Md. OK's Two Moms on Birth Certificates

If a woman in a same-sex marriage gives birth to a child in Maryland, her spouse will now automatically be listed as a parent on the birth certificate.

By Advocate.com Editors

The state of Maryland will now allow a woman to be named as a parent on the birth certificate of a child born to her same-sex spouse without the court order previously required, Lambda Legal reports.

The Maryland Division of Health and Mental Hygiene sent a letter to state birth registrars last Thursday ordering them to make the change. The letter said the impetus for the change was an opinion issued by Atty. Gen. Douglas Gansler last year that the state would likely soon recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. The state legislature is also debating a bill that would allow gay couples to marry in Maryland.  read more here...

Ind. School District Settles With Trans Student

By Advocate.com Editors

Lambda Legal has reached a settlement with the Gary, Ind., school district, in the case of a transgender student who was barred from attending prom in a dress in 2006, and the district has adopted LGBT-inclusive policies as part of it.

K.K. Logan, who at the time identified as a feminine male and now identifies as female, was physically blocked by the school principal from entering the West Side High School senior prom in May 2006. The principal was enforcing a school policy forbidding the wearing of clothing or accessories that “advertise sexual orientation” or “portray the wearer as a person of the opposite gender,” although a female student was allowed to attend wearing a tuxedo, according to Lambda.

Lambda sued on Logan’s behalf in 2007, contending that the policy violated First Amendment guarantees of freedom of expression and that barring Logan from the prom constituted gender discrimination. The settlement, which Lambda announced Friday, provides for monetary compensation to Logan, with the amount not made public, and includes changes to Gary public schools’ dress code and nondiscrimination policies. The policies will now include specific protections for LGBT students, and school administrators and board members will receive training on LGBT issues.

The revised policies “will help to ensure that other students don’t face discrimination because of who they are or what they wear,” said Christopher Clark, senior staff attorney in Lambda’s Chicago office, who handled the case with co-counsel from the Chicago law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He added that the case should send a clear message to schools around the country.

Read more here.

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Lambda Legal: Statement on Arizona Shootings"A healthy democracy does not have room for a culture of violence and intimidation. Political leaders and judges must be able to do their jobs without having to fear for their lives."

Kevin M. Cathcart
Executive Director

(New York, NY, January 10, 2011) – In response to the weekend's shootings in Arizona which left six dead, including U.S. District Judge John Roll, and six injured, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson), Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart issued the following statement:

"Like many Americans, I spent much of the weekend glued to the news as the horrifying events in Tucson unfolded. We have heard from our members and friends in Arizona about their shock and grief - we share those feelings and send our condolences to the victims and their families.

"Gabrielle Giffords has been an effective leader and a steady friend to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. We wish her and the other injured victims a speedy and complete recovery.

"A healthy democracy does not have room for a culture of violence and intimidation. Political leaders and judges must be able to do their jobs without having to fear for their lives. Now more than ever, we all must work to ensure they're able to do so."

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Lambda Legal Urges Governor-Elect Brown to Appoint Unbiased, Diverse Judges

"We hope the governor will scrutinize every candidate's record carefully to ensure that California's Constitution and laws are enforced so as to protect all Californians equally."

(Los Angeles, December 30, 2010)—Lambda Legal has sent a letter to Governor-Elect Jerry Brown urging him to scrutinize closely the judicial philosophies of those he appoints as state court judges and to add greater diversity to the bench.

The three-page letter, mailed today, calls on the governor-elect to appoint only judges who will rule fairly and impartially, particularly in cases involving LGBT and HIV-positive individuals. It explains why judges must not only abide by landmark legal precedents recognizing the rights of LGBT individuals, but must also follow the principles of equal protection and fairness underlying those decisions. These precedents include the constitutional requirement that anti-gay laws be tested against the most rigorous level of judicial scrutiny, the right to privacy that applies to both same-sex and different-sex relationships, and the right to be treated equally across a wide variety of settings regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status.

The letter also reminds Brown that in the nearly three decades since he appointed the first openly lesbian and gay nominees to the state bench during his previous term as governor, a number of administrations following his "did not follow your course. As a result, openly [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] individuals, people of color and women are underrepresented at all levels of the state judiciary. We call on you to appoint other qualified LGBT judges, as well as other underrepresented minorities."

"California has a better record than most states in making sure its judges are fair-minded and that they reflect the diversity of the state as a whole," said Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director of Lambda Legal. "We've seen political efforts in other states to pack the courts with anti-gay ideologues and to strip the robe off any fair-minded jurist willing to treat LGBT people equally. That stacking of the deck against LGBT people undermines the fundamental principle of equal justice that is the bedrock of our nation. We hope the governor will scrutinize every candidate's record carefully to ensure that California's Constitution and laws are enforced so as to protect all Californians equally."

To see a copy of the letter and the landmark cases it cites, go to
http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/ltr_ca-gov-brown_20101230_apponitments-to-ca-judiciary.htmlsource

2010: A Year of Equality