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Press Releases

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As VA Hospitals Refuse to Even Consider Patients with HIV for Organ Transplants, Lambda Legal Presses Dept. of Veteran Affairs for Nationwide Policy Change

(Washington, D.C, Tuesday, April 27, 2004) - Lambda Legal today urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to stop local VA hospitals from refusing to even evaluate patients with HIV for organ transplants, saying the current policy may cost an Iowa man his life as the VA refuses to consider him for a liver transplant because he has HIV.

Cirque du Soleil To Pay $600,000 To End HIV Discrimination Complaint by Former Performer, In Nations Largest HIV Settlement of Its Kind

(Los Angeles, April 22, 2004) - Lambda Legal announced today that Cirque du Soleil will pay a record $600,000 to end an HIV discrimination complaint filed by a performer who was fired last year because he has HIV. The settlement ends a nationwide campaign and a federal disability complaint filed by Lambda Legal on behalf of its client, Matthew Cusick.

Antigay Groups Ask To Enter Lambda Legal Lawsuit that Seeks Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in New York State

(New York, April 20, 2004) - Antigay groups are asking a Manhattan court to let them intervene in a lawsuit filed last month by same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in New York, Lambda Legal said today. Lambda Legal represents the five lesbian and gay New York City couples in the first of several recent lawsuits filed in the state seeking full marriage for same-sex couples.

Former Chief Legal Officer for the Georgia Dept. of Human Resources Joins Lambda Legal's Atlanta-Based Southern Regional Office

 


(Atlanta, April 8, 2004) — Lambda Legal announced today that Jack Senterfitt, a widely respected litigator and former chief lawyer for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, has joined the staff of its Southern Regional Office in Atlanta as a Senior Staff Attorney.

Senterfitt will work on a variety of cases in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Oklahoma Health Department Will Issue Accurate Birth Certificates to Children Adopted by Same-Sex Couples Out of State

(Dallas, Texas, April 7, 2004) - Brian Chase, Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's South Central Regional Office in Dallas, “When presented with the real facts on the matter, the Oklahoma Health Department, came to a reasonable, rational and lawful conclusion that children adopted by two moms or two dads outside the state of Oklahoma need an accurate birth certificate. We are pleased that this matter is resolved so Vivian and her parents can get on with their lives.” Contact: Lisa Hardaway 212-809-8585 ext.266; pager: 888-987-1971


 

Lambda Legal Urges Oklahoma Health Department to Issue Birth Certificate to Toddler Adopted by Two Gay Men in Washington State

(Oklahoma City, OK April 5, 2004) - In a letter made public today, Lambda Legal is urging the Oklahoma Health Department to issue an accurate birth certificate to a girl who was legally adopted by two gay men.

Lambda Legal Appeals Prudential Financial's Denial of Medical Insurance Coverage for Lesbian Retiree's Spouse Who She Legally Married in Canada

(Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 30, 2004) Saying that Prudential Financial’s denial of benefits to the spouse of a lesbian retiree is baseless and uncharacteristic for the company, Lambda Legal this week formally asked the company to reconsider the decision.

After her marriage in Canada, Laurel Awishus, a retired Prudential Financial employee who worked for the company for 20 years, sought to enroll her spouse of nearly 22 years, Kathy Adelsheim, in the medical benefits program offered to the company’s retirees and spouses.

Lambda Legal Tells Court that Health Care Provider Lied and Endangered Woman's Health When Illegally Refusing Fertility Treatment Because She's a Lesbian

(San Diego, March 25, 2004) - Saying that lesbian and gay patients have a right to equal access to medical care and must be allowed to seek justice when they face discrimination, Lambda Legal urged a California State Court today to reject a medical group’s “desperate attempt to block important claims in a case filed by a lesbian who was denied fertility services.

Lawsuit Filed Today Seeks Full Marriage for Lesbian and Gay Couples Across California

(Los Angeles, Friday, March 12, 2004) — In a lawsuit filed this morning in state court on behalf of six same-sex couples and two organizations, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the ACLU are seeking the right for same-sex couples to marry throughout California. Today's filing comes less than 24 hours after the state Supreme Court ordered a temporary pause on same-sex couples marrying in San Francisco — in a ruling that also said legal action to win the right marry could proceed.

Ruling "Hits the 'Pause' Button, Not the 'Stop' Button" and Doesn't Yet Address Substantive Questions on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in San Francisco, Lambda Legal Says

(San Francisco, Thursday, March 11, 2004) — A California Supreme Court ruling this afternoon temporarily keeps San Francisco officials from issuing more marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but the court has not yet addressed whether it’s constitutional to deny marriage to lesbian and gay couples, Lambda Legal said.


The California Supreme Court put the matter on hold while the court considers a lawsuit filed by antigay groups. Since Mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing license to same-sex couples last month, judges have refused to intervene five times.

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