Press Release

(Chicago, IL, November 30, 2012) -- Today the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division denied motions to intervene by the Church of Christian Liberty, Grace Gospel Fellowship and the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) in Darby v. Orr, Lambda Legal's case seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Illinois.

(Springfield, IL, November 28, 2012) --Today plaintiff couples in Darby v. Orr and Lazaro v. Orr, the lawsuits brought by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Illinois, met with legislators to urge them to vote in favor of a bill ending the ban on marriage for same-sex couples in Illinois.  The bill, House Bill 5710, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, could be voted on by the Illinois General Assembly in January 2013.

(New York, November 20, 2012) —Today, in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance, Lambda Legal issued the following statement by Transgender Rights Attorney Dru Levasseur:

"On the 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember and honor those we have lost to anti-transgender hatred and violence by continuing to fight for full equality for all transgender and gender non-conforming people.  

(Chicago, IL, November 7, 2012) - Today the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division heard oral arguments in a motion to intervene by the Church of Christian Liberty and Grace Gospel Fellowship in Darby v. Orr, Lambda Legal's case seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Illinois. "This case has no impact on a church's right to exercise its religious liberty," said Camilla Taylor, Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal.

(New York, November 7, 2012)—Lambda Legal issued the following statement by Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal:

“The election of 2012 was a blockbuster at the ballot box for same-sex couples. With clear victories in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Iowa and promising results in Washington we have turned an historic corner, and there is no turning back. We don’t have to look very far back to the elections in 2004 when we lost antigay ballot measures in 13 states. This is amazing progress in the span of eight years.

(Kansas City, MO, November 5, 2012) — Today Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of Law Enforcement Gays and Lesbians (LEGAL) and four of its statewide and regional chapters in support of Kelly D. Glossip, the partner of deceased Missouri State Trooper Dennis Engelhard. Engelhard died in the line of duty and Glossip, his partner of 15 years, is being denied surviving spousal benefits by the Missouri Department of Transportation and Retirement System (MPERS).

(Los Angeles, November 1, 2012) – Lambda Legal announced today that attorney Jennifer C. (Jenny) Pizer has rejoined the organization as Senior Counsel and Director of the organization’s new Law & Public Policy Project.

(Dallas, October 30, 2012) – The Dallas County Commissioners Court today voted to provide health benefits to the domestic partners of County employees through a voucher program to subsidize the purchase of private insurance.  Lambda Legal South Central Regional Director Roger Poindexter issued the following statement after today’s vote:

(Washington – October 29, 2012) -- The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will consider at its conference on November 20 whether to grant review in several LGBT rights cases now before the Court. Two Lambda Legal cases are up for review, our challenge to the provision of the so-called federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that treats married same-sex couples as single for federal law purposes, and the State of Arizona’s appeal in Lambda Legal’s thus-far successful effort to preserve health care benefits for lesbian and gay state employees.

(Dallas, October 23, 2012) – Lambda Legal announced the election of two new leaders to serve on its Board of Directors, including Tracey Guyot-Wallace of Dallas, a partner in the law firm of Jackson Walker, LLP. Joining the Board as well is John Richards, an associate in the Washington, DC, law firm of Morgan Lewis.