the American Civil Liberties Union today denounced a new proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution as an unwarranted attempt to limit liberty in the United States. 

Ruling 7-0, NY High Court Says Policies That Tie Benefits To Marriage Might Disadvantage Gays (07/02/2001)
NEW YORK - The highest court in New York state today unanimously ruled that university policies that require couples to be married in order to qualify for subsidized housing can be challenged as discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

Court OKs City's Partner-Benefits Requirement (06/15/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal court has upheld a city's right to do business only with companies that treat their gay and lesbian employees fairly, the Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network reported. 

Washington Court Urged to Support Fairness in Employee Benefits (05/31/2001)
OLYMPIA, WA--The American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund today urged the Washington Supreme Court to support fair and equal treatment for domestic partners of public employees. 

ACLU Comments on Lawsuit Over Health Benefits for Domestic Partners of Univ. of Pittsburgh Employees (05/22/2001)
PITTSBURGH -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Pittsburgh have engaged in extensive litigation during the past years about whether the University is required to extend health insurance coverage to lesbian and gay employees' domestic partners in Henson, et al. v. University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations). The University currently provides such benefits to heterosexual employees' spouses.

New York High Court Hears Arguments in ACLU Case Charging Yeshiva University with Anti-Gay Housing Bias (04/24/2001)
NEW YORK - The first lawsuit in the nation challenging anti-gay policies in university housing goes before New York state's highest court today, as the Court of Appeals in Albany hears arguments in the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against Yeshiva University. 

Gay and Lesbian Partners Seek State Benefits (04/18/2001)
ANCHORAGE, AK -- Attorneys for nine gay and lesbian public employees and their domestic partners argued in Anchorage Superior Court Tuesday that it is unconstitutional for the state and the Municipality of Anchorage to deny them health insurance and pension benefits equal to those married couples receive, the Anchorage Daily News reported. According to the Daily News, the lawsuit, filed in 1999 by the Alaska Civil Liberties Union and the national ACLU's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, represents the interests of eight lesbian couples in which at least one partner works for the state. The other couple consists of two gay men, one of whom is a city employee.

Hearing Tomorrow in Alaska's Gay Marriage 'Catch-22' Could Impact Other States that Tie Benefits to Marriage (04/16/2001)
ANCHORAGE - An Alaska state court will hear arguments tomorrow in a lawsuit highlighting the "Catch-22" of a state banning gay marriage and then saying marriage is the only way its employees can get health, pension and insurance benefits for their partners. 

California Bill Revives Gay Marriage Battle (03/01/2001)
SACRAMENTO, CA -- A California state legislator on Thursday unveiled a new ``civil union'' bill designed to extend marriage-like protections to gay couples, Reuters reported.

ACLU Endorses Permanent Partner Immigration Act To Establish Equality in Immigration for Gay Men and Lesbians (02/14/2001)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today endorsed the "Permanent Partner Immigration Act," introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, as an important and welcome next step toward establishing equality in immigration standards for gay men and lesbians. 

ACLU of WA Urges Court to Support Rights of Longtime Gay Partner in Division of Joint Property (02/13/2001)
OLYMPIA, WA--In a case highlighting the importance of equal treatment under the law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the State Supreme Court to uphold a gay man's rights to an equitable share of the property jointly acquired by him and his longtime partner.

ACLU Defends Woman Denied Right to Change Her Name Because of Same-Sex Relationship (09/21/2000)
NEWARK, NJ -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today filed an appeal on behalf of a woman who was denied the right to change her name to include the last name of her life partner because she is in a same-sex relationship.

NY Attorney General Backs ACLU Lawsuit Charging Yeshiva University with Anti-Gay Housing Discrimination (09/06/2000)
NEW YORK - The first lawsuit in the nation challenging anti-gay policies in university housing got a boost from the New York Attorney General, who filed a brief this week asking the state's highest court to hear the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit charging Yeshiva University with unlawful discrimination for banning lesbian and gay people from living in campus housing with their partners.

FL County Refuses to Protect Gay Couples from Domestic Violence; ACLU Vows to Fight 'Unconstitutional, Unconscionable' Practice (08/07/2000)
BRADENTON, FL -- It was both "unconstitutional and unconscionable" for a Florida judge to refuse to issue a restraining order to protect a gay man from domestic violence, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. The ACLU said it was investigating reports that lesbians and gay men are now considered ineligible for protection from domestic violence in parts of Florida.

Gay and Lesbian Legal Groups Release Joint Publication On Practical Impact of Vermont Civil Union Law (07/17/2000)
NEW YORK -- In anticipation of widespread interest by couples who wish to join into civil unions in Vermont, the nation's four leading gay and lesbian legal organizations have issued a joint publication to advise people about the new legal terrain they may now enter.

ACLU Will Take Battle Against Yeshiva University's Anti-Gay Housing Discrimination to State's Highest Court (05/15/2000)
NEW YORK--Vowing to press ahead against a common form of anti-gay discrimination nationwide, the American Civil Liberties Union today said it will appeal a New York Supreme Court ruling that affirms Yeshiva University's policy prohibiting same-sex pairs from living in couples' student housing.

ACLU Commends Vermont Legislature's Adoption of a "Civil Union" Statute for Same-Gender Couples (04/25/2000)
MONTPELIER, VT -- The Vermont affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union commends the members of the General Assembly, which today completed the adoption of a Civil Union statute.

ACLU Presses Forward in Unprecedented Lawsuit Charging Yeshiva University with Anti-Gay Housing Discrimination (04/19/2000)
NEW YORK -- The first lawsuit in the nation seeking equal housing rights for lesbian and gay university students and their partners will be heard by the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court this morning, as the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Case continues pushing for a trial in the case.