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Our Voices

Using Religion to Justify Discrimination is Blasphemy

I came out to my mother at 21, while she was driving us to see my grandparents in Oregon. I was prepared for the worst. Looking back, the idea that I would reveal this information in a fast moving vehicle now seems risky, but I needn’t have worried. Despite my mom’s devotion to her Mormon faith and her love of Jesus Christ, whom she regarded as her Savior, she took my trembling hand and said, “Honey, honey, the only thing that matters to me is that you are happy.” Over...

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When Marriage Is Not Enough: What same-sex couples need to know about protecting their families

Marriage equality across the nation has been moving at a breakneck speed and it shows no sign of stopping. Achieving this new legal benefit has been an incredible advancement for the rights and dignity of all LGBTQ people. But it’s also important to remember that even though marriage provides thousands of couples and their families with many new legal protections, marriage alone is not enough to fully protect all LGBTQ families. Same-sex spouses and transgender spouses need to know that they...

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Department of Labor Revises Regulatory Definition of Spouse Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the Final Rule revising the regulatory definition of spouse under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Under this new rule, legally married same-sex couples will be recognized as spouses and eligible for FMLA benefits, regardless of the law in the state where they currently live. The rule, published on February 25, 2015, changed the definition of “spouse” so it is based on the “place of celebration” of the marriage, rather than the “state...

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Meet Our Supreme Court Plaintiffs and Send Them Your Support

The United States Supreme Court is hearing our historic Tennessee marriage equality case, and our three plaintiff couples are headed to the Supreme Court!  We are working as hard as we can to finally win the freedom to marry nationwide, and our Tennessee case will be a critical part of that historic victory. While we’re sure our plaintiffs have good reason to celebrate on this very special Valentine’s Day, the coming months leading up to a ruling from the Supreme Court will not be...

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Breaking: Hearing on Marriage Equality in Alabama Today

Today, NCLR is headed to a federal courtroom in Mobile, Alabama with our four plaintiff couples who are asking the court to let them marry right away. NCLR’s legal team has been working tirelessly in Alabama to make sure that same-sex couples can marry in every part of the state. Help us finish the job! Last week, NCLR successfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow marriage equality to begin in Alabama as scheduled on February 9, after a federal court judge struck down Alabama’s marriage...

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Ijpe DeKoe: Help Us Gain Same Protections Others Enjoy

By Ijpe DeKoe Tennessee Marriage Case Plaintiff Thom was my childhood sweetheart. We met in 1999 when we were in our late teens and working as camp counselors that summer. We knew there was something special in one another and maintained a close friendship for a decade before finally admitting that we were perfect together. In 2011, we got engaged. Soon after, we were married in New York—while I was on a three days pass from my mobilization training at FT. Dix, NJ. A week later I began my nine...

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The Cost of Awareness

The suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn has prompted widespread media attention, including a focus on her description of how being sent to conversion therapy increased her sense of isolation and rejection. Now more than ever before, it is clear that there is an urgent need for more public discussion and education around the harms caused by conversion therapy. But some aspects of the recent conversations have been troubling. I’ve spent the last several years working with survivors of...

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Leelah: “My death needs to mean something”

“We are who we are, and there’s very little we can do to change our core. If we’re asked to change, there will be a chasm so deep inside of us that it will threaten our very life.” –Jodie Patterson, mother of transgender child The suicide last week of 17-year-old transgender girl Leelah Alcorn was a soul-crushing reminder of how our society is failing our transgender youth. Leelah’s parents rejected who she was and subjected her to conversion therapy, apparently believing the...

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Your Gift Today Will Be Doubled

I want to share with you Vicky’s journey with NCLR—a journey that spans 11 years. Vicky is only one of the hundreds of LGBTQ immigrants that turn to NCLR desperate for help each year. Your gift today doubled by the Justice and Equality Matching Gift Challenge — will help us continue our vital work for people like her. We first met Vicky in 2003 after she came to the U.S. seeking asylum from Mexico. She had lived through abuse and violence because of her gender identity and sexual...

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New “Know Your Rights” Guide Provides Vital Information for Transgender Prisoners

I received a letter from a prisoner a few weeks ago that still haunts me. The prisoner, a transgender woman of color, tried to remove her own testicles after she was repeatedly denied medical care for her gender dysphoria. While this might seem extreme to people outside of prison, these incidents of “self-surgery” happen regularly in prisons and jails across the country. There are thousands of transgender prisoners housed in correctional facilities who need basic medical care, protection from...

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