A federal appeals court in Washington recently sided with the Trump administration in ruling that restrictions on transgender troops in the military is permitted to stand. Lower court judges had previously blocked Trump’s prohibition from taking effect while the case was appealed. Current Transgender Military Laws In 2017, president Trump announced extensive prohibitions against transgender Read More

The Virginia Supreme Court recently ruled that a transgender inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg may be entitled to change her name to reflect her identity. In making its decision, the court held that the Petersburg Circuit Court had erred in denying the inmate’s application for a name change without considering the merits. Read More

A federal judge in Idaho recently held that the state must provide gender reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate who has been living as a woman for some time but who is currently housed in a men’s prison. As a result of the decision, the inmate will become the first in Idaho to receive gender Read More

  Earlier this year, Montevallo, Alabama passed an ordinance protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in relationship to housing, employment discrimination, and public accommodations. This is an historic event because Montevallo is only the second city in Alabama to pass an ordinance of this kind. Alabama is one Read More

A man in Tucson recently announced legal action against the Social Security Administration for failure to pay spousal survivor benefits after the death of his same sex partner. The man claimed that he would have married his deceased partner in the early 1970s if it had been legal to do so. Instead, the two men Read More

In a recent court filing, the Department of Justice announced plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to review President Trump’s ban on military service for transgender individuals. The Department of Justice announced that it plans to file a request before the Supreme Court by November 23, which means that the justices would be Read More

The City of Phoenix recently took defensive legal action against a law firm that claims the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance should be declared invalid because companies have the right to refuse service to individuals on the basis of sexual orientation. While it remains uncertain how this case will resolve, it has the potential to profoundly influence Read More

A federal judge in Cincinnati, Ohio recently dismissed a lawsuit against a judge who denied a transgender person’s request for a name change. In making this decision, the judge noted that the proper way to challenge a judgment is to appeal rather than to initiate legal proceedings directly against the judge. How the Case was Read More

California’s Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a new bill into law that supports the inclusion of LGBTQ seniors in state-provided programs. This measure marks a significant advancement in the rights of LGBTQ senior citizens in the state. The Number of California Senior Citizens Affected Equality California reports that 10.9 million Californians will be over the Read More

A Massachusetts state law that is designed to protect transgender individuals from discrimination, including in areas like locker rooms and restrooms, has been affirmed. This decision comes after opponents of the anti-discrimination law collected enough signatures for a repeal question to be placed on the ballot. With this vote, Massachusetts has become the first state Read More