LGBTQ Rights
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues
The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU and its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
Status: Ongoing
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
LGBTQ Rights
R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v EEOC & Aimee Stephens
Aimee Stephens had worked for nearly six years as a funeral director at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes when she informed the funeral home’s owner that she is a transgender woman. She was fired, the EEOC sued on her behalf, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Aimee’s employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her because she’s transgender. We represented Aimee Stephens in front of the U.S. Supreme Court — and won.
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2019
LGBTQ Rights
Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda
Don Zarda loved to skydive. He worked as a skydiving instructor at Altitude Express, a company on Long Island, N.Y. He was fired for being gay.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2018
LGBTQ Rights
Religious Liberty
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Whether a business open to the public has a constitutional right to discriminate.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
LGBTQ Rights
Obergefell, et al. v. Hodges - Freedom to Marry in Ohio
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and Alphonse Gerhardstein of Gerhardstein & Branch have filed suit on behalf of Jim Obergefell and David Michener, two widowers, and Robert Grunn, a funeral director, in a challenge to the Ohio constitutional and statutory marriage recognition bans.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
LGBTQ Rights
Bourke v. Beshear & Love v. Beshear - Freedom to Marry in Kentucky
Bourke v. Beshear is a federal court challenge to Kentucky's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, filed by attorneys at Clay Daniel Walton & Adams and Fauver Law Office on July 26, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The plaintiffs are four same-sex couples seeking state recognition of their out-of-state marriages.
All Cases
193 LGBTQ Rights Cases
Georgia
Jul 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Thomas et al v. Georgia Department of Community Health et al
Shon Thomas and Gwendolyn Cheney are two Black transgender women enrolled in Georgia Medicaid who have been unable to access gender-affirming surgical care. They have sued the state, alleging that denying access to gender-affirming surgeries under Medicaid is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Affordable Care Act, and the Medicaid Act. They are represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Georgia.
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Georgia
Jul 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Thomas et al v. Georgia Department of Community Health et al
Shon Thomas and Gwendolyn Cheney are two Black transgender women enrolled in Georgia Medicaid who have been unable to access gender-affirming surgical care. They have sued the state, alleging that denying access to gender-affirming surgeries under Medicaid is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Affordable Care Act, and the Medicaid Act. They are represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Georgia.
Iowa
May 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Vroegh v. Iowa Department of Corrections
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission against The Iowa Department of Corrections for denying a nurse at the facility use of the restrooms and locker rooms that align with his gender identity and necessary medical treatment because he is transgender. The complaint was co-filed with the ACLU and cooperating attorney Melissa Hasso with the Sherinian & Hasso Law Firm in West Des Moines.
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Iowa
May 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Vroegh v. Iowa Department of Corrections
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission against The Iowa Department of Corrections for denying a nurse at the facility use of the restrooms and locker rooms that align with his gender identity and necessary medical treatment because he is transgender. The complaint was co-filed with the ACLU and cooperating attorney Melissa Hasso with the Sherinian & Hasso Law Firm in West Des Moines.
Alabama
Apr 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Walker et al v Marshall et al
The Walker family and the White family have raised their children, H.W. and C.W. in Alabama. A new Alabama law may force them to leave the state because providing gender-affirming care — which doctors says is medically necessary for H.W. and C.W. — is now a felony offense.
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Alabama
Apr 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Walker et al v Marshall et al
The Walker family and the White family have raised their children, H.W. and C.W. in Alabama. A new Alabama law may force them to leave the state because providing gender-affirming care — which doctors says is medically necessary for H.W. and C.W. — is now a felony offense.
Court Case
Mar 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Catholic Charities West Michigan v. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
A second state-contracted, taxpayer-funded child placing agency sued the State of Michigan claiming a constitutional right to discriminate against prospective foster and adoptive families headed by same-sex couples in violation of State contracts. The ACLU, representing prospective adoptive parents Kristy and Dana Dumont, is seeking to intervene in this lawsuit in support of the State.
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Court Case
Mar 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Catholic Charities West Michigan v. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
A second state-contracted, taxpayer-funded child placing agency sued the State of Michigan claiming a constitutional right to discriminate against prospective foster and adoptive families headed by same-sex couples in violation of State contracts. The ACLU, representing prospective adoptive parents Kristy and Dana Dumont, is seeking to intervene in this lawsuit in support of the State.
Michigan
Feb 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Dumont v. Gordon
Attorneys for the ACLU and ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to challenge the state’s practice of permitting state-funded child placement agencies to use religious criteria to turn away lesbian and gay prospective foster and adoptive parents. The legislature passed a law in 2015 with the purpose of codifying that practice.
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Michigan
Feb 2022
LGBTQ Rights
Dumont v. Gordon
Attorneys for the ACLU and ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to challenge the state’s practice of permitting state-funded child placement agencies to use religious criteria to turn away lesbian and gay prospective foster and adoptive parents. The legislature passed a law in 2015 with the purpose of codifying that practice.