7/20/2010

Lambda Legal joined a coalition of over 30 organizations and leaders from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), immigrants' rights, civil rights and faith communities to urge Congress to pass the Uniting American Families Act and end discrimination against LGBT binational families.

7/13/2010

"The outcome of any case could depend on Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of the major gay-rights rulings and the pivotal vote on the court.

"No dispute directly testing gay rights was heard in the recently completed term, yet one case at the margins put Kennedy again in a decisive position. He was the key fifth vote to uphold a policy at a California state law school denying recognition to a Christian group that excluded gay student members.

7/13/2010

"Calling the discriminatory policy 'one of the most pressing civil rights issues in our great country today,' attorneys challenging 'don't ask, don't tell' in federal court said Tuesday the U.S. government has no legitimate basis for maintaining the ban on gay soldiers serving openly in the armed forces.

Today, the Obama Administration announced the first-ever national strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS - a wide-ranging five-year plan to combat the epidemic in the United States.

The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled simultaneously in two companion cases, one brought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and another brought by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on behalf of eight married same-sex couples and three widowers, that Section 3 of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) is unconstitutional.

From July, 2010 Of Counsel Vol. 6, No. 3

7/7/2010

"A federal court has ruled in favor of a former Georgia state legislative aide who claimed she was fired after telling her boss she would come to work dressed as woman as she transitioned from man to woman.

"U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story wrote in his ruling Friday that Vandy Beth Glenn’s firing violated her constitutional rights under the Equal Protection Clause.

"Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil-unions bill yesterday after concluding it was the equivalent to marriage, which she believes should be reserved for a man and a woman.

7/7/2010

"In a controversial last-minute decision, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have allowed same-sex civil unions in her state. The move was a setback for gay rights groups, and once again thrust Hawaii onto the frontlines of the national battle over gay marriage.

"Moments after the veto, gay rights groups resolved to continue fighting to legalize same-sex unions there.

"Gay rights advocacy group Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii released a joint statement saying they had readied a lawsuit.