Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

ACLU Commends Obama-Biden Ban on Discrimination Against LGBT Applicants for Jobs in the New Administration (11/07/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union commends the Obama-Biden Transition team for including sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policy as it prepares to assume power in January. Although President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 11478, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, there are no explicit federal protections from gender identity bias in government hiring.

ACLU Urges Inclusion For All Types Of Families (11/06/2008)
NEW ORLEANS – Today the ACLU of Louisiana urged the newly-appointed Governor's Commission on Marriage and the Family to remain aware of the needs of all of Louisiana's families, regardless of religion, marital status, and including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered status. In an open letter to the Commissioners, the ACLU said: "We urge you to keep in mind that the strength of Louisiana lies in our diversity, and that none of us can make the most personal family choices for another. In the end, every family, no matter how constituted or what it looks like, is just as important and deserves just as much support as every other."

ACLU of Florida Statement on Amendment 2 (11/05/2008)
MIAMI – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today released the following statement, which can be attributed to Howard L. Simon, Ph.D, Executive Director, ACLU of Florida:

California Will Continue to Honor Marriages of Same-Sex Couples Who Married Before the Possible Passage of
Prop. 8 (11/05/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Attorney General, Equality California, and the nation's leading LGBT legal groups agree that the marriages of the estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who married between June 16, 2008 and the possible passage of Proposition 8 are still valid in the state of California and must continue to be honored by the state.

Legal Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Proposition 8, Should It Pass (11/05/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court today urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8 if it passes. The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution's core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians. Proposition 8 also improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities. According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organizing principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

Florida's Healthcare Professionals Say NO to Amendment 2 (10/31/2008)
MIAMI – Sixty leading Florida health care professionals today issued a statement urging Floridians to vote "No" on proposed Amendment 2.

Florida Student Who Won ACLU Lawsuit Wins Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award (10/21/2008)
MIAMI – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that Heather Gillman has been selected by the Playboy Foundation to receive the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for "her fearlessness in speaking out on behalf of the rights of gay students" at Ponce de Leon High School, located in Florida's Panhandle.

Lesbian And Gay Couples Win Freedom To Marry In Connecticut (10/10/2008)
HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Supreme Court today ruled that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates that state's constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union, which was co-counsel in the case along with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, applauded the decision.

MCLU Applauds Freedom to Marry Victory in Connecticut (10/10/2008)
PORTLAND - Today, the Connecticut Supreme Court struck down Connecticut's restriction on marriage by same-sex couples. The American Civil Liberties Union, which was co-counsel in the case along with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, applauded the decision in Kerrigan & Mock et al v. Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Montana District Court Affirms Parenting Rights (09/29/2008)
Missoula, MT – Montana District Court Judge Ed McLean today released his long-awaited decision in the Kulstad v. Maniaci case. The court recognized Michelle Kulstad as a parent to the two children she raised together with Barbara Maniaci, granting Kulstad time with her children and ordering that Kulstad have joint decision-making authority for matters significantly affecting the children, including their “education, activities, health care and spiritual upbringing.”