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Media Contacts

Tom Warnke – Media Relations Director

213-841-4503
twarnke@lambdalegal.org

Samy Nemir – Public Information Officer

202-672-4877
snemir@lambdalegal.org

Tyleis Davidson – Public Information Officer

678-492-1821
tdavidson@lambdalegal.org

Jonathan Adams - Communications Director

646-752-3251
jadams@lambdalegal.org

Press Releases

Read our latest news or search by issue area.

Lambda Legal Condemns Brutal Murder of Gay Puerto Rican Teen

(Los Angeles, November 18, 2009) — Lambda Legal condemns the brutal murder last week of a gay 19-year-old youth in Puerto Rico and calls for action on laws and policies that prohibit discrimination.


Jorge Steven López Mercado was decapitated, dismembered and his body partially burned near the town of Cayey, in what appears to be a hate crime. The Coordinator of Lambda Legal's Proyecto Igualdad issued the following statement:

Chief Judge of Ninth Circuit Orders Spousal Benefits for Lesbian Court Employee

(San Francisco, November 18, 2009) — Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today affirmed that a married lesbian court employee is entitled to receive health benefits for her wife, just like married heterosexual court workers, and that the Court has final authority to end benefits discrimination against its employees.

New York High Court Upholds Government Benefits to Married Same-Sex Couples, Exhorts Legislature to Vote on Marriage

(New York, November 19, 2009) — In a decision today, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the State Department of Civil Service and Westchester County could extend government benefits to same–sex couples in out–of–state marriages. The ruling comes in cases in which Lambda Legal intervened on behalf of two married same–sex couples after the Alliance Defense Fund, an antigay legal group, tried to do away with longstanding New York law recognizing out–of–state marriages.

Lambda Legal Files Federal Lawsuit Seeking to Block Elimination of Domestic Partner Benefits for Gay and Lesbian State Employees

(Tucson, Arizona, November 17, 2009) — Lambda Legal has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tucson to block a move to strip domestic partner benefits from gay and lesbian state employees. Arizona lawmakers included a provision stripping domestic partner health benefits from state employees as part of a last–minute budget deal signed by Governor Jan Brewer in September, while retaining spousal health benefits for heterosexual workers.

Lambda Legal Calls for Action During Transgender Day of Remembrance

(New York, November 13, 2009) —In recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, November 20, Lambda Legal issued the following statement by Executive Director Kevin Cathcart:

Lambda Legal Urges New York Senate to Vote Yes on Marriage Equality

(New York, November 9, 2009) — Tomorrow, as the New York legislature is expected to return to Albany for a special session, Lambda Legal urges Senators to finish up the business they left undone in the summer and pass a marriage equality bill to guarantee the legal rights and responsibilities of marriage for same-sex couples and their families in New York.


Statement from Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal:

Following mixed night for LGBT equality, Lambda Legal renews call for hope and action

(Los Angeles, November 4, 2009) — In response to last night's apparent wins in Washington State and Kalamazoo, Michigan, and loss in Maine, Lambda Legal Marriage Project Director Jennifer C. Pizer released the following statement:

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Case Seeking to Strip Away Domestic Partnership Protections

(Madison, Wisconsin November 4, 2009) — Today, Lambda Legal and Fair Wisconsin applaud the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to reject a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Family Action, an antigay group attempting to strip away newly enacted domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples and their families.

Lambda Legal Applauds Vote of Los Angeles Police Commission to Cut Ties With Boy Scout Affiliate

(Los Angeles, November 3, 2009) — Lambda Legal applauds the Los Angeles Police Commission for finally voting to end its association with Learning for Life, a youth training program closely affiliated with Boy Scouts of America. The decision came the same day that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the appointment of Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck as the department's new head.

CSWE and Lambda Legal Release First Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression Study in Social Work Education

Alexandria, VA — (November 2, 2009) CSWE and Lambda Legal jointly released the results of a study on sexual orientation and gender expression in social work programs aimed to determine the level of preparation for students to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals and LGBT youth in out-of-home care. This nationwide survey revealed that program directors and faculty need more resources to increase their knowledge on sexual orientation and gender expression and to further infuse content on LGBT individuals and youth throughout curricula areas.

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