"Civil unions became legal Wednesday in Illinois, granting both same-sex and heterosexual couples the same legal protections and responsibilities that married couples receive, including the ability to make medical decisions for an ailing partner and the right to inherit a partner's property.

"...Christopher Clark, senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, says there are several key differences between civil unions and marriage.

Q: My city has been holding an LGBT Pride celebration for years now, but this year, we are being told that we cannot get a permit to have our annual parade. What should I do?
A: We’ve dealt with situations like this before. Unfortunately, government officials who seek political gain often do so on the backs of the LGBT community by using religion or a personal definition of morality to denounce LGBT events. But don’t worry—there are laws to protect your right to celebrate Pride.

"More than 100 same-sex couples lined up outside of a Chicago municipal building Wednesday morning to obtain licenses for civil unions, under a new Illinois law.

"This week marks the two-year anniversary of the California Supreme Court's unfortunate decision upholding Proposition 8 as a valid exercise of the state's initiative process. A coalition argued that under the state Constitution, members of a minority group cannot be stripped of the fundamental right to marry based on the vote of a bare majority. The court, however, disagreed.

(Baltimore, May 26, 2011) -- Today, ahead of a married lesbian couple’s adoption hearing in Baltimore City, Lambda Legal released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) guide urging married same-sex couples who are expecting children to make plans to complete second parent adoptions even though, if they are two married women, they will already both be listed as parents on their children’s birth certificates.

"Advocates of gay and lesbian rights say the civil union law is a historic moment worthy of celebration, but they stress that it in no way marks the end of their work.

"...Camilla Taylor, an attorney with Lambda Legal in Chicago, a group that helped draft Illinois' civil union bill, said full marriage rights are the end goal, and she expects that having civil unions will highlight some of the problems of creating a separate, marriagelike classification.

"Same-sex civil unions become legal in Illinois next week, and backers plan a downtown event to celebrate the occasion.

"...Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov said judges will be on hand to perform ceremonies for 30 couples.

"...Cherkasov said he expects some confusion to take place when the law changes. But Lambda Legal attorney Christopher Clark said he has no indication that any county clerks will try to stand in the way of the licensing procedure."

A coalition of groups that advocate for the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people today filed a brief urging the U.S. District Court not to vacate last year's historic ruling invalidating Proposition 8. Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU of Northern California and Equality California filed the friend-of-the-court brief in Perry v. Brown in response to a motion filed last month by supporters of Proposition 8 that asked the court to undo last year's decision in that case. The Prop 8 supporters contend that now-retired Chief Judge Vaughn Walker should have declined to hear the case because he was in a long-term relationship with another man, and that the judge's 135-page decision, which followed a three-week trial, should be invalidated for that reason.

During the Equality and Justice Day rally in Albany, marriage equality was the issue on many people's minds. It's the LGBT debate with the most national traction in headlines and financial support on both sides of the issue. But as the hundreds of advocates rallied on the lawn in front of the state house began chanting and waving placards, the first phrase of that familiar protest singsong was: "What do we want? GENDA! When do we want it? Now!" GENDA is the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would protect transgender people in employment, housing, services and public accommodations.

(San Francisco, CA, May 4, 2011) - Yesterday, Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the court brief with the California Supreme Court arguing that the proponents of Proposition 8 have no power to override the decision of elected state officials about whether to appeal a federal court decision that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. The brief explains that initiative proponents are unelected and have no right to act as representatives of the state. It also explains that regardless of how the California Supreme Court rules, the supporters of Proposition 8 have no "standing" to pursue an appeal in federal court because they are not harmed by allowing same-sex couples to marry and because their interests were limited to having the measure put to a vote.