The ACLU celebrates LGBT
Pride Month in June
National ACLU Work:
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, and the
ACLU is working hard this month – and every month – to fight for LGBT
rights. Here are some recent
developments from across the country...
Tennessee
Schools End Censorship Of Gay Educational Web Sites After ACLU Lawsuit (6/4/2009)
NASHVILLE, TN – Dozens of Tennessee schools have restored access to
online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, just
over two weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against
two Tennessee school districts for unconstitutionally blocking student access
to such sites. The company that provides Internet filtering software to as
many as 107 Tennessee
school districts has adjusted the software to allow access to a variety of
educational and political LGBT Web sites that were blocked before the lawsuit
was filed.
LGBT
Organizations Point Out that Lawsuits Could Set Back Progress on Marriage for
Same-Sex Couples (5/27/2009)
NEW YORK – In response to the California Supreme Court decision allowing Prop
8 to stand, four LGBT legal organizations and five other leading national
LGBT groups are reminding the LGBT community that ill-timed lawsuits could
set the fight for marriage back. The groups released a new publication, “Why
the ballot box and not the courts should be the next step on marriage in California.” This
publication discourages people from bringing premature lawsuits based on the
federal Constitution because, without more groundwork, the U.S. Supreme Court
likely is not yet ready to rule that same-sex couples cannot be barred from
marriage. The groups also revised “Make Change, Not Lawsuits,” which was
released after the California Supreme Court decision ending the ban on marriage
for same-sex couples in California.
This publication encourages couples who have legally married to ask friends,
neighbors and institutions to honor their marriages, but discourages people
from bringing lawsuits.
High School
Student Takes On Anti-Gay Harassment And Wins (5/18/2009)
VALLEJO, CA – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has
reached a settlement agreement with the Vallejo City Unified School District
on behalf of a high school student who faced anti-gay harassment and
discrimination from teachers and school staff and was required to participate
in a school-sponsored “counseling” group designed to discourage students from
being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The settlement is designed to
combat harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity at all the district’s schools, and includes district-wide
anti-harassment training for students and staff.
Maine
Ends Ban On Marriage For Lesbian and Gay Couples (5/6/2009)
Portland, ME
– Maine Governor John Baldacci
signed into a law today a bill ending the ban on marriage for same-sex
couples. The Maine Civil Liberties Union, which lobbied hard for the bill,
applauds the governor for recognizing that lesbian and gay couples in the
state should no longer be denied the legal protections, recognition and
respect that comes with marriage.
Federal
Court Awards Transgender Veteran Maximum Compensation In Sex Discrimination
Case Against Library of Congress (4/29/2009)
WASHINGTON, DC – A federal judge ruled that transgender veteran Diane Schroer
is entitled to the maximum compensation for the discrimination she suffered
after being refused a job with the Library of Congress. The American Civil
Liberties Union brought a sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of Schroer, a
Special Forces veteran who retired after 25 years of service, when she was
denied a job after announcing her intention to transition from male to
female.
New
Mexico Agrees To Provide Retirement Health Insurance To Domestic Partners Of
State Employees (4/28/2009)
ALBUQUERQUE –
In response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, New
Mexico has agreed to provide retirement health insurance to the domestic
partners of state employees.
The ACLU LGBT
Project fights discrimination and moves public opinion on LGBT rights through
the courts, legislatures and public education. To learn more, please visit www.aclu.org/lgbt.
ACLU of Alabama
Work:
The
Alabama
affiliate has focused on two specific areas of discrimination faced by LGBT
Alabamians: protecting the family rights of LGBT parents and their children,
and representing students on college campuses across the state seeking to
form LGBT student clubs.
Protecting
the rights of LGBT parents and their children is central to achieving
equality for all LGBT people. Alabama
courts routinely deny child custody and visitation rights to LGBT mothers and
fathers solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. The Alabama Supreme
Court has issued particularly disturbing religiously-based rulings against
LGBT parents making Alabama
law the worst in the country. Mothers
and fathers who are often desperate for help turn to the ACLU. It is an
ongoing part of our mission to provide direct representation to these parents
or assist private attorneys who represent them.
The
affiliate has also assisted students on more than fifteen college campuses in
Alabama
establish school-recognized LGBT student clubs after their petitions to form
such clubs were denied or ignored by university administrators. We have
intervened without litigation when possible but have gone to court as
necessary. (Auburn University
v. Auburn Gay and Lesbian Alliance)
(Gay,
Lesbian and Bisexual Association v. Sessions and the University of South
Alabama).
Thank you for your continued support of civil liberties
in Alabama!
Olivia Turner
Executive
Director, ACLU of Alabama
207 Montgomery Street, Suite 910, Montgomery, Alabama 36104
T: 334-262-0304 | F: 334-269-5666 |
info@aclualabama.org
www.aclualabama.org
|