Home : Lesbian & Gay Rights

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.”

Transgender Veteran Wins Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against Library of Congress (09/19/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today a federal judge ruled that the Library of Congress illegally discriminated against a Special Forces veteran when she was denied a job after announcing her intention to transition from male to female. In a groundbreaking decision, the court ruled that discriminating against someone for changing genders is sex discrimination under federal law.

Gay Customers Called "Faggots" By Kentucky McDonald's Staff (09/16/2008)
LOUISVILLE, KY -- After an employee at a McDonald's restaurant in downtown Louisville called a group of gay customers a series of anti-gay slurs, the American Civil Liberties Union is representing two of the customers in filing an official complaint with the city. Louisville law bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Federal Appeals Court Rules Osseo, MN School Must Treat Gay Student Club Equally (08/29/2008)
MINNEAPOLIS – Finding that school officials violated federal law in limiting access for a gay rights club, a federal appeals court today issued a permanent injunction that orders Osseo Area Schools to let the club have the same access to school facilities and resources as all other clubs. The ruling came as the result of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today on behalf of Straights and Gays for Equality (SAGE), a student club at Maple Grove High School.

ACLU Calls On Governor Jindal To Renew Employment Protections (08/25/2008)
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has stated his intention to end the state's policy of prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and political beliefs in state employment and contracting. By doing so, he will strip lesbians and gay men from civil rights protections that have been in effect since 2004, and will also deprive state employees of protection on the basis of political beliefs. The ACLU of Louisiana calls on Gov. Bobby Jindal to protect the employment rights of Louisianans by renewing Executive Order 2004-54, signed by Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

Virginia Court Affirms Vermont's Jurisdiction in Same-Sex Couple's Interstate Custody Dispute (08/22/2008)
Frederick County, VA – A state circuit court judge has rejected yet another attempt to overturn a Vermont custody order giving child visitation rights to a lesbian parent from a now-dissolved civil union.

Okeechobee, FL High School Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Groundbreaking Federal Lawsuit (07/30/2008)
OKEECHOBEE, FL – A Florida federal court today ruled that school officials in Okeechobee, Florida must allow a gay-straight alliance (GSA) club to meet on campus. In a precedent setting order arising in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Judge K. Michael Moore upheld his earlier ruling that GSAs do not interfere with abstinence-only education and, in a legal first, held that schools must provide for the well-being of gay students.

Lesbian Appeals Firing From Publicly-Funded Baptist Group Home In Kentucky (07/17/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a brief today in a federal appeals court urging the court to allow a discrimination lawsuit to go forward on behalf of a lesbian who was fired from her job at a publicly-funded Baptist group home in Kentucky. The home for vulnerable children required the woman to observe its religious belief that being a lesbian is sinful. The brief also charges that taxpayers should be able to challenge the state of Kentucky's decision to give public funds to a home that imposes its religious beliefs upon the children in its care.

CA Supreme Court Rules On Bennett v. Bowen (07/16/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the California Supreme Court issued an order in Bennett v. Bowen, S164520, denying a petition to remove Proposition 8, the proposed marriage ban, from the November ballot.

H&R Block to Give $100 Coupon or Free Tax Software to Gay Couples Barred from Online Tax Service After ACLU Letter (07/15/2008)
HARTFORD, CT - After pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, H&R Block has agreed to give $100 coupons or free TaxCut software to all gay couples who incurred additional costs because they were barred from using the company's online tax service, TaxCut Online. The coupons can be applied towards the costs of future tax preparation expenses with the company for the 2008 tax season. The company has also agreed to direct future tax filers with civil unions to a free online support specialist to help couples complete their taxes.

ACLU Joins New Orleans Gay Pride Festivities (06/26/2008)
New Orleans - This weekend, the American Civil Liberties Union will participate in New Orleans's Gay Pride festival to support the LGBT community and to call attention to the discrimination lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face throughout Louisiana.