LAMBDA LEGAL ARCHIVE SITETHIS SITE IS NO LONGER MAINTAINED. TO SEE OUR MOST RECENT CASES AND NEWS, VISITNEW LAMBDALEGAL.ORG

Media Center

News Feed

Find Your State

Know the laws in your state that protect LGBT people and people living with HIV.

Legal Help Desk

Call us or submit your legal questions online.

Learn More

Lambda Legal welcomes inquiries from journalists covering our court cases and LGBT and HIV rights issues. Find the media contact covering your region in the chart below.

If you are a member of the public seeking legal help, please contact our Help Desk for legal information.

Media Contacts

Tom Warnke – Media Relations Director

213-841-4503
twarnke@lambdalegal.org

Samy Nemir – Public Information Officer

202-672-4877
snemir@lambdalegal.org

Tyleis Davidson – Public Information Officer

678-492-1821
tdavidson@lambdalegal.org

Jonathan Adams - Communications Director

646-752-3251
jadams@lambdalegal.org

Press Releases

Read our latest news or search by issue area.

Lambda Adds Seasoned Litigator to its Staff

(NEW YORK, September 12, 2000) — Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund has expanded its legal forces with the addition of Susan Sommer as supervising attorney in Lambda’s New York headquarters. The veteran litigator brings Lambda’s total number of lawyers on staff nationwide to 17.

El Modena Students and School Board Resolve Lawsuit Over Gay-Straight Alliance

(ORANGE, CALIFORNIA, September 7, 2000) — In a win-win situation for all, the Orange Unified School District has taken final steps to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the Gay-Straight Alliance of El Modena High School and its founder, student Anthony Colín. The suit was filed to secure equal treatment for the club as required by the federal Equal Access Act. The OUSD Board approved several new rules for all student clubs tonight; the settlement agreement with the GSA was contingent on Board adoption of those new rules.

El Modena Gay-Straight Alliance Heads Back to School

(ORANGE, California, September 6, 2000) – Members of the Gay-Straight Alliance Club of El Modena High School and the Orange Unified School District have agreed to a settlement ending the students’ lawsuit against the school district and securing equal treatment for their club.

In Wake of Supreme Court Ruling, Public Support for Boy Scouts Erodes

(NEW YORK, August 29, 2000) — Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Tuesday praised continuing efforts by charities, corporations, government entities, parents, and Scouts themselves to take a stand against the Boy Scouts of America’s discriminatory ban on gay youth and adult members.

Lambda Back-to-School Kit Promotes Respect for Gay Students & Teachers

(NEW YORK) — Hearing “hey faggot” shouted across classrooms and hallways. Being punched in the face on school grounds. The principal responding only, “Boys will be boys. If you’re going to be gay, that’s what you can expect.”Many students heading back to school this fall have more to worry about than homework and team tryouts.

Mexican Gay Man Wins Right to Flee Homeland

(LOS ANGELES, August 24, 2000) — After being repeatedly beaten and assaulted in his Mexican homeland, a 21-year-old gay man on Thursday at last won his battle to seek asylum in the United States, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund said.

The unanimous decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals orders the U.S. government to grant asylum to Geovanni Hernandez-Montiel. Previously, an immigration board rejected Hernandez-Montiel’s asylum claim, reasoning that the persecution he faced was due to his effeminate appearance, not his sexual orientation.

School District Learns About Anti-Discrimination Law

(LOS ANGELES, August 10, 2000) — An award-winning high school teacher, harassed and denied a promotion for being a lesbian, can sue her Southern California school district for anti-gay job discrimination, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund said Thursday, after the California Supreme Court refused to step in to bar the case.


The California Supreme Court unanimously rejected the school district’s attempt to have the case dismissed, said Lambda, which represents teacher Dawn Murray.

Counsel in Landmark Hawaii Marriage Case Is Named Judge

(NEW YORK, August 7, 2000) — Hawaii’s most prominent civil rights attorney Dan Foley, co-counsel in the landmark case, Baehr v. Anderson, which sparked the ongoing national dialogue about the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, has been named a judge to the state’s Intermediate Court of Appeals, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund said Monday.

Court Tosses Case Challenging Alaska Fair Housing Law

(LOS ANGELES, August 4, 2000) — Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Friday applauded a federal court’s decision to dismiss a case brought by two Alaska landlords seeking exemption from any ban on marital status discrimination should an unmarried couple ever apply as tenants. The landlords claimed complying with the law would offend their religious beliefs.

Discriminatory Policy Raises Questions About Special Treatment for Boy Scouts

(NEW YORK, July 19, 2000) — Barely one month after the Boy Scouts of America established its right to discriminate against gay members, long-time Scouts supporters are questioning their continued involvement with the organization, and the special government treatment long accorded the youth group increasingly is coming under close scrutiny.

Pages