LGBTQ Rights
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues
The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU and its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
Status: Ongoing
View Case
Learn About LGBTQ Rights
Featured
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
LGBTQ Rights
R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v EEOC & Aimee Stephens
Aimee Stephens had worked for nearly six years as a funeral director at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes when she informed the funeral home’s owner that she is a transgender woman. She was fired, the EEOC sued on her behalf, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Aimee’s employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her because she’s transgender. We represented Aimee Stephens in front of the U.S. Supreme Court — and won.
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2019
LGBTQ Rights
Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda
Don Zarda loved to skydive. He worked as a skydiving instructor at Altitude Express, a company on Long Island, N.Y. He was fired for being gay.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2018
LGBTQ Rights
Religious Liberty
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Whether a business open to the public has a constitutional right to discriminate.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
LGBTQ Rights
Obergefell, et al. v. Hodges - Freedom to Marry in Ohio
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and Alphonse Gerhardstein of Gerhardstein & Branch have filed suit on behalf of Jim Obergefell and David Michener, two widowers, and Robert Grunn, a funeral director, in a challenge to the Ohio constitutional and statutory marriage recognition bans.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
LGBTQ Rights
Bourke v. Beshear & Love v. Beshear - Freedom to Marry in Kentucky
Bourke v. Beshear is a federal court challenge to Kentucky's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, filed by attorneys at Clay Daniel Walton & Adams and Fauver Law Office on July 26, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The plaintiffs are four same-sex couples seeking state recognition of their out-of-state marriages.
All Cases
189 LGBTQ Rights Cases
Montana
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Kalarchik v. State of Montana
After a years-long effort by the state of Montana to deny transgender people the right to update their identity documents, two transgender women filed a class-action lawsuit against the state and several of its agencies and officials. 26 states and the District of Columbia issue new birth certificate and do not require sex reassignment surgery nor court order in order to change gender marker, while Montana is one of five states that prohibits any changes.
Explore case
Montana
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Kalarchik v. State of Montana
After a years-long effort by the state of Montana to deny transgender people the right to update their identity documents, two transgender women filed a class-action lawsuit against the state and several of its agencies and officials. 26 states and the District of Columbia issue new birth certificate and do not require sex reassignment surgery nor court order in order to change gender marker, while Montana is one of five states that prohibits any changes.
Montana
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Marquez v. State of Montana
Amelia Marquez is transgender woman and life-long Montanan. John Doe is a transgender man who was born in Montana, but currently lives out of state. Both wish to correct the sex marker on their birth certificates to reflect who they are. However, a law enacted in 2021, Montana Senate Bill 280, sought to prohibit transgender individuals born in Montana from correcting the sex marker listed on their birth certificate without obtaining a court order indicating that their “sex . . . has been changed by surgical procedure.” The ACLU, the ACLU of Montana, and Nixon Peabody LLP have sued, claiming that SB 280 violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Montana State Constitution.
Explore case
Montana
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Marquez v. State of Montana
Amelia Marquez is transgender woman and life-long Montanan. John Doe is a transgender man who was born in Montana, but currently lives out of state. Both wish to correct the sex marker on their birth certificates to reflect who they are. However, a law enacted in 2021, Montana Senate Bill 280, sought to prohibit transgender individuals born in Montana from correcting the sex marker listed on their birth certificate without obtaining a court order indicating that their “sex . . . has been changed by surgical procedure.” The ACLU, the ACLU of Montana, and Nixon Peabody LLP have sued, claiming that SB 280 violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Montana State Constitution.
Texas
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Doe v. Abbott
A family in Texas had a child welfare investigator arrive at their home due to a directive from Governor Greg Abbott stating that health care that is medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria should be considered a form of child abuse. This family — an employee of DFPS, her husband, and their transgender teen — sued Governor Abbott and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Dr. Megan Mooney, a licensed psychologist who works with transgender youth and their families, also joined the lawsuit.
Explore case
Texas
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Doe v. Abbott
A family in Texas had a child welfare investigator arrive at their home due to a directive from Governor Greg Abbott stating that health care that is medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria should be considered a form of child abuse. This family — an employee of DFPS, her husband, and their transgender teen — sued Governor Abbott and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Dr. Megan Mooney, a licensed psychologist who works with transgender youth and their families, also joined the lawsuit.
South Carolina
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Free Speech
O.R. v. Greenville County, South Carolina
Local library patrons, with help from the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of South Carolina, are suing officials in South Carolina’s most populous county for systematically purging literature by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people from its public library collection.
Explore case
South Carolina
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Free Speech
O.R. v. Greenville County, South Carolina
Local library patrons, with help from the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of South Carolina, are suing officials in South Carolina’s most populous county for systematically purging literature by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people from its public library collection.
South Carolina
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Misanin v. Wilson
Transgender South Carolinians and their families challenged a 2024 state law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and prohibiting any state funds from supporting access to gender-affirming medical care. South Carolina’s ban led to medical providers ending treatment for transgender patients regardless of age.
Explore case
South Carolina
Dec 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Misanin v. Wilson
Transgender South Carolinians and their families challenged a 2024 state law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and prohibiting any state funds from supporting access to gender-affirming medical care. South Carolina’s ban led to medical providers ending treatment for transgender patients regardless of age.