In the News

8/5/2010

"What could happen now that Prop 8 has been declared unconstitutional by one federal court and two more courts have a stab at it?...

"I posed that question this afternoon to Jon Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal, which has filed an amicus brief in the case and stands as one of the country's strongest litigators on LGBT rights...

Saying that it discriminates against gay men and women, a federal judge in San Francisco struck down California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, handing supporters of such unions at least a temporary victory in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court

8/3/2010

"For most people, donating blood is as simple as rolling up a sleeve. But not for gay men. Since 1983, the Food and Drug Administration has barred them from donating.

"...Donated blood is routinely screened for H.I.V. and other infectious agents. The F.D.A. employs multiple safeguards, including donor evaluations and computerized blood testing, to ensure that infected blood is not distributed.

8/2/2010

"Nearly four years ago, Bremen Community School District 228 Superintendent Rich Mitchell was fired after his contract had been extended through 2009. Last week, the Cook County Human Rights Commission figured out why: because he is gay.

"Mitchell was interviewed for the leadership position in 2004 by the local School Board, according to a statement from Lambda Legal. While being interviewed, board member Evelyn Gleason allegedly asked two other members if they knew Dr. Mitchell was gay.

7/29/2010

"A group of supporters for civil unions filed a lawsuit against Gov. Linda Lingle on Thursday.

"The complaint filed in circuit court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii and Lambda Legal argues that the state violates the constitution by denying same sex couples the rights and protections currently available to heterosexual couples through marriage.

7/29/2010

"Six gay couples in Hawaii are filing a lawsuit Thursday asking for the same rights as married couples, three weeks after Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a same-sex civil unions measure.

"...The state grants some rights to gay couples through its reciprocal beneficiaries system.

"But they lack the same legal priviledges and obligations of adoption, child support, alimony and access to family court, said Jennifer Pizer, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, which is bringing the case along with the American Civil Liberties Union.

7/29/2010

"Having been together since 2005, Sean Smith and Kale Taylor are like many committed couples -- they want to make things official.

"...Now Smith and Taylor, 29, are among six couples suing the state, alleging it has failed to provide equal rights to gays and lesbians short of marriage. The lawsuit, being filed today in Circuit Court, asks the court to step in where the Legislature did not and reverse the effect of Lingle's veto.

7/24/2010

"A federal judge has blocked Arizona from denying family health insurance to employees' same-sex partners, saying the state violated the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"...The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in September, amended the definition of 'dependent' under state law to mean either a child or 'a spouse under the laws of this state.' That change prevented the partners of gay and lesbians, who are legally unable to marry, from receiving benefits.

7/20/2010

7/13/2010

"The outcome of any case could depend on Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of the major gay-rights rulings and the pivotal vote on the court.

"No dispute directly testing gay rights was heard in the recently completed term, yet one case at the margins put Kennedy again in a decisive position. He was the key fifth vote to uphold a policy at a California state law school denying recognition to a Christian group that excluded gay student members.