The struggle of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) people for full equality is one of this generation’s most important and galvanizing civil rights movements. Despite the many advances that have been made, however, LGBT people continue to face discrimination in many areas of life. No federal law prevents a person from being fired or refused a job on the basis of sexual orientation. The nation’s largest employer – the U.S. military – openly discriminates against gays and lesbians. Mothers and fathers still lose child custody simply because they are gay or lesbian. And gay people are still denied the right to marry in all states. The ACLU has actively supported the struggle for lesbian and gay civil rights since the 1960s and in 1986, it established its national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. Working in close coordination with the ACLU’s affiliates nationwide, the project coordinates an extensive legal program and conducts a broad range of public policy and public education activities. The project targets five areas for its litigation, lobbying, and public education activities: discrimination; family and relationships, including marriage; lesbian and gay teens and young adults; laws which criminalize sexual intimacy; and expression and association. Legal casesNewsTake ActionOther
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