After a long battle with a rare form of brain cancer, Jennifer Neuman-Roper, a client of NCLR and bold advocate for marriage equality, passed away on November 8. Jen and Angelique Neuman-Roper joined Griego v. Oliver—a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of New Mexico and the National Center for Lesbian Rights—in August, and played a pivotal role in the struggle to win the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in New Mexico. Because Jen suffered from Stage 4 brain cancer, the couple of more than 20...
Our Voices
Yesterday, President Obama brought together a coalition of immigration reform advocates—including NCLR—and gave his first address on immigration reform since Congress finally ended the government shutdownand cleared the way to reengage with the rest of its legislative agenda. His message to Congress on this crucial issue was simple and clear: “It’s time,” he declared to a roaring crowd, “Let’s go get it done.” Earlier this year, the Senate passed legislation that would overhaul and repair our...
Want to hear something really scary? This Halloween, there is one treat that is actually a dangerous trick that could harm young people everywhere: Jelly Belly candies. And the trick isn’t the few seconds of horror that may result from biting into the dreaded canned dog food, vomit or even the baby wipe flavored jelly beans (yes those are real flavors). Jelly Belly Chair Herman Rowland Sr. is using some of his fortune to fund an effort to overturn California’s new School Success and...
Today, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 460, which clarifies that insurance coverage of fertility treatments must be offered and provided equally to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender prospective parents, who continue to face discrimination in receiving equal coverage for these services. Even though California law prohibits discrimination in insurance generally, same-sex couples, transgender prospective parents, and single prospective parents in California continue to...
I never thought that in my lifetime I would live to see the incredible progress the LGBTQ movement has experienced in just the last few months. So many have been working for decades to reach this moment, but even for those of us doing this work, the gains of the past year have been breathtaking. Gains such as the striking down of a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and seeing the demise of Proposition 8 are tremendous victories for the LGBTQ community and for a nation that prides...
As Congress considers overhauling and repairing our broken immigration system, NCLR has been committed to identifying areas where LGBTQ immigrants are especially vulnerable and working to ensure those issues are addressed. Detention facilities and standards for transgender detainees is one such area of heightened vulnerability. Immigrants in the U.S. are detained in detention facilities for a number of reasons, including non-punitive reasons like while they are seeking asylum or refugee...
September 30th marked the 37th anniversary of the enactment of the Hyde Amendment, the federal provision that bans Medicaid coverage for abortion-related healthcare. The Hyde Amendment has been one of the most devastating attacks on the ability for low-income families to access healthcare. Since the Amendment passed, people relying on Medicaid for health coverage have effectively been prevented from accessing crucially important abortion-related care. This tragic anniversary comes at the end...
This week, the White House hosted a historic roundtable discussion on the issues facing bisexual people. In the first-of-its-kind meeting, administration officials gathered activists and community members to explore the many policy concerns that are particularly relevant to bisexual individuals. Bisexuals—the “B” in LGBT—face unique issues that are sometimes overlooked in LGBTQ advocacy efforts. Bisexuality refers to an individual’s attraction to more than one gender. This often includes but...
Two years ago today, on September 20, 2011, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was officially repealed. The discriminatory and stigmatizing 1994 policy that barred lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers from serving openly in the military has had a damaging impact on the strength of the armed forces during one of the most dangerous military times in a generation. As a result of DADT, more than 13,500 women and men were discharged from the military because of their sexual...
We have a new look! We’ve been working hard over the last few months on creating a new website—looking at it from every angle—to provide you with one of the best resources for LGBTQ legal issues. Every section was analyzed. Every page was revamped. And we thought of you, specifically making www.NCLRights.org easier for you to navigate, breaking it down into the specific sections that we know you rely on. Here’s what you’ll find: RESPONSIVE DESIGN The new website was developed using what’s...