During the Equality and Justice Day rally in Albany, marriage equality was the issue on many people's minds. It's the LGBT debate with the most national traction in headlines and financial support on both sides of the issue. But as the hundreds of advocates rallied on the lawn in front of the state house began chanting and waving placards, the first phrase of that familiar protest singsong was: "What do we want? GENDA! When do we want it? Now!" GENDA is the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would protect transgender people in employment, housing, services and public accommodations.

"Gov. Pat Quinn and Cook County Clerk David Orr will be among those in attendance for a historic ceremony next month, in which 30 gay and lesbian couples will be joined in civil unions in Millennium Park.

"The event is set for June 2, the day after civil unions officially become legal in Illinois. It is being organized by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on LGBT issues...

(San Francisco, CA, May 4, 2011) - Yesterday, Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the court brief with the California Supreme Court arguing that the proponents of Proposition 8 have no power to override the decision of elected state officials about whether to appeal a federal court decision that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. The brief explains that initiative proponents are unelected and have no right to act as representatives of the state. It also explains that regardless of how the California Supreme Court rules, the supporters of Proposition 8 have no "standing" to pursue an appeal in federal court because they are not harmed by allowing same-sex couples to marry and because their interests were limited to having the measure put to a vote.

Amid all the drama of the last few days with a law firm King & Spalding accepting then rejecting the ugly contract offered by the House leadership to defend DOMA in court, we should not lose sight of the real issues: First, DOMA is discriminatory, unconstitutional and indefensible. Second, House leaders are not only willing to spend taxpayers' money defending DOMA—they are also trying to silence debate.

The prestigious law firm King & Spalding has not fully explained its decision this week to stop assisting Congress in defending the law that forbids federal recognition of same-sex marriage. But its reversal suggests the extent to which gay men and lesbians have persuaded much of the legal profession to accept the basic proposition that sexual orientation is irrelevant to a person's worth and that the law should reflect this judgment. The decision cannot be dismissed simply as a matter of political correctness or bullying by gays. Gay-rights supporters have transformed the law and the legal profession, opening the doors of law firms, law schools and courts to people who were once casually and cruelly shut out because of their sexual orientation

While we can't promise that you won't have any problems, you do have laws that protect your right to take the date of your choice to the prom. Prom time should be one of your best memories of your high school years—when you step onto the dance floor, you're not supposed to be stepping onto a battlefield. But as you're probably aware, that's what's happened in a handful of recent cases when teens have shown up with a same-sex prom date.

Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart writes: "Amid all the drama of the last few days with a law firm accepting then rejecting the ugly contract offered by the House leadership to defend DOMA in court, we should not lose sight of the real issues: First, DOMA is discriminatory, unconstitutional and indefensible. Second, House leaders are not only willing to spend taxpayers' money defending DOMA—they are also trying to silence debate.

Today, Lambda Legal announced that Iván Espinoza-Madrigal has been hired as staff attorney in its national headquarters in New York. Espinoza-Madrigal is developing an initiative on behalf of LGBT people of color, LGBT immigrants, and low-income LGBT communities. In this capacity, he will be expanding Lambda Legal's work addressing the legal needs of LGBT and HIV-affected people who identify across intersecting lines of race, ethnicity and socio-economic class through litigation, public education, and policy advocacy.

In reaction to today's filing of a motion to vacate last year's historic decision by U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker declaring California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional, Jon Davidson, Legal Director for Lambda Legal, issued the following statement: Proponents of Proposition 8 certainly are getting desperate. This reeks of a hail-Mary attempt to assail Judge Walker's character because they are unable to rebut the extremely well-reasoned ruling he issued last year. It's becoming a sadly typical move of the right: don't like the ruling; attack the referee.

"A prominent law firm hired by Republican lawmakers to defend the federal ban on gay marriage said Monday it was withdrawing from the case amid criticism by advocacy groups, prompting the partner leading the work to quit...

"Jon Davidson, the legal director of the gay-rights group Lambda Legal, said 'we welcome the firm back to the right side of history.'"

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