LGBT rights in the United States might have progressed a great deal in recent years, but they still have a long way to go in regards to certain areas of law. Recently, legislators in New York passed a prohibition on “gay and trans panic” defenses in criminal cases in an attempt to end discriminatory legal Read More

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced the issuance of a new final conscience rule, which is designed to protect individuals and health care entities from discrimination claims on the basis of their exercise of conscience in HHS funded programs. The conscience rule implements full enforcement of 25 provisions passed Read More

Following a recent agreement between Michigan’s Attorney General and the American Civil Liberties Union, adoption agencies in the state of Michigan that receive state funding are no longer able to deny adoptions to LGBT couples on the basis that doing so violates the agency’s religious beliefs. The decision is the result of a legal action Read More

An independent Catholic school in South Euclid, Ohio and the non-profit legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom recently initiated a lawsuit against the city of South Euclid on the basis that certain regulations created by a city ordinance in 2018 infringe on the school’s First Amendment and religious liberty rights. Even though it is still uncertain Read More

A lawsuit against a Bradley County clerk who issued marriage licenses to same sex couples was recently dismissed by a circuit court judge and resulted in plaintiffs considering whether to pursue further legal actions. The lawsuit was initiated by a pastor in Bradley County Court in 2016. The History of the Case The Ninth Circuit Read More

In a case that is likely to have a significant impact on LGBT rights, the Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled that a discrimination lawsuit initiated by a transgender student in Kansas City is allowed to proceed. Legal action was first brought against the Blue Springs School District in October 2015 after administrators at the school Read More

The US House of Representatives recently passed the Equality Act, which is designed to protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination that occurs in housing, public accommodations, the workplace and other arenas. First introduced in 2015, the bill also expands public accommodation protections to include discrimination based on sex as well as strengthens other protections. By expanding Read More

After the San Antonio City Council voted to prohibit the Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant at the city’s airport due to anti-LGBTQ statements and actions made by the company, a number of Texas legislators responded to this decision and claimed that it violated the First Amendment. Response by Texas Legislature In response to the San Antonio Read More

Tennessee recently became the first state in the southern part of the country with an affirmation of transgender protection with regards to hate crime law. The term “transgender” includes individuals who have a gender identity or expression that is different from the gender the person was assigned at birth. How Tennessee Previously Handled Transgender Protection Read More

In February 2018, a jury in Iowa City ruled that an Iowa prison warden had discriminated against a transgender worker by denying the worker the ability to use any of the men’s restrooms or men’s locker rooms at the prison. Jurors in the case also found that the state executive branch had discriminated against the Read More