| Links to States/Regions: California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New England, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, & Washington, Washington DC |
National Organizations |
The ACLU brought the very first lawsuit seeking marriage for same-sex couples in 1972, but recent advances have motivated anti-gay activists like never before, and they are pushing for constitutional amendments that forever ban marriage and civil unions for same-sex couples. Amendments have already passed in 20 states and are on the ballots this November in 8 more. As the nation prepares to vote, join us at the ACLU Membership Conference to talk to members of Congress about marriage for same-sex couples. Find out what you can do for this important civil rights battle. This is our democracy, our America. We must not stand on the sidelines while our leaders in government put out the light of American values. |
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Get ALL Your Ducks in a Row with Free and Affordable Legal Documents from Rainbow Law! This site is dedicated to the legal rights of gay men and lesbians, the LGBT community, people in same-sex and/or homosexual relationships, their families and children. We advocate for equal legal benefits, rights and protections for gay lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and queer people (LGBTQ) . We link to RainbowLaw.com a site that creates estate planning documents like last wills, living trusts, advance directives (durable power of attorney, living wills, powers of attorney for health care -- with hospital visitation), and documents that protect the right to parent children like sperm donor contracts and parenting agreements. We also advocate for gay marriage, gay rights, same sex marriage, equal marriage, marriage equality, domestic partner benefits and civil unions. |
| GayLawNet® is dedicated to providing general information, news and resources concerning the law as it affects the global gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (GLBTI) community and the simplest access to a gay or lesbian (or gay or lesbian-friendly) lawyer. |
| In April 1993, twenty-five lesbian and gay judges and judicial officers met in suburban Washington, D.C. and formed the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Judges. Those twenty-five came from California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Oregon. The objectives of the Association, adopted at that meeting, are: - To provide an opportunity for judicial officers to meet and exchange views and to promote education among its members and among the general public on legal and judicial issues related to the gay and lesbian community.
- To increase the visibility of lesbian and gay judicial officers so as to serve as role models for other lesbian and gay people and to bring to the attention of the general public the prominence of these judicial officers.
- To aid in ensuring the equal treatment of all persons who appear in a courtroom, as a litigant, attorney, juror, staff person or in any other capacity.
- To coordinate the sharing of information between lesbian and gay judicial officers and others in the gay community or the general community.
- To serve as a resource for other lesbians and gay men who are interested in seeking judicial office.
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Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, the transgendered, and people with HIV or AIDS through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. |
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Queer Legal Resources The Queer Resources Directory has one of the most extensive collection of materials devoted to queer legal issues on the Internet. |
queerlaw -- Sexual Orientation and the Law QueerLaw is a moderated electronic mailing list devoted to discussion, analysis and promulgation of queer legal theory and all other aspects of sexual orientation and The Law. The idea behind the list is to facilitate discussion between a diverse number of assorted groups ranging from law professors and law students to individuals interested in how The Law affects, and is affected by, sexual minorities. |
Sex Laws Worldwide (General and Heterosexual/Straight) |
Southern Poverty Law Center - A nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation. Its programs include the Intelligence Project, Teaching Tolerance and Tolerance.org. The Center also sponsors the Civil Rights Memorial which celebrates the memory of those who died during the Civil Rights Movement. |
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About Us | | | | The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy is a think tank dedicated to the field of sexual orientation law and public policy. The Institute supports legal scholarship, legal research, policy analysis, and education regarding sexual orientation discrimination and other legal issues that affect lesbian and gay people. The Williams Institute originated with the recognition that issues central to sexual orientation law have profound implications for the development of the law and public policy in general. Drawing on the intellectual and material resources of UCLA, one of the world's leading research universities, the Williams Institute provides a national center for the interdisciplinary exploration of these issues by scholars, judges, practitioners, advocates, and students. |
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State & Local Organizations |
California |
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALiF) is the nation's oldest and largest bar association of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Persons in the Field of Law. Founded in 1980, BALiF represents its members interests in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
 About LGLA : Mission Statement
| In exercising our strength as a Bar Association, our mission is to provide a strong leadership presence of and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the legal profession and in the community at large, through education, legal advocacy, and participation in political and civic activities and social functions. |
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At the Transgender Law Center, we work with community members and allies to make California a state in which we can all fully and freely express our gender identities. On our site, you'll find one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of resources on transgender law, information about our innovative projects, and tons of other stuff. If you're in California and have questions about our work, your rights, or the best way to create a non-discriminatory education, health care, employment, or business environment, contact us here. |
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Georgia |
Welcome! The Stonewall Bar Association (“SBA”) is a professional association of attorneys, judges, law students and other legal workers who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and who oppose discrimination based upon sexual orientation. |
Illinois |
The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago is a nonprofit membership organization that relies on the energy of its members to be successful. It is a professional organization of judges, attorneys, law students, and affiliated law workers. The organization has five purposes:
— to provide opportunities for members of the lesbian and gay legal community to meet in a supportive, professional atmosphere to exchange ideas and information;
— to further the professional development of gay and lesbian legal workers; to educate the public, the legal profession, and the courts about legal issues of particular concern to lesbians and gay men;
— to empower members of the gay and lesbian communities by improving access to the legal and judicial system and sponsoring education programs;
— and to promote and encourage the advancement of lesbians and gay men in the legal profession. |
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Massachusetts |
The Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) is a voluntary state-wide professional association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered lawyers and our allies providing a visible LGBT presence within the Massachusetts legal community. Law students, paralegals and other members of the legal profession are encouraged to become non-voting associate members. |
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New England |
Founded in 1978, GLAD - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression. Providing litigation, advocacy, and educational work in all areas of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights and the rights of people living with HIV, GLAD has a full-time legal staff and a network of cooperating attorneys across New England. When we go to court, we go there to win. But regardless of the outcome, each time we argue a case, we make a statement that chips away at outdated laws, challenges stereotypes, and helps further our cause: to ensure equal justice under law for all. The commitment to individual dignity and freedom is an intrinsic part of the American experience, yet for many of us, the way we are treated by society reflects a very different reality. GLAD has sought to create an American society true to its founding principles that all people are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights. |
New York |
 
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Lesbian/Gay Law Notes Thanks to the hard work of Art Leonard the QRD is able to archive issues of Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, a publication of the Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York. It is chiefly written and edited by Professor Arthur Leonard of New York Law School. Professor Leonard has written a brief info file on the newsletter. The most current issue available can be found here. In addition to the newsletter, since 1992, Professor Leonard and his students compile an annual case table listing all the citations for cases of interest which have been discussed in the newsletter throughout the year.
As if all this were not enough, Professor Leonard has also compiled an AIDS legal bibliography which contains a list of every law review article ever published which references AIDS or HIV. An amazing resource! |
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine our gender identity and expression, regardless of income, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence. |
Judith's primary areas of practice include non-traditional family law, (including donor agreements, adoptions, parenting agreements), residential real estate, advance directives such as health care proxies and powers of attorney as well as wills and estates with a special emphasis on the needs of lesbians, gay men, transgender people and others in unrecognized or non-traditional families. Judith has been trained in Collaborative Law and offers this service to her clients. In the early 1980's Judith was one of the founding Board members of the lesbian and gay bar association in New York, then known as Bar Association for Human Rights (now known as Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York or LeGaL).She served as First Vice President, as well as Chair of the Education Committee and Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee. |
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North Carolina |
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys A voluntary state-wide non-profit attorneys' organization, providing visibility, support, and advocacy for LGBT communities. |
Pennsylvania |
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Texas |
TRANSGENDERLEGAL.COM | | TRANSGENDER LEGAL was created to accelerate the legal freedom of transgenders! Transgenders include, but are not limited to, part-time crossdressers and full-time transsexuals. This site is dedicated to assist them and any other person who expresses any type of actual or perceived gender presentation which is at variance with bipolar, socially assigned, gender presentations or gender identifications. TRANSGENDER LEGAL is the official web site for Phyllis Randolph Frye, Esq., of Houston, Texas, USA. This site includes most of the two-plus decades of her writings and other items that she has produced in her quest for individual freedom and for freedom of her people. |
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Washington |
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QLaw: The GLBT Bar Association of Washington is an association of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) legal professionals and their friends. QLaw serves as a voice for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lawyers in the state of Washington on issues relating to diversity and equality in the legal profession, in the courts, and under the law. The organization has five purposes: · to provide opportunities for members of the GLBT legal community to meet in a supportive, professional atmosphere to exchange ideas and information; · to further the professional development of GLBT legal professionals and law students; · to educate the public, the legal profession, and the courts about legal issues of particular concern to the GLBT community; · to empower members of the GLBT community by improving access to the legal and judicial system and sponsoring education programs; · and to promote and encourage the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender attorneys in the legal profession. |
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Washington DC |
| Founded in 1990, GAYLAW is an independent, non-partisan bar association serving gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lawyers, law students, and legal professionals in the national capital area. GAYLAW works to advance the interests of the GLBT community, to be their voice within the legal community, and to improve their professional lives. A member of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, GAYLAW acts in coalition with other local and national groups dedicated to GLBT concerns. |
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