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In This Together: Ten Years of Marriage Equality

It is hard to believe that ten years have gone by since the Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, securing nationwide marriage equality for our community. NCLR represented same-sex couples from Tennessee in that case, along with a stellar legal team. Tennessee was just the final chapter in the fight for marriage. Believe it or not, Tennessee was one of TEN NCLR marriage cases, including cases in California, New Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South...

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Decision in Transgender Military Ban Challenge Coming Soon

Yesterday, I was in our nation’s capital with our partners seeking an emergency ruling blocking President Trump’s cruel and senseless ban on military service by transgender people. In response to repeated questioning from U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, lawyers representing the government admitted they had no evidence to support the policy’s targeting of transgender service members, thousands of whom have served openly and honorably for many years. Transgender service members and their...

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2024 Update: Now that Trump Has Been Elected, Can Our Marriage Be Undone?

Back in 2016, after Donald Trump was elected President, we wrote an update for the community responding to people’s fears that their marriages were under threat. Today, we’re seeing the same concerns again. So here’s a short update on our original post. The short answer is that there is still no realistic reason to fear that existing marriages of same-sex couples will be invalidated. The law remains as strong as it was in 2016 that if a marriage is valid when entered, it cannot be invalidated...

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Protecting LGBTQ Students and Families from Florida’s Hostile and Discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” Law

On March 30, 2022, NCLR, with our colleagues at Kaplan, Hecker & Fink LLP, filed a new lawsuit challenging Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” legislation, which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on March 28. Along with several students, parents, and teachers, we represent Equality Florida, which has over 400,000 members, and Family Equality, the nation’s leading group for LGBTQ-parent families and their children.  The new Florida law seeks to create a climate of fear,...

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NCLR’s Response to Justices Alito and Thomas

You have been by our side for a long time, through moments of thrilling victory and through many moments of peril and uncertainty as well.   We know you look to us to do our research, be one step ahead of our foes, and be ready to pivot and fight until we win the rights and achieve the lived equality we all deserve.  Rest assured, we are working harder than ever to respond to inequities and create a more just world. This past week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, joined by...

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Massachusetts Could Roll Back Trans Rights This Year — And We Need to Fight Back

* This piece originally appeared in them.us on September 10, 2018. A vote this November on trans rights in Massachusetts could have wide-ranging national consequences. by Shannon Minter & Jennifer Levi This November, Massachusetts voters will be the first anywhere to be asked whether they will retain a statewide law protecting transgender people’s equal access to public places. The law, Bill S.2047, was passed in 2016 with bipartisan support and signed by a Republican governor. For over...

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Your Voice Matters: Write to Help Transgender Veterans

Providing healthcare to all of our nation’s veterans is the right thing to do.  Federal law requires the Veterans Administration (“VA”) to “furnish hospital care and medical services” to veterans. For most veterans, this means that after serving in the military they receive comprehensive medical care from the VA. Right now, transgender veterans’ healthcare coverage is at risk. On July 9, the Trump Administration announced it will be deciding whether to provide transgender veterans with...

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LGBTQ people must oppose Trump SCOTUS nominee

* This piece originally appeared in the Los Angeles Blade and the Washington Blade on July 12, 2018. On July 9, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Kennedy, who authored the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision and a number of other landmark LGBTQ rights cases, was an occasional swing vote on the Supreme Court. Though he almost always sided with the conservative justices, sometimes he voted with liberal Justices...

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A Note for Those in Our Community Planning to Enlist in the Military

On January 1, for the first time in history, transgender Americans will be able to openly enlist in our nation’s military. This is an incredible moment, and one we can all celebrate. We know that many transgender Americans have been planning and preparing for over a year for this day.  And many others will now begin considering this as a real option for the very first time. The military has put considerable time into preparing for this day, and has developed guidelines for those charged with...

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