Lgbt legal

LGBTQ Rights

The ACLU has a elongated history of defending the LGBTQ community. We brought our first LGBTQ rights case in Founded in , the Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović LGBTQ & HIV Project brings more LGBTQ rights cases and activism initiatives than any other national organization does and has been counsel in seven of the nine LGBTQ rights cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided. With our reach into the courts and legislatures of every state, there is no other organization that can equal our record of making progress both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion.

The ACLU’s current priorities are to end discrimination, harassment and violence toward gender nonconforming people, to close gaps in our federal and state civil rights laws, to prevent protections against discrimination from being undermined by a license to discriminate, and to protect LGBTQ people in and from the criminal legal system.

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For non-LGBTQ issues, please contact your local ACLU affiliate.

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Rainbow Map

rainbow map

These are the main findings for the edition of the rainbow map

The Rainbow Map ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from %.

The UK has dropped six places in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, as Hungary and Georgia also register steep falls following anti-LGBTI legislation. The numbers highlights how rollbacks on LGBTI human rights are part of a broader erosion of democratic protections across Europe. Read more in our press release.

“Moves in the UK, Hungary, Georgia and beyond signal not just isolated regressions, but a coordinated global backlash aimed at erasing LGBTI rights, cynically framed as the defence of tradition or public stability, but in reality constructed to entrench discrimination and suppress dissent.”
Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director, ILGA-Europe

Malta has sat on top of the ranking for the last 10 years.

With 85 points, Belgium jumped to second place after adopting policies tackling hatred based on sexual orientation, gender individuality, and sex characteristics.

The UN Human Rights Council once again reminds all States of their obligations to respect, safeguard, and fulfil the rights of LGBT and gender diverse people

This May 17, the world came together to celebrate the dominance of communities: relive those moments with this video report!

She now joins the likes of joining global leaders like United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima s decision-makers pledging to generate gender equality a productive reality in their spheres of influence

of more than 2, member organisations from countries campaigning for the human rights of woman loving woman, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people. Since

Since , we have been committed to equal human rights for rainbow communities and their liberation from all forms of discrimination.

Read our story

We support LGBTI civil society worldwide through advocacy and research projects, and give grassroots movements a voice within international organisations.

LGBTQ Rights

Know your rights Back to Realize Your Rights main page

The legal landscape for LGBTQ people is constantly evolving. If you think you have been discriminated against and would like our assistance, please visit our Report LGBTQ and HIV Discrimination Page and we can help you figure out whether you are protected under federal or state laws.

Can an employer discriminate against me because of my sexual orientation or gender identity?

Your rights

Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act from discriminating on the basis of sex. Some courts have ruled that Title VII also bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Supreme Court recently announced it will take up this question in three cases. In addition, many states and cities possess laws that ban this kind of discrimination.

If you believe that your rights have been violated

If you think that you hold experienced discrimination at function, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),