Lambda Legal joined Barber v. Bryant, the federal challenge to HB 1523, Mississippi’s discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation, which was brought by Mississippi civil rights attorney Robert McDuff and the Mississippi Center for Justice.
On January 8, 2020, Lambda Legal together with the Northern Justice Project filed an amended complaint in a federal lawsuit initially filed on March 4, 2019 challenging Alaska’s explicit exclusion of medically-necessary transgender health care services from coverage through the Alaska Medicaid program. This exclusion deprived transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary Alaskans of lifesaving treatments and services, in addition to subjecting them to discrimination, harassment and abuse.
After more than 40 years together, Hal Birchfield and James Merrick Smith traveled to New York in October 2012 and got married. Tragically, less than a year later, in September 2013, James died. Upon James’ death, his share of the home they owned together was transferred to Hal, but because at that time Florida did not recognize their marriage, that transfer was treated as a “change of ownership” instead of as a transfer to a surviving spouse. As a result, the taxable value of Hal’s property jumped significantly – a financial burden from which surviving different-sex spouses are protected.
Case filed in an attempt by plaintiffs to undermine Lambda Legal's Maryland Court of Appeals victory inDoe v. Montgomery County of Board of Elections, which invalidated an illegal referendum petition intended to block a transgender nondiscrimination law.
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision approving the analysis Lambda Legal has been advancing for fifteen years that discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation is sex discrimination, and violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This federal law, which often is referred to as “Title VII,” prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.