Press Release

(Washington, DC, October 11, 2011) – The U.S. Supreme Court today denied Lambda Legal’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the case of a same-sex couple seeking an accurate birth certificate for their Louisiana-born son whom they adopted in New York. The Louisiana state registrar has refused to recognize the adoption and issue a birth certificate listing both fathers as the boy’s parents.

Paula Ettelbrick, former Legal Director at Lambda Legal and lifelong activist for LGBT equality and social justice, died today, after a long battle with cancer. Ettelbrick was the first staff attorney at Lambda Legal in 1986 and served as its Legal Director from 1988 to 1993.

(New York, October 5, 2011) - Late yesterday, Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of itself and 16 other LGBT, HIV and health advocacy organizations urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a lower court ruling finding that the federal Privacy Act protects against illegal disclosures that result in suffering unrelated to financial losses.

(New York, July 24, 2011)—In celebration of the first day same-sex couples can wed in New York, Lambda Legal issued the following statement from Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal:

"Today we celebrate our families, our equality and how far we have come as a community. We congratulate same-sex couples across New York who are exchanging vows in their home state. As a longtime New Yorker I can say that any stereotype about jaded New Yorkers does not hold true today—lesbian and gay couples, and so many allies, families and friends are celebrating this momentous day.

The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, establishing legal protections for same-sex couples across the state.

(Chicago, November 16, 2010) - The Illinois General Assembly is expected to vote on a civil unions bill during this veto session, and Lambda Legal urges the Illinois House and Senate to provide much needed protections for same-sex couples.

President Barack Obama called Janice Langbehn from Air Force One to personally let her know that he has signed a memorandum that will have an impact on the special health care needs of LGBT people and families.

(Chicago, IL, August 16, 2011) - Today Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of several child welfare organizations including the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, the National Association of Social Workers and its Illinois chapter in a case brought by four Dioceses of Catholic Charities against the state of Illinois. These Dioceses seek to force the state to fund their foster care services even though they refuse to follow state law by licensing couples in civil unions as foster parents, claiming they are exempt from state nondiscrimination requirements on religious grounds.

In response to the court's swift decision in Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield-in-Illinois et al. v. Illinois et al, Lambda Legal's Marriage Project Director Camilla Taylor issued the following statement: