Tag Archives: ACLU

Alabama High School Cancels Prom Rather Than Allow Lesbian Couple To Attend

UPDATE: School board officials have reversed their decision and the couple may now attend. Another win for the ACLU LGBT Project! Rather than bow to pressure from the ACLU that they allow an out lesbian student to bring her girlfriend to the prom, Tharptown High School in Russellville, Alabama has canceled the event entirely. The ACLU has sent the school …

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Teen Lesbian Gets Photo Pulled From High School Yearbook

Openly lesbian Mississippi high school senior Ceara Sturgis had her photo pulled from her school’s yearbook because she dared to pose in a tuxedo. Veronica Rodriguez describes her daughter, 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis, as a perfect child: a straight-A student, goalie on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Drunk Driving. She also is …

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ACLU Leader And LGBT Rights Activist Larry Frankel Found Dead In DC Park

The body of longtime LGBT activist and ACLU attorney Larry Frankel was found in a stream in Washington, DC’s Rock Creek Park on Friday. Lez Get Real reports: A Metro DC Police spokesman confirmed this morning that the body was indeed that of Frankel and said that homicide detectives are continuing to investigate his death, but would offer no cause …

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FL Adoption Ban Goes To Appeals Court

The Florida Third District Court of Appeals heard arguments today from the ACLU that urged the Court to uphold a lower court’s ruling that a ban on adoption by gay parents was unconstitutional. The attorney representing the state blathered the usual nonsense. Timothy Osterhaus, the deputy solicitor general representing the state Department of Children & Families, urged the judges to …

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Sen. Jim DeMint Wants “Loser Pays” System Of Tort Reform

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) wants to create a “loser pays” system for civil lawsuits so groups like the ACLU will be “dissuaded from intimidating Christians and conservative groups.” “They’ve done a lot of harm,” he states bluntly. “They’re the group that constantly attacks the Boy Scouts for having ‘God’ in their pledge and wanting to set their own standards. The …

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Prop 8 Trial Set, Gay Groups Excluded

A federal judge has set January 11th, 2010 as the start of the Olsen/Boies suit to overturn Proposition 8. The ACLU, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal were all denied in their request to be a party to the action. The judge did allow San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera to take part, but only to assess …

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Olson & Boies: Stay Out Of Our Lawsuit

On Friday, Ted Olson and David Boies filed briefs demanding that LGBT rights groups and the city of San Francisco not be allowed to join their federal suit to overturn Prop 8. Chad Griffin, president of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which launched the suit, sent a letter in July accusing the advocacy groups of undermining the case in …

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ACLU Opposes Senate Hate Crimes Bill

Well, this is interesting. The ACLU says that the Senate version of the hate crimes act does not protect free speech as vigorously as the House version and wants the Senate to adopt the other chamber’s bill. In its July 17 statement, the ACLU says the Senate hate crimes measure, set to be an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 …

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Gays Protest “No Kissing” Restaurant, ACLU Calls For El Paso Police Inquiry

LGBT protesters staged a kiss-in outside of Chico’s Tacos in El Paso, Texas on Friday after a group of gay men were booted from the restaurant because two of them kissed. El Paso police made the situation worse by telling the men that it was against the law in Texas for two men to kiss. The head of Chico’s Tacos’ …

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Olson/Boies To LGBT Orgs: Get Lost

Two weeks ago I told you that Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights had reversed course and decided that they did want to join in the Olson/Boies federal marriage lawsuit after all. But still smarting from the way LGBT organizations dissed their proposal, the foundation supporting the superstar lawyers says they’re not interested. But the …

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Gays Orgs Reverse Course, Now Support Federal Marriage Suit

Earlier this month, a powerful coalition of LGBT and progressive groups issued a joint statement in opposition to the federal marriage lawsuit being brought by superstar lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies. Yesterday the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) announced that the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights had reversed course and filed an amicus …

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Coalition Of LGBT Groups Join To Condemn DOJ Motion To Dismiss DOMA Challenge

A coalition of LGBT groups have issued a joint statement condemning the Obama administration’s motion to dismiss a challenge to the Defense Of Marriage Act. Via press release: We are very surprised and deeply disappointed in the manner in which the Obama administration has defended the so-called Defense of Marriage Act against Smelt v. United States, a lawsuit brought in …

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Tennessee: ACLU Wins Battle Over Blocked LGBT Websites In Public Schools

The ACLU has forced the Tennessee public school system to stop blocking educational LGBT websites. Dozens of Tennessee schools have restored access to online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, just over two weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against two Tennessee school districts for unconstitutionally blocking student access to such sites. The company that …

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ACLU’s Matt Coles Responds To Prop 8

Matt Coles is the director of the ACLU LGBT Project.

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ACLU Wins Another One: CA Student Gets $25K For Anti-Gay Harassment

A 16 year-old California lesbian has won a $25K settlement from her school district after the ACLU threatened a lawsuit for the way she was harassed by teachers and school employees. The agreement between the Vallejo City Unified School District and the American Civil Liberties Union was reached without litigation, said ACLU attorney Elizabeth Gill. In agreeing to the settlement, …

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Michael Savage To Sue UK Over Travel Ban

Radio host Michael Savage says he’s going to sue UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for defamation after she included him on list of persons banned from visiting the country. UK tabloid Daily Mail: Michael Savage, who has up to 10 million listeners, branded Home Secretary Jacqui Smith a ‘lunatic’ and a ‘witch’ after being named alongside hate preachers and a …

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McDonald’s Settles “Faggots” Complaint

McDonald’s has settled a complaint brought by the ACLU on behalf of five gay customers who were verbally abused by a restaurant staffer at a Louisville, Kentucky outlet. Nine months after an employee at a McDonald’s restaurant in downtown Louisville called a group of gay customers a series of anti-gay slurs, the American Civil Liberties Union announced today that McDonald’s …

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Terrorism Expert Wins Transgender Discrimination Case Against Feds

Former Army Special Forces commander Diana Shroer has won a $500K judgement from the federal government because she was denied a Library of Congress job while transitioning her gender. Diane Schroer of Alexandria, Va., applied for the terrorism analyst job while she was still a man named David Schroer. He was offered the job, but the offer was pulled after …

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Rainbows Are Gay Is OK

Another one for the ACLU win column. Remember the Arizona kid who wasn’t allowed to wear a rainbow wristband to school? Peoria Unified School District is now allowing a gay 14-year-old student to wear a rainbow wristband at school following demands from the American Civil Liberties Union. Eighth grader Chris Quintanilla wore a rainbow wristband with the words “Rainbows are …

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ACLU Battles Tennessee Schools Over LGBT Web Access

The ACLU is demanding that Tennessee’s public schools stop blocking students from researching LGBT issues on the internet. According to the ACLU, filters at schools currently block the term “LGBT” but allow access to “ex-gay” websites. Many noted LGBT activist groups are currently blocked to students, including HRC, PFLAG, GLSEN, and GLAAD. Via press release: In its letter, the ACLU …

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