If passed in Senate and signed into law, historic legislation would bar discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, women, and people of color in education, employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and other aspects of everyday life WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on a bipartisan vote of 224-206, the United States House of Representatives passed the Equality Act (H.R. […]

If passed, historic legislation would bar discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, women, and people of color in education, employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and other aspects of everyday life WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NCLR lauded the reintroduction of the Equality Act (H.R. 5), a comprehensive federal civil rights bill that would create permanent protections for LGBTQ […]

WASHINGTON, DC – National Center for Lesbian Rights today hails the quick issuance of guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which clarifies that the federal Fair Housing Act fully protects LGBTQ individuals from discrimination.   “Homelessness and housing insecurity are critical issues for many LGBTQ people – particularly transgender individuals […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Biden issued an executive order lifting the ban on transgender military service.  Since the outgoing administration began to enforce the ban in April 2019, dedicated transgender service members have been threatened with discharge, and qualified transgender Americans have been barred from enlisting, participating in ROTC, or attending military academies. From […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States after campaigning on a platform that advocated for the strongest protections for LGBTQ individuals in the history of the nation. As one of his first official acts in office, President Biden signed a series of executive orders […]

SB 225 will help people born with variations in their physical sex characteristics, some of whom identify as intersex, make their own choices about their bodies SACRAMENTO —  Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 225: the Bodily Autonomy, Dignity and Choice Act, to provide children and their families a chance to make informed decisions about […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After witnessing President Trump’s role in instigating the violence that took place in Washington, D.C. yesterday, NCLR joins the growing bipartisan call for removal and impeachment of the president in order to protect the American people.   “Given the gravity of the President’s role in inciting yesterday’s violent attack on our […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Last night, Georgia voters made history by electing Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to represent the Southern state in the United State Senate. Rev. Warnock’s election is truly historic as he will be the first Black Senator to represent Georgia in Congress. A statement from Imani Rupert-Gordon, NCLR Executive Director: […]

“So-called conversion therapy has harmed hundreds of thousands of Americans, leaving LGBTQ youth and their families with a lifetime of pain.” ATLANTA, GA — The Born Perfect campaign submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on Friday urging reversal of a recent decision by a three-judge federal panel validating the dangerous unethical practice known as conversion therapy. These […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United States Supreme Court denied a Petition for Certiorari in Box v. Henderson, a case out of Indiana about the state’s obligation to recognize same-sex spouses and different-sex spouses equally on their children’s birth certificates.  “We are so happy for our clients, and other same-sex parents and their children in […]

ST. LOUIS, MO – Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), along with co-counsel Relman Colfax PLLC,  St. Louis LGBTQ civil rights attorney Arlene Zarembka, and the ACLU of Missouri announced the settlement of Walsh v. Friendship Village of South County, a housing discrimination lawsuit. The lawsuit – filed on behalf of Mary Walsh […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation released a new resource to help both parents and educators advocate on behalf of LGBTQ students with disabilities. NCLR partnered with HRC Foundation, the National Education Association, and the National Association of School Phycologists to produce the new resource, Advocating for LGBTQ Students with […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, Martin Jenkins was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments to serve on the California Supreme Court, filling the vacancy of Justice Ming W. Chin, who retired from the court last in August. Jenkins, who is gay, becomes the first openly LGTBQ individual to serve on the highest court […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, the Associated Press made the call that based on receiving a majority of votes in the electoral college, former-Vice President and Senator Kamala Harris have been elected as the next President and Vice President of the United States. This announcement ends a historic election, which saw one of the highest […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 4, 2020 CONTACTS:Christopher Vasquez, NCLR Communications Director415.365.1337 | cvasquez@nclrights.org PHOENIX, AZ – Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), along with co-counsel Cooley LLP and Osborn Maledon, P.A. filed a lawsuit challenging Arizona’s requirement that transgender people undergo surgery before the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) will correct the sex […]

CONTACTS:Christopher Vasquez, NCLR Communications Director415.365.1337 | cvasquez@nclrights.org “Today’s action by the United States Senate is an affront to the American people and a threat to the credibility and integrity of the Supreme Court.” SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, the United States Senate voted along party lines to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime appointment […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 13, 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Supreme Court declined to review a federal court decision ordering the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) to provide medically necessary gender confirmation surgery to Adree Edmo, a transgender woman. As a result, the judgment that the United States Constitution requires the State to […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 9, 2020 “This is pure bigotry. There is no justification for reversing the current inclusive policy, which has been in place for nearly two decades.” SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) condemns today’s guidelines released by World Rugby, which create a complete ban on competition by transgender […]

If confirmed, Jenkins would be the first LGBTQ Justice to serve on the highest court in the largest state in United States SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he has nominated Martin Jenkins to serve on the California Supreme Court to fill the vacancy of Justice Ming W. Chin, who retired […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 26, 2020 CONTACTS:Christopher Vasquez, NCLR Communications Director415.365.1337 | cvasquez@nclrights.org SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ginsburg, only days after Justice Ginsburg’s death and before her burial at Arlington National Cemetery next week.  After the death of Justice Scalia in 2016, […]