LGBT Rights
The ACLU has a long history of defending the LGBT community. We brought our first LGBT rights case in 1936 and founded the LGBT Project in 1986. Today, the ACLU brings more LGBT cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national organization does. With our reach into the courts and legislatures of every state, there is no other organization that can match our record of making progress both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion.
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For non-LGBT issues, please contact your local ACLU affiliate.
The ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project seeks to create a just society for all LGBT people regardless of race or income. Through litigation, lobbying, public education, and organizing, we work to build a country where our communities can live openly without discrimination and enjoy equal rights, personal autonomy, and freedom of expression and association.
What You Need To Know
- 50LOVE WINS! Same-sex couples now have the freedom to marry in all 50 states
- 31In 31 states there are no explicit employment protections for transgender people
Current Issues
The ACLU believes that sexual orientation and gender identity should not affect a person’s legal ability to be a parent. We are fully supported in this belief by reputable child welfare experts and social scientists who study LGBT parenting. We therefore advocate for LGBT people to have equal opportunities to build the kinds of families that they feel are most meaningful to them.
The ACLU believes that LGBT people, like everyone else, should have the freedom to build the kinds of personal, intimate relationships most meaningful to them without risking that their families will be disregarded or harmed by the state.
We’re working to make public schools safe and bias-free for LGBT students, defending students' free speech in school, and helping students start gay-straight alliance clubs. Check out our information for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Learn about your rights, download resources, and get support here.
For over 80 years, the ACLU has included LGBT people in its vision of civil rights and civil liberties for all. We still have much more work to do to achieve lasting legal and social change. That’s why we’re fighting in the legislatures, courts, and streets for nondiscrimination laws that specifically protect LGBT people.
The ACLU champions transgender people’s right to be themselves. We’re fighting against discrimination in employment, housing, and public places (including restrooms) by seeking to add clear transgender protections to the law and bringing cases under the laws that already exist.
As part of our work to combat the relentless expansion of the criminal justice system, the ACLU works to ensure that LGBT people and people living with HIV/AIDS who have contact with law enforcement are treated fairly and are not singled out for violence or discrimination.
The Latest
A Loving Reality for All
Blog Post - Speak FreelyJune 14, 2013Ward v. Wilbanks et al.
CaseOctober 4, 2011Supreme Court Decision Could Be Crucial to Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors
Blog Post - Speak FreelyJanuary 16, 2015
Remembering Larry King
Blog Post - Speak FreelyFebruary 12, 2014U.S. Supreme Court Declares Core Section of the "Defense of Marriage Act" Unconstitutional
News/Press ReleaseJune 26, 2013N.C. Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License in the 1970s Speaks Out Against S.B. 2
News/Press ReleaseMarch 4, 2015
'All I Want to Do Is Be a Normal Child and Use the Restroom in Peace.'
Blog Post - Speak FreelyOctober 21, 2015G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board
CaseOctober 21, 2015Transgender Student Asks Appeals Court to Stop Virginia School’s Discriminatory Restroom Policy
News/Press ReleaseOctober 21, 2015
2015 Legislative Session a Major Setback for Civil Liberties, According to ACLU-NC Report Card
News/Press ReleaseOctober 20, 2015The Fight Ahead: What’s Next in Attempts to Discriminate Against LGBT People in the Name of Religion?
Blog Post - Speak FreelyOctober 9, 2015ACLU-NC Statement on SB 279
News/Press ReleaseSeptember 29, 2015


