May 07 2012 1:38 PM ET
Big Party in S.F. as NCLR Turns 35
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, the San Francisco-based legal advocacy group, celebrated its 35th anniversary with an event Saturday that also honored Jane Lynch and plaintiffs in one of its high-profile cases. With 1,500 people in attendance at the City View at Metreon, NCLR not only honored its own work but the achievements of others. Actress Jane Lynch was given the Vanguard Award for using her celebrity to further LGBT causes. "I am honored and proud to be recognized by NCLR, which has given LGBT people and their families hope through its tireless work to gain dignity, respect, and, above all else, equality for all," Lynch said. "I love the selflessness and generosity of the organization, which stepped up and successfully represented my wife in her custody battle. I feel like I should be honoring them." Also part of the festivities were Brittany Geldert, Damian McGee-Backes, Dylon Frei, Ebonie Richardson, Kyle Rooker, and Krystin Schuette (pictured) — six student plaintiffs in the NCLR-fought case against Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district. The students fought against distict policies that prevented officials from taking action against anti-LGBT bullying. The district, which has recently lost numerous students to suicide, has since changed its policies and is taking more responsibility for harassment in its hallways. Actor Wilson Cruz presented the award to the students. Speaking at the event, NCLR executive director Kate Kendall said, "This year is especially significant, as NCLR celebrates turning 35 years old — an opportunity for us to look back on our history-making cases, while recognizing those who continue to speak out against injustice and are helping change the legal landscape for every member of our community. The seven people we recognized this year truly embody what is to be a hero, and we are honored to stand beside them in the march toward equality."
May 04 2012 6:27 PM ET
Yearbook Has Town Arguing Over Whether 'It's OK to Be Gay'
A seemingly innocuous yearbook article about a gay student has sent a Tennessee town over the edge.
May 04 2012 3:51 PM ET
Celebrity Biographer Charles Higham Dead at 81
Higham, a gay man himself, often wrote about the gay lives of celebrities.
May 04 2012 2:22 PM ET
Homeless LGBT Youth Lose $7 Million in NYC
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's newly released budget is getting sharp criticism from LGBT activists. The budget reportedly cuts $7 million to the city’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Services, which would eliminate 160 youth shelter beds and drastically affect the Ali Forney Center, the city's LGBT youth shelter.
May 03 2012 9:36 PM ET
Federal Prisons to Address LGBT Workers' Concerns
There will now be an LGBT rep in the diversity program at every federal prison.
May 03 2012 7:29 PM ET
Judge: Gay People Can Rule on Gay Case
Superior Court judge Joan Weber (pictured) told San Diego's assistant city attorney that he erred when he struck gay jurors from a case involving people protesting California's Prop. 8. Six defendants remain charged for allegedly blocking operations at a county clerk's office during a 2010 protest against California's ban on same-sex marriage (three accepted a deal).
May 02 2012 4:44 PM ET
Unfair Pink Slip
A federal judge ruled in favor of an unfairly fired gay man working for a Kentucky state agency. ---
May 01 2012 2:56 PM ET
Ending LGBT Discrimination in Jury Boxes
It remains legal in most states to strike LGBT people from juries, though one legislator is working to change that.
April 28 2012 1:05 PM ET
Utah: Vigil Being Held to Honor Memory of Gay Teen
The community of Ogden, Utah, is gathering to speak out against LGBT bullying and to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of Jack Reese, a recent LGBT teenage suicide.
April 25 2012 6:20 PM ET
Gay Vandals Attack Conservative Oregon Church
Some gay activists see this as an opportunity to start a dialogue.
April 25 2012 2:45 PM ET
DADT: Discharge Papers Still Invite Roadblocks, Discrimination
Senators Gillibrand, Lieberman, and Udall want the Department of Defense to expedite the process for altering veterans' discharge documents to omit information that they were discharged for being gay.
April 25 2012 4:05 AM ET
ACT UP: 25 Years of Radical Action
Act Up celebrates its 25th year of AIDS activism by—how else?— a march down to Wall Street. We look back at some of the group's most visual moments.
April 24 2012 12:50 PM ET
Landmark Employment Ruling Protects Against Anti-Transgender Discrimination
In a decision described by one legal expert as “game-changing,” the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that existing federal law protects transgender individuals from sex discrimination on the basis of their gender identity.
