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Press Releases

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Gay Man Can Pursue Wrongful Death Case as a Spouse, New York Court Rules; Lambda Legal Says Breakthrough Ruling Is Nations First

(New York, Tuesday, April 15, 2003) - A gay man in New York is a legal spouse and able to sue St. Vincent’s Hospital for medical negligence leading to his longtime partner’s death, a New York court ruled. Lambda Legal, which represents the man in his fight to have the relationship recognized equally, said the ruling is the first in the nation appropriately recognizing people who have a Vermont civil union as spouses outside of Vermont.

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Lambda Legal's Case Challenging Texas's 'Homosexual Conduct' Law

(Washington, Wednesday, March 26, 2003) - The U.S. Supreme Court today hears oral arguments in Lambda Legal's case challenging the constitutionality of Texas's "Homosexual Conduct” law, which criminalizes oral and anal sex by consenting gay couples and is used widely to justify discrimination against lesbians and gay men.

Mississippi Judge Orders State To List Lesbian Mothers on Child's Birth Certificate

(ATLANTA, March 19, 2003)- A Mississippi judge today ordered the state to issue a birth certificate for a 5-year-old boy who was born in Mississippi and adopted by a lesbian couple from another state. Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund filed a lawsuit against the state in 2001 for refusing to issue a birth certificate listing the child’s two parents, leaving him without any legal documentation of his name, the names of his parents or the date and place of his birth

Lambda Legal Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Couple Who Were Denied Housing in Boca Raton Because They???re Gay

(Boca Raton, September 30, 2003)—Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund announced today that a favorable settlement agreement has been reach in an anti-gay housing discrimination case in Boca Raton, Florida.

The agreement requires Royal Colonial Apartments to post a nondiscrimination statement in their office and on housing application forms. The statement makes it clear that Royal Colonial will not discriminate against gay and lesbian individuals or couples.

Health Care Providers Must Treat Gay Patients Equally Under Civil Rights Laws, State Appeals Court Says

(San Diego, March 4, 2003) - In the first ruling of its kind in the nation, a California appeals court today said health care providers cannot discriminate against patients based on their sexual orientation. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which fought on behalf of a lesbian who was denied insemination services by her Southern California health care providers, said the decision will impact lesbians and gay men throughout California and nationwide.

Judge Rejects Attempt to Stop Marriage for Gay Couples; "Four Times in Seven Days, Courts Have Said San Francisco Can Keep Marrying Same-Sex Couples," Lambda Legal Says

(San Francisco, Friday, February 20, 2004) — Same-sex couples can continue to get married in San Francisco after the latest legal threat was safely cleared today, Lambda Legal said. Judge Ronald Quidachay denied a motion from an antigay group seeking an immediate order forcing the City of San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Earlier this week, a different court denied another antigay group’s request to immediately stop the city’s actions.



Lambda Legal Hosts Week-Long Series of Events from Coast to Coast Marking 5th Annual National Freedom To Marry Day, Feb. 12

(New York, Monday, February 10, 2003) - In cities and towns nationwide starting today, Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund and dozens of local groups will hold celebrations, community meetings, workshops and other events to mark National Freedom To Marry Day this week.

For the last five years, communities across the country have joined Lambda Legal for National Freedom To Marry Day on Feb. 12 - leading up to Valentine’s Day -- to build public support for the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Appeals Court To Hear Hopeful Mothers Case Against Health Care Providers That Refused Infertility Services Because Shes a Lesbian

(San Diego, February 7, 2003) - A state appeals court will hear arguments Monday in the case of a San Diego woman whose health care providers refused medical treatment to her because she is a lesbian. Lambda Legal is asking the court to overturn a ruling from last year that said Guadalupe Benitez’s health care providers acted lawfully when, citing doctors’ personal religious beliefs about gay people, they refused to provide infertility treatment to her so she and her life partner could start a family.

Federal Government Awards Survivor Benefits to Lesbian Whose Partner Was Killed in 9/11 Attack; Lambda Legal Says Recognition Is First of Its Kind

(New York, Thursday, January 23, 2003) - In what Lambda Legal today called “a huge step forward for the federal government,” a lesbian was awarded more than $500,000 from the federal fund that was designed to compensate victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Lambda Legal represented Peggy Neff, whose partner of 18 years died in the attack on the Pentagon, in her year-and-a-half-long struggle to win the same support and treatment as people whose spouses died on Sept. 11.

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