Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 8-1 a claim in Doe v. Reed by backers of Washington State's Referendum 71 that releasing the names of people who sign petitions to get an initiative on the ballot exposes them to harassment and intimidation and thus violates their First Amendment right to free speech.

The U.S. Labor Department's wage and hour division announced a rule clarification that allows LGBT workers to qualify for family leave to care for their nonbiological or nonadoptive children. In response to this announcement, Lambda Legal released the following statement from Greg Nevins, Supervising Senior Staff Attorney.

6/23/2010

"Although there's no standard definition of the 'gay panic' defense, it rests on the defendant's being so offended or shocked by sexual advances from a person of the same gender that the defendant assaults or kills the victim.

"...Jon Davidson, legal director at Lambda Legal, a national organization for gay, lesbian and transgender people, said the gay-panic defense could be used as part of an insanity defense or shown as a form of provocation.

(Honolulu, June 21, 2010) — Today, in a notification letter to the Legislature, Governor Linda Lingle included HB 444 in a list of bills she may veto. This notification has prompted a renewed call from civil unions supporters for her to allow the bill to become law.

Jon Davidson, Legal Director for Lambda Legal, has been named the recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association's 2010 Dan Bradley Award.

6/16/2010

"There were so many people trying to get in to watch the final day of the landmark trial challenging California's same-sex marriage ban, the court staff had to set up an additional overflow room for observers. Those dozen or so members of the public who managed to snare seats in Courtroom 6 on the 17th floor of San Francisco's federal courthouse building had to stand in line starting at 5:45 Wednesday morning to get them.

More than 20 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality groups and allies today issued the following joint statement:

6/3/2010

"In a written opinion dismissing a charge of bio-terrorism against a 45-year-old HIV-positive man, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Peter Maceroni ruled that the mere fact a person is HIV-positive is not enough to accuse him or her of unlawfully possessing a harmful biological substance.

From June, 2010 eNews Vol. 7 No. 6

Q: I was excited to read about President Obama’s memo telling the government to make sure hospitals allow gay and lesbian partners visitation rights. So if my partner is hospitalized, they’ll let me in, right?

From June, 2010 eNews Vol. 7 No. 6

Four months after President Obama called for an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in his State of the Union address, we are closer to seeing promise become reality.