Today, Lambda Legal and Immigration Equality, along with co-counsel Vinson & Elkins, submitted a letter to ICE demanding the release of two asylum seekers living with HIV who are currently detained at the IAH Secure Detention Facility in eastern Texas. The men were severely persecuted in Cuba because of their political activism and sexual orientation. They have been detained in the U.S. since October 2019.
Today, Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Office in Dallas urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Commissioner of Health Services to expand Medicaid coverage to ensure all uninsured Texans can access critical testing and other medical services during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
Lambda Legal today announced it has reached a settlement with the Iberia Parish Sheriff Office on behalf of William “Liam” Pierce, a former police officer who was denied a job as a sheriff’s deputy when he noted as part of a medical evaluation that he is living with HIV.
Today, Lambda Legal, along with nearly 200 national, state, and local organizations, sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking that they ensure the protection of vulnerable communities in any COVID-19 response legislation.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam late yesterday signed into law the Virginia Values Act, historic legislation that bans anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces. The bill was passed with strong, bipartisan support by both houses of the Virginia General Assembly.
LGBTQ civil rights leader Phyllis Lyon, who with her partner Del Martin made international headlines in June 2008 when they became the first same-sex couple to legally marry in California, died today in San Francisco. She was 95.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced new guidelines for blood donations that change the current one-year deferral for donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) to a three-month deferral. While a step in the right direction, the new guidance falls short of what many recognize as the optimal policy for enhancing the safety of the blood supply while ensuring it does not discriminate against gay, bisexual and transgender people—a policy based on the conduct of the potential donor rather than the donor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little today signed into law legislation that bans transgender people from changing the gender marker on their birth certificates, despite a federal court ruling Lambda Legal won two years ago declaring such a policy unconstitutional.