GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (96 Articles with 239,774 total views)
Since 1978, GLAD has achieved scores of legal victories to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.
May, 2023
New Hampshire Must Continue To Reject Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation
CONCORD, NH - April 13, 2023 - Today, the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic (the Clinic) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) jointly celebrate the New Hampshire House of Representatives' rejection of HB 619, a bill that would have banned transgender youth from receiving essential medical care, as well as HB 10 and HB 417, which would have stifled LGBTQ+ students' education and defined life-saving medical care for transgender youth as "child abuse." The Clinic and GLAD now call on the New Hampshire House to reject SB 272, a so-called "Parental Bill of Rights" recently passed by New Hampshire Senate which would harm student privacy and could result in LGBTQ+ students being forcibly and unsafely outed to parents or guardians.
May, 2022
AL Parents, Joined by Minister & Medical Providers, Seek Emergency Court Order Blocking Law that Will Criminalize their Transgender Children's Medical Care
Four Alabama parents are asking a federal court to stop SB 184 from taking effect on May 8, saying the law strips them of the right to make important decisions about their children's healthcare. SB 184 punishes parents and their children's doctors for providing - or even suggesting - well-established essential medical care for their transgender children. The punishment can include up to 10 years in prison.
February, 2019
Mutual of Omaha will no longer deny insurance to applicants who use PrEP
One of the country's largest insurance providers has agreed to stop denying all forms of insurance, including life and long-term care insurance, to Massachusetts residents using the HIV prevention medication Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Following an investigation by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office and a separate lawsuit filed by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Mutual of Omaha has formally agreed to change its underwriting practices. Fenway Health was proud to assist both efforts with expert testimony and research by Kenneth H. Mayer, M.D., Medical Research Director and Co-Chair of The Fenway Institute.
January, 2019
Transgender Military Ban Plaintiffs Ask the Supreme Court to Deny the Trump Administration's Premature Request for Review
Washington, DC - December 24, 2018 -Transgender service members challenging Trump's military ban today will file briefs opposing the administration's request that the Supreme Court hear the cases now, before the courts of appeal have ruled. The administration is seeking early review by the Court in three cases challenging the ban: Doe v. Trump, Stockman v. Trump, and Karnoski v. Trump.
Trump's Transgender Military Ban Remains Blocked Despite New Decision Dissolving One of Four Nationwide Preliminary Injunctions
Washington, DC - January 4, 2019-The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today ruled against transgender service members, lifting the district court's order preventing the Trump administration from enforcing its ban on military service by transgender people in Doe v. Trump.
December, 2018
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Intervene Now and Implement the Transgender Military Ban-Even Though Four Federal Courts Have Blocked It
Washington, D.C. - November 23, 2018 -The Trump Administration filed petitions for cert before judgment today in three cases challenging Trump's transgender military ban: Doe v. Trump, Stockman v. Trump, and Karnoski v. Trump. The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), who represent plaintiffs in both Doe and Stockman and were the first to challenge the ban, characterized the filing as an unusual attempt by the administration to bypass the standard appeals process.
November, 2018
NCLR and GLAD Refute Trump's Bogus Attempt to Disguise His Transgender Military Ban
Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2018 - The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) last night struck back at the Trump Administration's latest attempt to enforce the Trump-Pence transgender military ban. NCLR and GLAD filed a brief opposing the government's request to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to dissolve the preliminary injunction in Doe v. Trump. In the brief, NCLR and GLAD shoot down the Trump administration's argument that the implementation plan developed by Secretary Mattis is a "new" policy rather than the same transgender ban President Trump ordered.
October, 2018
NCLR & GLAD, LGBT Legal Orgs Leading the Fight to Stop the Trump-Pence Trans Military Ban, Joint Statement on 7 Years Since the End of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
WASHINGTON, DC - September 20, 2018 -Today marks seven years since the U.S. Department of Defense ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell-the military policy that prohibited gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers from open service. National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director Shannon Minter and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi, the attorneys who filed the first lawsuit to stop Trump's transgender military ban and the first to secure a nationwide preliminary injunction halting the ban while the case is heard in court, issued the following joint statement:
September, 2018
Judge Orders Government to Produce Documents Related to Development of Trans Military Ban Implementation Plan
Washington, D.C. August 24, 2018 - Federal District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly today issued a ruling ordering the Trump administration to disclose information about its decision to ban otherwise qualified transgender troops from military service in Doe v. Trump, GLAD and NCLR's case challenging the Trump administration's transgender military ban.
August, 2018
Court Asked to Rule Against Mutual of Omaha's Anti-PrEP, Anti-Gay Policy in Bias Case
July 18, 2018 - Today GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a motion for summary judgment in a first-of-its-kind case challenging discrimination against a gay man who takes the medication Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent the transmission of HIV.
GLAD Decries Maine Governor LePage's Veto of Conversion Therapy Ban
July 6, 2018 - Today Maine Governor Paul LePage vetoed LD912, which would have banned conversion therapy, the discredited and harmful practice of subjecting LGBTQ youth to so-called "therapy" which seeks to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Maine House and Senate voted for final passage of LD912, with bipartisan votes of 80-55 and 19-12 respectively, in the special legislative session held at the end of June.
July, 2018
In First-of-its-kind Ruling, Federal Judge Sides with Transgender Woman Incarcerated in Men's Prison
June 15, 2018 - Yesterday, the federal court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in favor of a transgender woman wrongly incarcerated in a men's prison, allowing her claim challenging mistreatment by the Department of Corrections (DOC) under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to move forward. In the first-of-its-kind ruling, the court found that interpreting the ADA to exclude transgender people would be unconstitutional.
NCLR and GLAD Filing Argues the Court Should Permanently Stop the Trump-Pence Ban Now
WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 23, 2018 -The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) today filed their reply in support of their Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment in Doe v. Trump-the first lawsuit filed to stop the Trump-Pence transgender military ban. If Judge Kollar-Kotelly rules in favor of the plaintiffs, that decision would permanently block the Trump-Pence transgender military ban from ever taking effect. Today's filing rebuts the administration's attempt to "blinker reality and recast the Mattis Plan as something other than what it plainly is: a blueprint to ensure that no transgender individuals serve in our Nation's Armed Forces 'in any capacity.'" The plaintiffs' reply is the last in a series of filings that must occur before Judge Kollar-Kotelly determines whether she can issue a permanent ruling blocking the ban.
June, 2018
GLAD Calls on U.S. Border Patrol to Allow Entry for Transgender Women Seeking Asylum, Condemns Violent Attacks
May 10, 2018 - Following reports of violent and demeaning treatment of transgender women seeking asylum at the US border, including news of a shelter in which the women were staying in Tijuana, Mexico having been set on fire, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) issued the following statement: The horrifying treatment of the transgender women who have traveled to our border seeking a reprieve from violence should be utterly unacceptable to every American. Our core American ideals of liberty, democracy, and human rights require us to offer refuge to those who face severe threats in their home countries. Asylum is a life-saving system that is designed precisely to protect the extremely vulnerable. We have a responsibility to ensure that system is open and available to those who need it, including transgender people and other members of the LGB community forced to flee places where they are fundamentally unsafe because of who they are.
New Trans Military Ban Filing from NCLR, GLAD Would Accelerate Final Court Ruling to Permanently Stop Trump-Pence Ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 12, 2018 -Transgender military ban plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump, the first lawsuit to challenge the Trump-Pence ban, filed a cross-motion for summary judgment last night in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Plaintiffs' motion asserts that undisputed facts show the ban, including the March 23 Mattis implementation plan, violates their Equal Protection and Due Process rights, and that the court should provide permanent declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the Trump-Pence ban from ever being implemented.
May, 2018
GLAD Celebrates Historic Passage of Transgender Nondiscrimination Bill in New Hampshire
May 2, 2018 - In a bipartisan 14-10 vote, the New Hampshire Senate today passed HB 1319, a bill that will provide explicit comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in employment, housing, and public spaces. The House passed HB 1319 in March by a strong bipartisan vote and the bill now goes to Governor Sununu for his signature. Once the bill is signed into law, New Hampshire will join 18 other states, including every state in New England, in providing comprehensive protections for transgender people.
April, 2018
NCLR and GLAD file brief urging the Eighth Circuit to find sexual orientation discrimination prohibited under Title VII
ST. LOUIS, MO - March 15, 2018 -Yesterday, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to find that sexual orientation discrimination violates Title VII of the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act because it is a form of sex discrimination.
New Hampshire House Passes Transgender Nondiscrimination Bill
CONCORD, N.H. - The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed HB 1319, legislation that would update the state's laws prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces to explicitly include the state's transgender residents. HB 1319 was approved by a bipartisan vote of 195-129 and now heads to the New Hampshire Senate.
March, 2018
Second Circuit Says Sexual Orientation Discrimination is Prohibited Under Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act
February 26, 2018 - Today, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit determined that under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act, sexual orientation discrimination is discrimination "because of... sex." The ruling in Zarda v. Altitude Express reverses existing precedent in the Second Circuit barring lesbian and gay people from bringing employment discrimination claims under Title VII when they are targeted at work for their sexual orientation.
Transgender Woman in Men's Prison Seeks Preliminary Relief in Doe v. Massachusetts Department of Correction
(BOSTON, MA - February 5, 2018) Lawyers for a transgender woman incarcerated in a Massachusetts men's prison filed a motion for preliminary injunction on Friday, seeking her immediate transfer to a women's facility. The case, Jane Doe v. Massachusetts Department of Correction, was first filed by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Prisoners' Legal Services, and Goodwin Procter LLP in October 2017 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
February, 2018
GLAD Calls on Massachusetts to End Delay in Granting Full Legal Parentage to Non-Biological Parents
(BOSTON, MA - February 2, 2018) One year after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a decision in Partanen v. Gallagher establishing that children born to unmarried same-sex couples stand on equal footing with all other children, the Commonwealth has yet to implement the decision, leaving parents and their newborn babies in legal limbo.
January, 2018
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Denies Trump Administration Request to Delay January 1 Transgender Enlistment Date
(Washington, D.C., December 22, 2017)-The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected a Trump Administration request to stay District Judge Kollar-Kotelly's order that the military allow qualified transgender people to enlist beginning January 1. On December 11, District Judge Kollar-Kotelly denied the same request. Both the appeals court and Judge Kollar-Kotelly rejected the Administration's argument that the military would not be prepared to accept transgender recruits by January 1-a claim undercut by a Department of Defense memorandum issued December 8 which lays out guidance for processing transgender enlistees.
Former Military & Security Officials Oppose Trump Administration Trans Enlistment Delay, New GLAD, NCLR Filing
(WASHINGTON, D.C., December 15, 2017)-The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed their opposition today to the Trump administration's request for an emergency stay to prevent transgender people from being able to enlist on January 1. D.C. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the government's request on December 11, and the Trump administration then filed an emergency motion for a stay in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. District Judge Kollar-Kotelly noted that Trump administration claims that the January 1 date would cause "irreparable injury" are contrary to what the military itself has said on this issue and undercut by the five weeks it waited to even request this "emergency" stay.
GLAD Applauds Portland's New Policy on Affirmation and Full Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Expansive Students
(PORTLAND, ME, November 28, 2017) - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) applauds the comprehensive policy on fair treatment of transgender and gender expansive students adopted by the Portland School Committee tonight by unanimous vote.
GLAD Calls for Immediate Action and Release of Youth in Response to Alarming, Unsafe Conditions at Long Creek Youth Deve
December 14, 2017 - The Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (JJAG) today released a long-awaited assessment on Long Creek Youth Development Center, Maine's juvenile prison. GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and other youth advocates have pushed for the independent assessment and for critical reforms in response to escalating concerns that youth are not safe at Long Creek, particularly following the November 2016 suicide of a transgender youth detained at the facility.
New NCLR and GLAD Doe v. Trump Court Filing Reveals Trump Administration is Distorting Evidence to Prevent Trans Enlistm
(WASHINGTON, D.C., December 8, 2017)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed their opposition to yesterday's Trump administration request for a partial stay in Doe v. Trump, the first legal challenge filed against Trump's transgender military ban. If granted, the stay would permit the Trump administration to once again delay accepting transgender recruits, which it has been ordered to do starting on January 1, 2018. Today's NCLR and GLAD filing debunks Trump administration claims that the military is not ready to accept transgender recruits on January 1, citing a Palm Center policy report calling out the Trump administration for filing a court document that "rewrites the history of transgender military policy and distorts the evidence."
Statement from GLAD and NCLR on Supreme Court Denial of Review in Turner v. Pidgeon
December 4, 2017 - "This case is not over. It will now return to the Texas trial court for a final decision. It was an uphill battle to persuade the Supreme Court to grant review at this juncture because of the Court's firm rule about taking cases only after a final judgment even where, as we noted in our friend of the court brief, a lower court ruling is subverting an important federal policy. We hope and expect the Texas trial court, on remand, will uphold spousal benefits for employees married to a person of the same sex, as Obergefell and common sense require."
Trump administration drops attempts to delay transgender enlistment after repeated court losses in GLAD and NCLR lawsuit
(Washington, D.C., December 30, 2017)-Late yesterday, the Trump administration announced it would not ask the United States Supreme Court to stay the district court's order requiring enlistment of transgender individuals in Doe v. Trump, a case brought by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) challenging President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military. The Pentagon confirmed that the military will, as of January 1, begin implementing the enlistment policy announced by former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in 2016 and adopted after exhaustive military analysis. This marks the first time in United States history that qualified transgender Americans will be authorized to openly enlist in the nation's Armed Forces.
Trump's Transgender Military Ban Fails Again in Court as California Federal District Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction
(LOS ANGELES, CA DECEMBER, 22, 2017)-Today, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction halting Trump's transgender military ban while it is challenged in the courts. With today's ruling, there are now four nationwide preliminary injunctions issued by federal courts across the country-the first was issued in Doe v. Trump on October 30. Plaintiffs in Stockman v. Trump include Equality California and individual current and aspiring transgender service members-represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and Latham & Watkins LLP. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra successfully petitioned to intervene in the suit as a plaintiff on behalf of the State, and was represented at oral argument on December 12.
December, 2017
Equality California, NCLR and GLAD Hit Back Again at Trump's Transgender Military Ban in Powerful New Filing
LOS ANGELES (November 6, 2017) –The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a response today in the Equality California case Stockman v. Trump challenging Trump's transgender military ban in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Today's court filing is the first in Stockman since Judge Kollar-Kotelly's ruling last week in NCLR and GLAD's other case Doe v. Trump, finding Trump's ban to be unconstitutional and issuing a nationwide injunction against the ban.
Federal Judge Denies Trump Administration Attempt to Delay Transgender Enlistment
(WASHINGTON, D.C., November 27, 2017)-Today, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied a Trump administration request in Doe v. Trump to delay the January 1, 2018 effective date for transgender enlistment. Doe v. Trump-filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD)-was the first of four federal lawsuits to challenge President Trump's transgender military ban and the first to secure a nationwide injunction halting the ban
NCLR, GLAD Attorneys Leading Fight Against Transgender Military Ban Celebrate Historic Vote for Danica Roem
WASHINGTON (November 7, 2017) – Tonight, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the legal advocates leading the fight against President Trump's transgender military ban, celebrated the historic victory of Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in Virginia. Roem was elected as a Delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Trump administration appeals Doe v. Trump, "digging in its heels" on transgender military ban
(WASHINGTON, D.C., November 21, 2017)—Today, the Trump administration filed an appeal in Doe v. Trump, the first lawsuit filed to stop Trump's transgender military ban. On October 30, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted the National Center for Lesbian Rights' (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders' (GLAD) motion for preliminary injunction, placing a nationwide halt on the ban. Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled in Stone v. Trump, another of the four federal lawsuits filed challenging Trump's ban, and issued a second preliminary injunction. NCLR and GLAD issued the following statements in response to today's Trump administration appeal:
Vermont High Court Rules for Lesbian Mom
December 1, 2017 - Vermont's Supreme Court today ruled in favor of Sarah Sinnott whose former partner sought to block her relationship with the daughter they jointly brought into their family through adoption. This decision is an important step forward for many families including those where parents are unmarried, where one does not have a genetic tie to a child, or, as in this case, where one parent formally does an adoption and the other does not.
November, 2017
DOJ First Trans Military Ban Lawsuit Response: NCLR and GLAD Statement
(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2017)-Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) spoke out against the Department of Justice's response in Doe v. Trump, the first of four cases filed to stop President Trump's transgender military ban. In the government's motion to dismiss the case and oppose plaintiffs' request for emergency relief, the Trump administration falsely claimed transgender individuals have not yet suffered harm from this policy. GLAD and NCLR, who are set to respond to the government's motions in court later this month, reiterated the compelling need to put an immediate halt to the ban: transgender Americans looking to enlist are not able to do so, and currently-serving transgender servicemembers have been demeaned and stigmatized, denied health care, and are facing the loss of their professions, livelihoods, health care, and the post-military retirement they have worked hard to earn.
GLAD & NCLR Call Out Trump Administration For Attempting to "Paper Over the Wreckage" Caused by Transgender Military Ban
(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 16, 2017)-Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) hit back at the Trump administration's defense of its transgender service ban in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. NCLR and GLAD filed a brief refuting last week's Trump Administration claims that no harms have resulted from the ban. In their brief, NCLR and GLAD demonstrate to the court why Interim Guidance issued by the military does not protect transgender troops from the irreparable harms the ban has been inflicting on them since it was announced in July. NCLR and GLAD urge the court to stop the ban now, before it takes full effect in March 2018.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Responds to AG Sessions' October 6 Memo Regarding Federal Law and Religion
October 6, 2017 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) responded to the memorandum issued today by Attorney General Jeff Sessions today entitled "Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty."  The memorandum states 20 "high level principles" that all federal administrative agencies and executive departments must follow as employers, as regulators, and as they provide contracts and grants to those doing valuable work in the public interest.
Legal Advocates in Fight Against Trump Transgender Military Ban Praise Congressional Demand for Answers
(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 10, 2017)-More than 100 Members of Congress wrote to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis asking him to provide any "discussions or correspondence between the White House and the Pentagon" that purportedly informed President Trump's decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.
NCLR, GLAD, and Equality California Slam the Government’s Response in Stockman v. Trump
Los Angeles, CA - October 23, 2017 – Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion to dismiss and a motion opposing emergency relief in Stockman v. Trump, the transgender military ban suit filed on behalf of Equality California (EQCA) members and seven individual plaintiffs being harmed by the ban. EQCA along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), co-counsel in the case and the LGBT legal organizations leading the fight against the ban, slammed the government's response for ignoring the harms this dangerous policy is inflicting on our nation's service members and transgender individuals who want to enlist but can't.
Two Punches Against Trans Community in One Day from Trump Administration; NCLR and GLAD Respond
Washington, D.C. - October 5, 2017 – The Trump administration today landed two punches against transgender Americans, first asking the courts to dismiss a legal challenge to President Trump's ban on military service by transgender people, and then separately rolling back important employment discrimination protections for transgender workers across the country. Taken together, the two actions reinforce an agenda focused on promoting discrimination against some of the nation's most vulnerable communities, and underscore the importance of the judiciary now more than ever – as one of the only backstops to an administration committed to dismantling rights and protections for LGBT people.
October, 2017
GLAD & NCLR Join as Co-Counsel in Equality CA Lawsuit Against Pres Trump's Transgender Military Ban
LOS ANGELES (October 2, 2017) – Equality California announced today that the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the LGBT legal organizations leading the fight against the Trump Administration's transgender military ban, have joined as co-counsel in its lawsuit challenging the ban, Stockman v. Trump. Equality California is a plaintiff in the suit together with seven individual plaintiffs who are currently serving or have taken steps to enlist.
GLAD and NCLR Express Outrage Over Trump Judicial Nominee Calling Transgender Kids Part of 'Satan's Plan'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., September 20, 2017)-Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the LGBT advocacy organizations at the center of the transgender military fight, expressed outrage over comments made by Trump judicial nominee Jeff Mateer following reports that he called transgender children part of "Satan's Plan" and supported conversion therapy. NCLR and GLAD have said that Mateer's nomination, coupled with efforts to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military, continue to promote false stereotypes, scapegoating, and fears that will hurt our country.
Pentagon reacts to chaos created by Trump's transgender military ban
(WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2017)-On Friday, the Pentagon issued additional interim guidance regarding transgender troops. National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal (NCLR) Director Shannon Minter and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi, who together filed Doe v. Trump in federal district court to stop the transgender military ban, issued the following statement in response: "This 'guidance' simply underscores the serious and widespread harms being caused by President Trump's shocking and unsupported decision to ban transgender people from military service, reversing the policy of open service that has been in place for more than a year. This brief 'guidance' does nothing new: it does not stop the ban or the March target date for terminating current service members; it does not permit transgender people to join the military – now or ever; and it does not mitigate the most serious harms caused by this unprecedented assault on our nation's troops. President Trump's August 25 directive to ban transgender people from military service stated that the current policy remains in effect until March 23, so this iteration of that statement does nothing new. To the contrary, Secretary Mattis reiterated in Friday's memo that 'DOD will carry out the President's Policy and directives.'
September, 2017
GLAD and NCLR File Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Directive to Reinstate Ban on Transgender Military Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 9, 2017 -Today, lawyers from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging President Trump's directive to reinstate a ban on transgender people serving in the military. The suit, Doe v. Trump, was filed on behalf of 5 transgender servicemembers with nearly 60 years of combined military service.
GLAD, NCLR File New Motion for Urgent, Immediate Halt to President Trump's Transgender Military Ban
(WASHINGTON, DC, August 31, 2017)-Today, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) filed the first motion for preliminary injunction to put an immediate halt to Trump's transgender military ban. At the same time, NCLR and GLAD amended their initial complaint to include two new named plaintiffs: Regan Kibby and Dylan Kohere, respectively a midshipman from the U.S. Naval Academy and a student enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Powerful declarations in support of the motion for preliminary injunction from these new plaintiffs and from top military officials from the Army, Navy, and Air Force outline why leaving this ban in place would irreparably harm transgender servicemembers and their families and undermine national security.
White House Issues Transgender Military Guidance
(WASHINGTON, DC, August 25, 2017) -Attorneys from the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) representing five servicemembers who recently filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Trump's transgender military ban issued the following statement in response to White House guidance provided to the Pentagon today.
July, 2017
GLAD Statement on Ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Barber v. Bryant
June 22, 2017 - Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling against Mississippi HB 1523, the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act," saying that plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge the law.
Massachusetts High Court Rules in Favor of Needle Distribution Programs
June 14, 2017 - In a decision with critical implications for the state's efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and reduce transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today ruled unanimously that needle access programs such as those run by HIV service programs, community health initiatives or other social service agencies are legal without restriction under state law. The decision can be viewed at https://www.glad.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/asgcc-v-barnstable-sjc.pdf
RI General Assembly Approves Bill Banning Conversion Therapy for Minors
(Providence, RI - July 1, 2017) - The Rhode Island General Assembly last night voted for final passage of a bill sponsored by Rep. Edith Ajello to prohibit licensed mental health providers from using the discredited and harmful practice on children and adolescents.
June, 2017
Federal Court Allows Transgender Woman to Pursue Claim Under ADA
A federal district court in Pennsylvania has ruled that a transgender woman's employment discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can move forward. The May 18 opinion marks the first time a court has ruled that transgender people are not categorically barred from seeking relief from discrimination under the ADA.
Jacqueline Cote & Walmart Announce Final Class Settlement Over Health Insurance Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses of Walmart
BOSTON, May 15, 2017 - A federal judge today approved the $ 7.5 million class action settlement between Walmart and former Walmart associate Jacqueline Cote, that challenged Walmart's lack of health insurance benefits for same-sex spouses of Walmart associates prior to 2014.
May, 2017
Statement of GLAD Executive Director Janson Wu on the Reintroduction of the Equality Act
May 2, 2017 – LGBTQ people live in every state, city and town in the U.S. We are part of families, workplaces, and communities. And like everyone else, LGBTQ Americans want and deserve to work, be safe in public spaces, and live our lives free from discrimination.
Statement of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on Today's Executive Order
May 4, 2017 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Executive Director Janson Wu issued the following statement condemning the executive order signed by President Trump today: The President's declaration today is dangerous pandering to a small but vocal segment of his political base, and a disturbing sign that his administration aims to shift the longstanding balance between respect for all faiths and fundamental principles of non-discrimination and equality for all.
November, 2016
Mass. SJC Establishes Parental Rights for Non-Marital Parents
October 4, 2016 - Today the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a decision in Partnanen v. Gallagher, declaring that Karen Partanen, a non-birth mother, can be a legal parent to the two children she raised with her former partner Julie Gallagher. The decision can be read here.
October, 2016
GLAD's Jennifer Levi Statement on Public Accommodations Guidance from MA AG
Statement of GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi on Attorney General and MCAD Guidance on Transgender Public Accommodations Law: The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD)have each issued guidance on implementation and compliance with the new transgender public accommodations law, which will go into effect October 1.
September, 2016
GLAD Applauds NH High Court Ruling on Role of Premarital Cohabitation in Divorce Proceedings
August 23, 2016 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) today applauded the New Hampshire Supreme Court's ruling that a premarital period of interdependent cohabitation may be considered in the division of property when a couple, whether same-sex or opposite sex, is divorcing.
August, 2016
GLAD Cheers Passage of Massachusetts Public Accommodations Bill
June 7, 2016 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) issued the following statement by Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi after the Massachusetts House and Senate passed transgender accommodations bill, now on its way to Governor Charlie Baker for signature: "Today is a great day for the transgender people of Massachusetts, and for everyone in the Commonwealth who supports equality and opposes discrimination. All transgender people have ever wanted is to live fully and authentically, whether walking through a park, checking a book out of a library, buying a gift for a loved one, or celebrating with a meal in a restaurant.
MA Legislature Passes Insurance Mandate to Cover HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy
August 1, 2016 - The Massachusetts House and Senate approved a bill late last night requiring insurance coverage for the treatment of HIV-related lipodystrophy. An Act Relative to HIV-associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome Treatment, sponsored by Representative Sarah Peake and Senator Mark Montigny, mandates that private insurers and MassHealth cover treatment for a debilitating and disfiguring side effect of the first wave of life-saving HIV medications.The bill is the first of its kind in the country, and now goes to Governor Charlie Baker for signature.
One Hundred Doctors Urge Passage of MA Bill to Treat HIV-Related Lipodystrophy
July 13, 2016 - Over 100 Massachusetts doctors have written a letter to MA House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, urging the passage of An Act Relative to HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Treatment (H927), a first-of-its-kind bill which would mandate insurance coverage to treat long-term survivors of HIV for a disfiguring condition.
July, 2016
GLAD Applauds SCOTUS Decision in Whole Women's Health v. Cole
June 27, 2016 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) applauded today's 5-3 decision by the United States Supreme Court striking down draconian restrictions that the state of Texas imposed on abortion providers in 2013.
June, 2016
Vermont's High Court Hears Parentage Case Involving Lesbian Co-Parents
May 24, 2016 - Today Vermont's Supreme Court heard arguments in Sinnott v. Peck, a case involving a lesbian couple who raised two adopted children together for over ten years. Following the dissolution of their relationship and after jointly parenting for over three years, the adoptive mom began limiting Sarah Sinnott's contact with the children.
May, 2016
GLAD and NCLR on Decision Which Affirms U.S. Dept of Education Rule Mandating Equal Treatment of Transgender Students
(San Francisco, CA, April 19, 2016)—GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) today applaud a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit which confirms policy set by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, that ensures Gavin Grimm, a 15-year-old transgender student in Virginia, will be fully respected as a boy at his school including in being able to access the boys' room.
April, 2016
GLAD Applauds New Hampshire House Passage of Ban on Conversion Therapy
March 23, 2016 - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) today applauded the New Hampshire House of Representatives for passing a bill banning conversion therapy, specifically prohibiting persons licensed to provide professional counseling from engaging in the discredited and harmful practice of seeking to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity.
Oral Arguments Heard in Partanen v. Gallagher, Case Addressing Legal Relationship of Children and Non-Biological Mother
April 5, 2016 - Oral arguments were heard today by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in Partanen v. Gallagher, a case involving legal parentage for a non-birth mother who, with her former partner, mutually agreed to have children by means of assisted reproduction and then raised the children together. GLAD and co-counsel represent Karen Partanen, the non-birth mother. Julie Gallagher, Karen's former partner, has opposed Karen's efforts to be recognized as a legal parent of the children they brought into the world and raised together until they separated.
March, 2016
GLAD is Now GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the precedent-setting legal organization that has fought for LGBTQ and HIV rights for nearly 40 years, is announcing a new name: GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).
January, 2016
Court Hears Argument on Transgender Exclusion in Americans with Disabilities Act
December 11, 2015 - The federal district court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania heard argument yesterday in Blatt v. Cabela's Retail, a case that challenges the transgender exclusion written into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).The hearing marked the first opportunity for the constitutional arguments for striking the exclusion to be fully laid out in court.
GLAD Statement on Fisher v. UT Austin
December 9, 2015 - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) joins a broad coalition of progressive allies in supporting the University of Texas-Austin today as it once again defends before the U.S. Supreme Court its holistic review of admissions candidates that allows for race-consciousness, among numerous other factors.
Massachusetts Court Rules against Catholic High School that Rescinded Job Offer to Married Gay Man
In a first-of-its-kind decision, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge has ruled that Fontbonne Academy, a Catholic girls' high school, discriminated against Matthew Barrett on the basis of sexual orientation and sex when it rescinded its offer of the job of food services manager to him because he is married to another man. The court ruled that Fontbonne had clearly and directly violated the Massachusetts nondiscrimination law; was not exempt from the law; and had no constitutional defenses against its discriminatory conduct. The decision can be read here.
U.S. Supreme Court Urged to Protect Stability of Families of Same-Sex Couples
December 17, 2015 - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Foley Hoag LLP today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to grant review in the Alabama second-parent adoption case, V.L. v. E.L., No. 15-648.
December, 2015
Barnstable Sued for Blocking Legal, Life-Saving Needle Distribution Program
November 10, 2015 - Today in Barnstable Superior Court, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (ASGCC) filed suit against Barnstable for preventing the group from providing free sterile needles to intravenous drug users at its Hyannis offices. ASGCC is being represented by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and AIDS Action Committee (AAC). The legal documents can be read here.
Department of Justice Weighs in on Transgender Exclusion in Americans with Disabilities Act
November 17, 2015 - Yesterday the Department of Justice (DOJ) weighed in on the transgender exclusion written into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), urging the court to ignore the exclusion in order to avoid a constitutional problem.
GLAD Voices Disappointment, Hope After MA Transgender Rights Bill Fails to Come to Vote
November 19, 2015 - The Massachusetts Legislature will not hold a vote before its recess on An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination (SB 735 and HB 1577), which would fully protect transgender citizens of the Commonwealth from discrimination. The legislature will reconvene in January, when it will have an opportunity again to take up the bill.
Rhode Island says Transgender Health Insurance Exclusions are Prohibited under State Law
November 25, 2015 - Yesterday, the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner released a bulletin Regarding Prohibited Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Expression. The bulletin is a significant step toward increasing access to critical health care for transgender residents of Rhode Island, who have long been arbitrarily denied coverage for medical treatments related to gender transition. Insurance companies will have 90 days to implement the changes.
November, 2015
Amicus Brief Argues that Treating Transgender Students Equally in Bathrooms is Crucial for Adolescent Development
(San Francisco, CA, October 29, 2015)—Being able to use the same bathroom as other students at school is critical for the healthy development of transgender adolescents, says an amicus brief filed on behalf of medical and mental health associations by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and Goodwin Procter LLP in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. The case, filed in federal district court in Virginia by the American Civil Liberties Union, involves Gavin Grimm, a 16-year-old transgender Virginia boy whose use of the boys' room prompted the school board to enact a policy excluding transgender students from using the same restrooms as their peers.
GLAD Weighs in on Fisher v. UT-Austin in Amicus Brief Supporting Race as a Factor in Admissions
November 3, 2015 - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) joined Lambda Legal, National Women's Law Center and other partners in filing an amicus brief yesterday in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief supports UT-Austin's use of race as a factor in undergraduate admissions.
GLAD's Jennifer Levi Testifies in Support of Transgender Equality
October 7, 2015 - Jennifer Levi, Director of the Transgender Rights Project for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, testified yesterday at the Massachusetts Statehouse in support of a bill providing protections in public accommodations for the state's transgender citizens.
ME High Court Cites Obergefell in Confirming State Anti-Marriage Law Has No Effect
Stating there is no "sufficient … doubt " about the validity of a same-sex couple's marriage from the date of its celebration, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has declined to answer a reported question about whether Maine's former anti-marriage law delayed the validity of a couple's marriage licensed in Massachusetts.
October, 2015
GLAD Files First-of-its-Kind Lawsuit Against Mutual of Omaha for Denying Gay Man on Truvada Long Term Care Insurance
September 16, 2015 - Today, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a claim with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) charging that Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company discriminated when it denied a gay man long term care insurance because he is taking Truvada. Truvada, a form of PrEP or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a medication prescribed to HIV-negative people to prevent the transmission of HIV. This is the first lawsuit in the country challenging discrimination against a person on PrEP.
LGBT SSI Recipients Appeal Case Challenging SSA Efforts to Collect Overpayments Caused by Delay in Recognizing Marriages
Oakland, CA - September 18, 2015 - Today, Justice in Aging, along with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), and Foley Hoag LLP appealed a district court's cursory dismissal of a class action lawsuit seeking to stop the Social Security Administration's (SSA) demands to recover overpayments from a group of SSI recipients married to a person of the same sex. The suit charges that the administration discriminated against married SSI recipients in calculating their SSI benefits for more than a year after the Supreme Court ruling struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in U.S. v. Windsor in June 2013.
September, 2015
GLAD Deplores Judge's Dismissal of Class Action Lawsuit Against Social Security Administration
August 7, 2015 - U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson has dismissed a class action lawsuit in which the Social Security Administration (SSA) was charged with discriminating against SSI recipients who are married to a person of the same sex. Social Security did not recognize the recipients' marriages until more than a year after the fall of the Defense of Marriage Act with the Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Windsor in June 2013. GLAD, Justice in Aging, and Foley Hoag LLP filed Held v. Colvin in March 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Labor Day, Walmart and Me
Labor Day is the traditional end of summer. For me it's been a special summer with my wife Dee.
LGBT Rights Organizations Join Amnesty International in Call to Decriminalize Sex Work
August 20, 2015 – On Thursday, several LGBT rights organizations across the country issued the following joint statement in support of Amnesty International's August 11th resolution supporting sex worker human rights.
August, 2015
Class Action Lawsuit Charges Walmart with Anti-Gay Discrimination
(Boston, MA, July 14, 2015) Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) have filed a class action lawsuit against Walmart, charging the retail giant with discriminating against employees who were married to same-sex spouses by denying their spouses health insurance benefits. The Complaint was filed this morning in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and can be read here.
DOJ Declines to Weigh in on Exclusion of Transgender People from ADA Protections
July 22, 2015 - Yesterday in a Statement of Interest filed in the case Blatt v. Cabela's Retail, the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to weigh in on the constitutionality of an explicit transgender exclusion written into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Today is the 25th anniversary of the passage of the ADA.
GLAD Calls for End to Conversion Therapy in Massachusetts
July 28, 2015 - Bennett Klein, Senior Attorney for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) testified today in favor of banning the destructive practice of so-called "conversion therapy " in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His testimony came at a hearing of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. His testimony can be read here.
GLAD ED Janson Wu's Statement in Support of the Equality Act
July 23, 2015 - Today the Equality Act, a comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination bill was introduced in Congress. Janson Wu, Executive Director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, issued the following statement
GLAD Statement on 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
(August 6, 2015) Today is the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibited racial discrimination in voting, and expanded the enfranchisement of African-Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities.
July, 2015
CT Governor Signs Bill Modernizing Process to Change Gender on Birth Certificates
June 29, 2015 - Last week, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law a bill that updates the state's birth certificate procedures, enabling transgender people to change their birth certificates to the appropriate gender without having to undergo invasive and sometimes unnecessary surgical requirements.
GLAD is Wicked Proud of Its History
June 8, 2015 - To celebrate the 2015 Pride season, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has produced an interactive timeline of its history at http://www.glad.org/about/history.
Married Same-Sex Couples File Preliminary Injunction against Social Security in Class Action Lawsuit
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Justice in Aging, and Foley Hoag LLP filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the Social Security Administration (SSA) yesterday (June 17) . As the country awaits an historic Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that could bring marriage equality to all states, same-sex couples who are already married and living in poverty have faced extreme financial hardship because of discriminatory actions by the Social Security Administration. The parties seek to permanently stop SSA from withholding or otherwise pursuing funds from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients whose same-sex marriages the agency failed to recognize after the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
June, 2015
U.S. Supreme Court Will not Hear Case Concerning Medical Care of Transgender Woman in Prison
May 4, 2015 - The U.S. Supreme Court declined today to hear an appeal on behalf of Michelle Kosilek, a transgender woman who has been denied essential health care while serving a prison sentence in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC). The denial marks the end of the road legally in Kosilek's lengthy struggle to receive appropriate care while in prison.
April, 2015
GLAD's Mary Bonauto to Argue Marriage Cases Before U.S. Supreme Court
March 31, 2015 - Mary L. Bonauto, the Civil Rights Project Director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28, 2015, behalf of same-sex couples who are currently being excluded from marriage. She will stand on behalf of the Michigan case DeBoer v. Snyder and the Kentucky case Love v. Beshear.
Social Security Sued for Discriminating Against SSI Recipients Married to a Same Sex Spouse and Demanding Refunds of Ben
March 10, 2015 - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Justice in Aging, and Foley Hoag LLP today filed a class action lawsuit, Held v. Colvin, against the Social Security Administration (SSA) on behalf of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients married to someone of the same sex in or before June 2013. The suit charges that SSA discriminated against these individuals for months, and in some cases more than a year, after that discrimination was held unlawful by the Supreme Court when it struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June 2013.
March, 2015
Opening Brief Filed with SCOTUS in Marriage Equality Case of Michigan Nurses April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse
WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 27, 2015 – Lawyers for Michigan nurses April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who seek to marry in their home state of Michigan, today filed their opening brief with the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court agreed to hear their case, DeBoer v. Snyder, along with marriage-related cases from Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky this Term, potentially setting up a resolution to the country's ongoing conversation about marriage equality which has now stretched over two decades.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders
Since 1978, GLAD has achieved scores of legal victories to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.
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