Know Your Rights!: LGBTQ Rights

A Civil Rights complaint may be filed if you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion.

If you've been mistreated or harassed based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status, the ACLU wants to hear about it -- we might be able to help. Please tell us by filling out the form.

The movement for equality for the LGBTQ+ community—which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer people and others with a broad range of sexual orientations and gender identities—has seen many successes in the United States since the 1970s.

In June 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Fulton v. Philadelphia that the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had violated the freedom of religion as protected by the First Amendment to the U.S.

The progress of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and queer rights entails the erosion of prejudice, and erosion is a slow process. Much press accrues to the dramatic advancement of gay marriage, but that progress reflects decades of committed activism that antedate the sea change.

Since the mid-twentieth century, political activism and legal advocacy have made significant gains in advancing equality for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States. This diverse community includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and others with a broad range of sexual orientations and gender identities.

Until the twenty-first century, marriage in the United States was restricted to a union between a man and a woman, first in practice and later in law. Activists in the LGBTQ+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and others with a range of sexual orientations and gender identities) began petitioning for marriage equality in the 1970s but saw little progress until 2004, when Massachusetts, following a state supreme court ruling, became the first state in the country to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Harvard scholars reflect on the history and legacy of the milestone gay-rights demonstrations triggered by a police raid at a dive bar in Manhattan.

... As a student at Natrona County High School in Casper, he was elected a peer counselor and dreamed of working for the U.S. State Department "He thought it would be great to serve his country," says Dennis Shepard, Matthew's dad, "and to try to bring the same privileges and rights that he thought he had as an American to other countries." But Shepard never got to realize his dreams.

What States are doing to tackle violence and discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people.

On June 26, 2015, the LGBTQ rights movement reached a major milestone in the pursuit of full equality when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage for same-sex couples nationwide. Despite this progress, more than 200 laws designed to allow discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people were introduced at the federal, state, and local levels in 2016.

The collections of the Library of Congress contain many books, posters, sound recordings, manuscripts and other material produced by, about and for the LGBTQ community. The contributions of this community are preserved as part of our nation’s history, and include noted artistic works, musical compositions and contemporary novels. The Library’s American collections range from the iconic poetry of Walt Whitman through the manuscripts of the founder of LGBTQ activism in Washington, D.C., Frank Kameny.

The National Archives holds extensive records created or received by the U.S. Government on issues of sexual identity and rights.

It's been 50 years since the uprising at the Stonewall Inn—an event that is widely considered to be the catalyst for the LGBTQ civil rights movement. To commemorate this moment, NPR brings you an all new podcast series that celebrates queer stories and voices.

Founded in 1985, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history.

StoryCorps OutLoud launched in 2014 on the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Dedicated to documenting and sharing stories from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people from across the United States, OutLoud is an extension of our longstanding commitment to preserving LGBTQ stories in a time of profound change in social attitudes about sexuality and gender identity in our country.

Equality Florida consists of two organizations - Equality Florida Institute, Inc., our 501(c)(3) educational charity and Equality Florida Action, Inc., our 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. Together, these organizations form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

The Human Rights Campaign represents a force of more than 3 million members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

ILGA World – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association - is a worldwide federation of more than 1,600 organisations from over 150 countries and territories campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex human rights.

Lambda Legal, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.

Founded in 1973 after the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the nation's largest family and ally organization. PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court.

The federal government is funding organizations that illegally discriminate against LGBTQ candidates to become foster care parents for unaccompanied refugee children, a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges. According to the 29-page complaint, Kelly Easter has been turned away twice from fostering a migrant child in the federal foster care program while living in Nashville, Tennessee.

Headline news from the Associated Press covering a variety of topics within Gay Rights.

Gay and lesbian weddings have boosted state and local economies by an estimated $3.8 billion since same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in the United States in 2015, according to a study published on Thursday.

When Fatma Marouf and her wife Bryn Esplin decided to foster refugee children in their home state of Texas, being rejected because of their sexual orientation never crossed their minds.

Kelli Normoyle was nervous as she arrived at the Coast Guard Academy campus in Connecticut in 2008. She had come out as a lesbian to a few friends near the end of high school, but she faced a military environment where “don’t ask, don’t tell” was still the policy prohibiting gay people from serving openly.