Press Release

(Seattle, WA, January 25, 2018) – Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN today asked a federal district court to permanently block enforcement of the Trump Administration’s plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Services. The motion for summary judgment filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington follows four U.S. district court rulings and two federal appellate court rulings that granted and preserved preliminary injunctions against enforcement of the ban.

(Washington, DC, January 24, 2018) – Today, Sharon McGowan, Director of Strategy at Lambda Legal, issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing to confirm Michael Brennan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:

(Washington, DC, January 19, 2018) – The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) today issued a rule, “Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority,” one day after announcing the creation of the “Conscience and Religious Freedom” unit. Camilla Taylor, Acting Legal Director, Lambda Legal, issued the following statement:

(New York, January 19, 2018) – Lambda Legal, joined by the Human Rights Campaign, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National LGBTQ Task Force, and PFLAG, today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a challenge to unions’ ability to collect “fair share” fees from workers who, while not themselves part of the union, nevertheless benefit from union representation.

(Washington, DC, January 18, 2018) – Today, Sharon McGowan, Director of Strategy at Lambda Legal, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to approve 23 nominees to the executive and judicial branch, including all of the nominees Lambda Legal opposed due to their records on civil rights and protections for the LGBT community:

Lambda Legal today published an analysis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) new rule, issued earlier in the day, creating a new unit within the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) called the “Conscience and Religious Freedom Division.” 

(Washington, DC, JANUARY 17, 2018) – Today, Lambda Legal is urging Republican members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to reconsider their support for Eric S. Dreiband, nominated to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. Lambda Legal is also calling for new hearings for Mr.

This week, under the shadow of a looming government shutdown, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on a slate of 17 of Trump’s judicial nominees, along with a number of other controversial executive branch nominees.

(Washington, DC, January 10, 2018) – Lambda Legal and 15 national, state, and local LGBT organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of today’s hearing urging them to oppose the nomination of Howard Nielson to the United States District Court for the District of Utah. The letter stressed Nielson’s long and active history opposing LGBT civil rights, and his unfounded and degrading attack on the impartiality of a gay judge. While Mr.

(Chicago, IL, January 4, 2018)—Jim Bennett, Chief Development Officer at Lambda Legal, will be departing the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit LGBT legal advocacy organization after a successful 11-year career—first as the Midwest Regional Director, then as leader of the fundraising team. On Friday, January 5, his last day, staff, supporters and friends will gather to celebrate his tenure and see him off at Sidetrack Video Bar in Chicago.