Lambda Legal: Southern Justice

Lambda Legal has been active in the South for decades, fighting for justice and winning cases that make a difference for our clients and improve the legal landscape.

From the landmark Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state sodomy laws and ushered in a new era of legal respect for LGBT people, to Langbehn v. Jackson Memorial Hospital, which led to an executive order from President Obama ordering federal rules to be written on hospital visitation rights that are inclusive of LGBT people, Lambda Legal's work in the South has changed lives and minds.

Lambda Legal has now filed marriage equality lawsuits in Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia! In addition, we have also filed friend-of-the-court briefs in pending marriage equality lawsuits in Louisiana and marriage recognition/divorce lawsuits in the Texas Supreme Court. Learn about each marriage case by clicking on the name of the state, or visit our Love Unites US campaign hub to take action.

View a timeline of all of Lambda Legal's southern cases. Below, find descriptions of some of our landmark cases, or download a PDF brochure about Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office.

 

Landmark Cases

 

Case Type

 

 

 

 

 

Lawrence v. Texas (2003):
Our landmark Supreme Court case, which struck down remaining sodomy laws across the country and laid the groundwork for future work.

Franke v. Parkstone Living Center (2009-2010):
We fought successfully for our client, who wanted move into an assisted living facility near his daughter in Arkansas, after officials ejected him because he had HIV.

Langbehn v. Jackson Memorial Hospital (2008-2011):
Our client was denied proper access to her dying lesbian partner in a Miami hospital; our case resulted in a federal rules mandating LGBT-inclusive hospital visitation rights.

Freeman v. Parker (2013):
We sued the City of Houston to require it to recognize the marriages of its gay employees and their same-sex spouses for the purpose of providing spousal employment benefits.

East v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana (2013):
Our lawsuit helped to avert a crisis after Louisiana insurance companies tried to deny insurance to lower-income Louisianans living with HIV.

Hatcher v. De Soto County Board of Education, et al (2013):
Our client, a high school student, was denied by school administrators the opportunity to participate in GLSEN’s National Day of Silence; we fought for her rights and the school board amended its policies.

Rowell v. Rowell (2005):
A Louisiana court ordered our client to keep her children away from their aunt, who has HIV; but we won the appeal and the court modified its order.

Calhoun v. Pennington (2009-2010):
We successfully sued the Atlanta Police Department after it raided a gay bar called the Atlanta Eagle, forcing patrons to lie face-down on the floor in spilled beer and broken glass.

Roe v. City of Atlanta (2008-2012):
We won an appeal against the Atlanta Police Department after it disqualified a Georgia man living with HIV who applied to be a police officer, claiming that his HIV status made him a “threat” to others.

Glenn v. Brumby et al (2008-2011):
Our victorious landmark transgender rights case, on behalf of our client who was fired from her job at the Georgia General Assembly after she told her supervisor that she planned to transition from male to female.

Lopez v. River Oaks Imaging and Diagnostic, Inc. (2006):
We won a ruling from a Texas federal district court that a woman who was denied employment because she is transgender constitutes discrimination because of sex under federal law.

Dunbar v. Foot Locker, Inc. (2004):
We successfully represented an employee who faced discrimination in his North Carolina workplace because of his sexuality by his supervisors and co-workers.

Meet Lambda Legal's staff in the Southern Region and South Central Region.

Download a PDF brochure about Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office.