LGBT Bar NY Podcast: Recent Episodes
LeGaL - LGBT Bar of New York
Featuring lively discussion of the latest legal news affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community here and abroad. Interviews with LGBTQ lawyers, policy wonks and activists. Our monthly LGBT Law Notes episode with Professor Art Leonard digs into three of the most important new LGBT civil rights rulings. Eric Lesh, executive director of the LGBT Bar of NY hosts.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, Matt Skinner, Executive Director of the Failla LGBTQ+ Commission of the NYS Courts, Kristen Browde, matrimonial law attorney and nationally recognized trans activist, and Professor Emeritus Arthur Leonard of New York Law School summarize and discuss the December 4, 2024 oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case of U.S. v. Skrmetti.
To listen to the complete oral arguments / read the transcripts, visit https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2024/23-477
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the November 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the impact of Brexit on obtaining affirming identification, the future of surrogacy in Italy, and the future of DEI programs in the workplace.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the October 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including bans against so-called conversion therapy for minors, employee speech, and the access to medically necessary healthcare for incarcerated people.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the August/September 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including access to medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth, recent updates to interpretation of Title IX, and the latest news as to the application of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis across the wedding industry.
Shain Filcher, Esq. (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY sits down with Deborah Lolai, Esq. (she/her), Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School's LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia School of Social Work to discuss Deborah's near decade of experience as a Public Defender and Founding Director of the LGBTQ Defense Project at The Bronx Defenders, the challenges LGBTQ+ people face at all stages of prosecution within the criminal legal system, career changes, and how academia can serve to enhance social justice movements.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the June/July 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the conclusion to the October 2023 Supreme Court term, insurance coverage for PrEP, and a hard fought victory in Missouri.
Shain Filcher, Esq. (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY is joined by Make the Road New York's Mateo Guerrero (he/el, they/elles), Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager and Kendal Nystedt, Esq. (she/ella), Supervising Immigration Attorney to examine the intersection of surveillance, employment protections, sex work, and the immigration legal system. To learn more about current volunteer opportunities with Make the Road New York, visit https://mrny.my.salesforce-sites.com/VolunteerInquiry. To see what you missed at the 12th Annual TransLatinx March, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzDGyVpUOYc.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Stacy Lentz (she/her) co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and CEO of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, discuss a nonprofit that's committed to preserving the legacy of the Stonewall Inn through creating safer spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Later in the program, Shain examines LGBT Bar NY's ongoing legacy of service through its weekly-walk in clinic with volunteer attorneys Glen Ahlers, Esq. (he/him) and Madeleine Skaller, Esq. (she/her). To learn more about SIGBI, visit https://stonewallinitiative.org/. To learn more about LGBT Bar NY's weekly legal clinic, visit https://www.lgbtbarny.org/get-legal-services/legal-clinics.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the May 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the latest milestones in the fight to obtain affirming healthcare, accurate identification, and access to skating rinks. To read the Gender Marker X article referenced in full, visit https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/new-york-issues-4-000-x-gender-markers-state-ids-19397282.php
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the April 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including Florida's efforts to curtail DEI trainings, the ongoing displacement of Texas families with transgender children, and the latest outcome in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the March 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the fairness of jury selection, the definition of infertility for LGBTQ+ families seeking healthcare coverage, and an important victory for TGNC New Yorkers seeking a court-ordered name change. For more information about LGBTQ+ jury access issues, visit https://lgbtqbar.org/programs/advocacy/jury-access/
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, sits down with Amy Leipziger (she/her), Director of the Free to Be Youth Project, Majé Zenith Louverture (she/her), light worker, and Morgan Torre (she/they), Community Outreach Associate at the Free to Be Youth Project, to discuss the impact and the anniversary of New York State extending the right to consent to healthcare to minors defined as homeless youth and/or are participating in a RHY program.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the February 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the increasing likelihood the Supreme Court will be called upon to decide some of the most prominent safety issues impacting LGBTQ+ youth.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, sits down with Yvonne Martinez (she/her), Deputy Commissioner of Policy, Strategy and Research at the New York State Department of Labor, and Brie Vallese (she/her), Senior Policy Advisor at the New York State Department of Labor, for a behind-the-scenes look at the recent NYS DOL study surveying the employment experiences of TGNCNB people, including never-before-shared stories. To access the study, visit https://nysdolreports.com/gwg/2023-tgncnb/#:~:text=Significant%20Employment%20Barriers%20Exist%20for,than%20non%2DTGNCNB%20New%20Yorkers.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard (he/him) of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases impacting LGBTQ+ youth from the January 2024 edition of LGBT Law Notes and celebrate the 200th episode of the podcast.
Shain Filcher (they/he/she), Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, sits down with Janice Grubin (she/her), Partner at Barclay Damon LLP and First Vice President and Judiciary Committee Co-Chair of LGBT Bar NY, to discuss reflections on Janice's trailblazing legal career, the evolution of LGBT Bar NY, and her selection as a 2024 Stonewall Award Recipient. To learn more about the ABA Stonewall Award and Awardees, visit https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/sexual_orientation/stonewall_award/stonewallawards/
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the December 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the safety of incarcerated LGBTQ+ people when precluded from suing prison officials and equitable division of assets when pre-marriage equality religious weddings end in post-marriage equality divorce.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the joint October/November 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including a preview of the latest Supreme Court term, an update on restroom access in the Ninth Circuit, and a surrogacy case impacted by the pandemic.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the September 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including a win for transgender athletes in Idaho and a landmark settlement with the Broome County Jail, in Broome County New York.
To hear Makyyla speak about what the settlement in her case means both for her and the transgender community at large, visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rPepj7XrnE
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, sits down with Leslie Allen, Deputy Director of Legal Services at the Anti-Violence Project, and Audacia Ray, Director of Community Organizing and Public Advocacy at the Anti-Violence Project, to discuss escalating hate violence against the LGBTQ+ community, a groundbreaking, nationwide study surveying safety in queer spaces, and the loss of O'Shae Sibley. To access the study, visit https://protectsafespaces.org/.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the August 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including a setback for transgender and nonbinary youth accessing gender affirming healthcare, whether a guidance counselor can be treated as a minister for employment purposes at a Catholic high school, and sports bans in Arizona.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the July 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including public accommodation law updates, employment discrimination, protections for collegiate athletes being harassed due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation, and a recent win to protect access to gender affirming healthcare for minors.
In response to 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the LGBT Bar NY is hosting a special episode to examine the initial impact of the ruling on LGBTQ+ people. Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School sat down to discuss this historic 6-3 SCOTUS decision in favor of a prospective wedding website designer who did not want to create wedding announcement websites for LGBTQ+ couples seeking to announce their upcoming nuptials.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the June 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including protections for incarcerated transgender people and people living with HIV. Special guest Parker Rose Wingate stops by to discuss her recent publication examining gender-affirming healthcare as symbolic speech entitled to First Amendment protections.
To read Parker's article, visit
https://lawandinequality.org/article/trans-bodies-trans-speech/
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the May 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, focusing on the rights of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people to socially, legally, and medically transition.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY sits down with Richard Saenz (Senior Attorney and the Criminal Justice and Police Misconduct Strategist at Lambda Legal) to discuss Protected & Served? a community survey of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV, the need for updates to the criminal legal system both in New York state and nationwide, and the relationship between the criminal legal system and the overall LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. To read the 2022 Protected & Served? report, visit www.protectedandserved.org.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the April 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including attempts to ban drag performances and transgender and intersex students participating in K-12 sports, and a possible upcoming Supreme Court decision on so-called conversion therapy.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY sits down with Jane Fox (Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society) and Winston Berkman-Breen (Policy Counsel & Deputy Director of Student Advocacy at the Student Borrower Protection Center) to discuss the latest happenings with federally backed student loans, including the proposed $10k/$20k cancelation program pending before the Supreme Court, reforms to PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness), loan servicer misconduct, and resources to help borrowers. Links discussed in this month's episode: studentaid.govcancelmystudentdebt.orghttps://www.edcapny.org/ https://studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/state-ombudsman
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the March 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the rights of parents to select books available in public schools, the treatment of hate speech online, and a victory for incarcerated transgender people.
Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School discusses cases from the February 2023 issue of LGBT Law Notes, including:
- Updates on the Ninth Circuit denying en banc review in a challenge to the Washington State conversion therapy ban
- A decision from a federal district court in West Virginia upholding a biological sex interpretation of Title IX (with a mention of late breaking news about en banc review of a ruling with similar legal questions in the Second Circuit)
- The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Jack Phillips and his Colorado bakery
- A dispute involving a Catholic hospital owned by the University of Maryland
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Charlie Arrowood, Senior Counsel to the New York State Court System's Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission, discuss important updates in resources available to support NYC/NYS LGBTQ+ attorneys and court users, the Failla Commission's 2023 policy goals, and strategies for LGBTQ+ attorneys in all practice areas to ensure a more equitable court system for LGBTQ+ people. For more information about the Failla Commission, visit http://ww2.nycourts.gov/ip/LGBTQ/index.shtml
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Emeritus Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss nationwide cases from the January 2023 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the rights of transgender and nonbinary youth to participate in school sports, use the restroom consistent with their gender identity, and update in the Yeshiva University Pride Alliance case, and a tribute to outgoing Law Notes Author William ("Bill") Rold.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Associate Professor K.J. Rawson, Founder and Director of the Digital Transgender Archive, discuss the work of the Digital Transgender Archive, the intersection between transgender history and laws impacting the LGBTQ+ community, and the ways the legal profession can implement valuable lessons from transgender history to shape the future of transgender rights and storytelling. https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss marriage equality cases from the December 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including the right for incarcerated people to marry, penalties for refusal to conduct same-sex marriages, a victory in New York for brides seeking the perfect outfit, and the recently signed Respect for Marriage Act.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, Christopher R. Riano, President and CEO of the nation's Center for Civic Education, and Professor Emeritus Arthur Leonard of New York Law School summarize and discuss the December 5, 2022 oral arguments in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss a variety of cases from the November 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including recent interpretations of the Bostock decision, obtaining court-ordered name changes, and updates regarding seeking asylum. For a link to the unsealed Prop 8 recordings discussed in this month's podcast, visit
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss a variety of religious exemption cases from the October 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including access to adoption and employer mandated coverage of PrEP.
It's PrEP Awareness Week! For more information access to PrEP and PEP options in NYC, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/prep-pep-resources.page
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Christopher R. Riano, President and CEO of the nation's Center for Civic Education, discuss opportunities for advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community through participating in drafting an amicus brief such as NYSBA's recent amicus in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis and membership in LGBTQ+ bar associations. To access the brief/event discussed in this podcast, visit
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-476/233927/20220818155659849_21-476%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf https://nysba.org/events/writing-a-persuasive-amicus-brief-on-appeal/
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss a handful of litigation victories from the September 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including breaking news regarding the Yeshiva University Pride Alliance case.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Jac Quiles, Senior Program Associate with the Reshaping Prosecution Program at the Vera Institute of Justice, discuss safety in the LGBTQ+ community both in and outside of the criminal legal system.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss a variety of important cases from the August 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including proposed Health and Human Services regulations to protect against discrimination in healthcare services and updates in the fight to ban so-called conversion therapy.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss a variety of important cases from the July 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, LGBTQIA+ pride alliance campus groups, and access to gender affirming healthcare.
In response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the LGBT Bar NY is hosting a special mini-series to examine the numerous ways this Supreme Court decision impacts LGBTQ+ people and their families. For the third and final episode in this mini-series, Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar NY, and Alejandra Caraballo, Esq., Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School, discuss how the Dobbs decision may affect accessing gender affirming healthcare, bodily autonomy, and medical data privacy.
In response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the LGBT Bar NY is hosting a special mini-series to examine the numerous ways this Supreme Court decision impacts LGBTQ+ people and their families. For the second episode in this mini-series, Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar NY, and Brian Esser, Esq., Law Office of Brian Esser PLLC, discuss how the Dobbs decision impacts LGBTQ+ family formation and recognition, including building and/or expanding families through assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy, adoption, and foster care.
In response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the LGBT Bar NY is hosting a special mini-series to examine the numerous ways this Supreme Court decision impacts LGBTQ+ people and their families. Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar NY, James Esseks, Director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer & HIV Project, and Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Counsel and Health Care Strategist at Lambda Legal, begin the conversation by examining what protections the Dobbs decision does and does not impact, how the decision impacts the credibility of both the Supreme Court and the legal profession as a whole, and what reforms may be necessary to safeguard the judicial and democratic process.
Shain Filcher, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the June 2022 edition of LGBT Law Notes.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the May edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- U.S. District Court Rules Against Defense Department in Cases of HIV-Positive Service Members
- Federal District Court Refuses to Dismiss Mother’s ACA Discrimination Claim Against Insurer That Won’t Cover Her Transgender Son’s Gender-Affirming Care
- Trump Alumni Group Engineers Challenge to Bostock Application Outside of Title VII.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the April edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Plaintiffs Win Summary Judgment Against Former Rowan County (Kentucky) Clerk Kim Davis in Marriage License Case
- Texas Court Blocks Investigation or Prosecution of Parents and Doctors for Providing Gender-Affirming Treatment for Transgender Youths
District Court Judge Rules on Summary Judgment Motions After HIV-Positive Man Was Denied A Job As A Security Officer For Fear Of Spreading HIV To Patients.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar Association of New York and Andrew Teig, Managing Director at Major Lindsey & Africa discuss the importance of networking, the current job makes for lawyers on the look, and how to build a career that you enjoy.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the March edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Free Speech Challenge to Colorado Anti-Discrimination Law Brought by Web Designer Who Opposes Marriage Equality
- Kentucky Federal Court Rejects Claims against Insurer that Denied Coverage for Facial Surgery As Part of Gender Transition
New York City Teacher Dismissed After Complaint by Homophobic Fourth Grader Suffers Dismissal of Title VII Claim
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the February edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- 5th Circuit Panels Deny Refugee Relief to Latin American Petitioners
- Oregon Appeals Court Gives Sweetcakes by Melissa Another Chance to Avoid Paying Damages for Violating State Anti-Discrimination Law
- Damages Cases Involving Sexual Assault of Prisoners by Guards Highlight Difficulties Obtaining Justice for Inmate Victims
This week we were surprised with news that Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, plans to retire after the current term ends in June.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Northeastern Law School Professor Ari Ezra Waldman discuss Justice Breyer’s impact of the law and his LGBTQ rights legacy.
President Biden confirmed his intent to honor his campaign commitment to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Eric and Ari chat about some of the names that are being floated as possible replacements.
Prof. Ari Ezra Waldman is a professor of law and computer science at Northeastern University. He directs the School of Law's Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC). He is also the founder of @Legally_Queer, a social media project that educates the public about the history, present and future of LGBTQ freedom.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the January edition of LGBT Law Notes. The thread connecting the three cases is that they are all school cases involving queer students and access to equal opportunities.
- U.S. District Court Orders Indiana High School to Provide Equal Privileges to Gay-Straight Student Alliance
- Federal District Court Refuses to Dismiss Challenge to West Virginia Law Banning Trans Girls from Scholastic Athletic Competition
- U.S. District Court Rules Against Maryland School Choice Program’s Antidiscrimination Policy on Free Speech Grounds
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the December edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Texas Federal Judge Shields Church Employers and Non-Church Employers with Religious Objections From Title VII Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Claims
- Indiana Appeals Court Revives Discharged Gay Teacher’s Tort Suit Against Archdiocese of Indianapolis
- California Court of Appeal Affirms Order for Gender Affirming Treatment for a “Dependent Child of the Court” Over Mother’s Protest
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the November edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Biden Administration Drops Trump Administration’s Appeals of Lambda Legal’s Social Security Benefits Victories for Surviving Partners/Spouses
- European Court of Human Rights Finds Polish Courts Violated Lesbian Mother’s Convention Rights in Custody Ruling
- 11th Circuit Affirms Dismissal on Pleadings of Transgender Inmate’s Rape Claims, Refusing to Consider Absence of Risk Screening Required by Prison Rape Elimination Act
On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh speaks with Lindsay Goldbrum, an Associate at Wigdor LLP, about what its like to be a plaintiff-side lawyer in LGBT employment discrimination cases. This episode focuses largely on the federal workplace complaint Lindsay and her firm filed on behalf of Suni Reid, a former cast member of Hamilton the musical, who identifies as non-binary. In the complaint Suni alleges “frequent incidents of discrimination and harassment” and ultimately retaliation as a result of their gender neutral dressing room request.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the October edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- 10th Circuit Panel Orders Discharged Transgender Professor Reinstated with Tenure
- UK Court of Appeal Confirms that Children under 18 Can Consent to Take Puberty Blockers
- Failure to Protect Florida Gay Inmate from Bashing in Prison with “Homophobic Culture” Is “Certainly Concerning,” but Raises No Jury Questions under Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the September edition of LGBT Law Notes.
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Court Bars Federal Government from Enforcing Affordable Care Act’s Sex Discrimination Ban Against Some Christian Health Care Providers
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Texas Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Murderer of Transgender Individual
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Massachusetts High Court Recognizes that Constitutional Protections from Jury Discrimination Apply to Sexual Orientation
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the August edition of LGBT Law Notes.
Read Law Notes here.
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- En Banc 7th Circuit Categorically Exempts Religious Organizations from Hostile Work Environment Claims Brought by a Gay “Ministerial Employee”
- California Appeals Court Strikes Misgendering Provision from Patient Bill of Rights
- Maryland Federal Court Refuses to Dismiss ACA Suit Against University Hospital for Cancelling Transgender Plaintiff’s Hysterectomy on Religious Grounds
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the July edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Supreme Court decides Fulton v Philadelphia and dismisses two other important LGBTQ rights cases;
- Iowa Supreme Court Reverses Gay Workers’ Compensation Commissioner’s Jury Verdict and $1.5 Million Damage Award;
- 6th Circuit Rejects Transgender Detroit Employee’s Hostile Environment Complaint
Listen to our breaking Decision Day Episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, where we hear directly from Professor Art Leonard and LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh on what happened at the Supreme Court in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases from the June edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Federal Court Rules That Montana Violated Due Process and Equal Protection Guarantees by Forcing Gay Man to Register as Sex Offender for Consensual Teenage Sex;
- Fourth Circuit Rules Prisoners Have No Privacy Interest in Their HIV Information;
- West Virginia Federal Court Refuses to Dismiss Challenges to Insurance Plan Exclusions of Coverage for Transgender Health Care.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important cases involving transgender and nonbinary litigants from the May edition of LGBT Law Note.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with the Brennan Center's Alicia Bannon about the stunning lack of judicial diversity on state high courts. We also chat with former host of this podcast, Matthew Skinner about his work to achieve LGBTQ fairness in New York State courts. Finally, we chat with the Co-Chair of the LGBT Bar of New York's Judiciary Committee, Janice Grubin, about how lawyers can get involved in the process of screening candidates for judicial office or seeking office themselves.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the April edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Justice Department Explains That Bostock Ruling Informs Interpretation of Federal Sex Discrimination Laws Beyond Title VII;
- 2nd Circuit Finds Vimeo Immune from Liability for Kicking SOCE Promoter Off its Internet Platform;
- 6th Circuit Panel Says University Professor May Have 1st Amendment Right to Misgender Transgender Students
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar Association of New York, speaks with Director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, James Esseks, about the recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of LGBTQ workers and the religious exemption case, currently pending before SCOTUS, that could blow a constitutional hole in our nation's civil rights laws.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with The Asian American Bar Association of New York's Chris Kwok and Everytown For Gun Safety's Kaegan Mays-Williams about the surge of hate directed at Asian Americans and the problem of racially-motivated gun violence.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with Lambda Legal's Sasha Buchert and political consultant, Brian Derrick, about what's in the Equality Act and how to pass it.
Follow Sasha Buchert on Twitter: @sahsabuchert
Follow Brian Derrick on Instagram: @BrianDerrick_
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the March edition of LGBT Law Notes.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with Richard Saenz, Senior Attorney, and the Criminal Justice and Police Misconduct Strategist at Lambda Legal, about his litigation and policy work on behalf of incarcerated LGBTQ people.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the February edition of LGBT Law Notes.
Biden Administration Declares Pro-LGBTQ+ Policies from Day One; Moves Quickly to Repeal Transgender Military Service Ban
Colorado Supreme Court Revises Common Law Marriage Rules to Reflect Social Change and Same-Sex Marriages
Federal Court Enjoins HHS & EEOC From Requiring Catholic Plaintiffs to Perform or Provide Gender Transition Services
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with Professor Anthony Kries of Georgia State University College of Law about President Joe Biden's early actions to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination and end the transgender military ban. Prof. Kries also discusses the forward looking Biden LGBTQ legislative agenda, judicial nominations, and more.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the November edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Eleventh Circuit Fractures Over Eighth Amendment Standards for Treatment of Transgender Prisoner
- 9th Circuit Panel Remands HIV/AIDs Plan Enrollees’ Discriminatory Affordable Care Act Claim Where CVS Plan Manager Required Obtaining HIV/AIDS Drugs Only Through a CVS-Designated Pharmacy.
- N.Y. Appellate Division 2nd Department Overrules Precedent, Holding False Imputation of Homosexuality is not Defamatory Per Se
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the November edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- Federal Appeal Court Rules Laws Against Conversion Therapy Using Solely Speech Violate the First Amendment
Kansas Supreme Court Creates Broad Path for Unmarried Lesbian Co-Parents to Seek Parental Rights * Passport Denial Violates Transgender Man’s Equal Protection Rights
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, speaks with Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan about how the election of the Biden-Harris ticket will impact the legal rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the October edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- 9th Circuit Panel Unanimously Affirms Citizenship Ruling for Child of Gay Male Couple
- Federal Court Temporarily Blocks New York State from Requiring a Religious Adoption Agency to Provide Services to Married Same-Sex Couples
- Federal Courts Allow Plaintiffs to Extend Bostock to Equal Pay Act Claims and Employment Benefits
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY speaks with Sharon McGowan, Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director at Lambda Legal about Amy Coney Barrett's record and what her confirmation would mean for the future of LGBT rights litigation.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from the October edition of LGBT Law Notes.
- District Court Allows HIV-Positive Services Members to Maintain Discrimination Lawsuit Against the Pentagon
- Lambda Legal Wins Ruling in Favor of Social Security Spousal Benefits for Some Surviving Same-Sex Partners
- Lambda Legal Wins Preliminary Injunction Against Key Provisions of Trump Administration’s Gutting of Affordable Care Act Protections
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY, discusses court packing, Amy Coney Barrett's record, fighting her confirmation in the Senate, and more with Demand Justice's Chief Counsel, Christopher Kang. Demand Justice is a progressive movement fighting to restore the ideological balance and legitimacy of the federal courts by advocating for reform and vigorously opposing extreme nominees.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY discusses Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's loss, legacy, and LGBT record with LeGaL President Kristen Browde, New York Law School Professor Art Leonard, and Managing Director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program Alicia Bannon.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from July.
- Gay Church Music Director Can Pursue Damages for Hostile Work Environment Inflicted by Supervising Priest
- Bostock Extended to Title IX Allowing Transgender Students Access to Bathrooms Matching Gender Identity
- Trump Regulation Revoking Health Care Protections for Transgender People Blocked
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from July.
- Supreme Court Broadens “Ministerial Exception” to Anti-Discrimination Laws, Leaving Many LGBTQ Employees of Religious Schools Without Title VII Protection
- 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Revives Religious Adoption Agency’s Challenge to New York Anti-Discrimination Rule
- Roundup of Recent LGBT+ Asylum Cases
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss the major Supreme Court cases of the 2019-2020 Term that will have a significant impact on the rights and lives of LGBTQ people.
"LGBT Impact Litigation and SCOTUS" features a lively discussion between legal eagles Kate Kendell, former Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Ria Tabacco Mar, Women's Project Director, ACLU, followed by audience Q&A. This event is hosted by LeGaL’s Women’s Group and moderated by Cody Yorke of Outten & Golden.
This virtual lunch-and-learn is the third installment in the LeGaL Pride Power Lunch Series, held every Wednesday in June from 1-2 p.m. The events are free, but please consider making a donation in support of the LeGaL Foundation here.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from May.
- 10th Circuit Orders State Department to Reconsider Denial of Accurate Passport to Intersex Plaintiff
- Two Federal District Courts Rule on Social Security Survivor Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses Whose Marriages Occurred Fewer Than Nine Months Before the Death of Their Spouse
- Lesbian Couple’s Challenge to South Carolina Foster Care Policy Survives Motion to Dismiss
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar Association of New York, speaks with LeGaL President Kristen Browde and Professor Arthur Leonard about the Supreme Court decision that marks a watershed moment for LGBTQ fairness and equality.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that companies don’t have a right to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the workplace! This historic decision says that LGBTQ people are, and should be, protected from discrimination under federal law.
On today's episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, we focus on the B in LGBT.
As part of LeGaL's Pride Power Lunch series, we speak with Nancy Marcus, Sarah Filcher, & William Crosby about issues of bi visibility and inclusion in the law and legal profession.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from May.
- Massachusetts SJC Rules Probate Court Has Jurisdiction Over Complex Gestational Surrogacy Petition
- Transgender Man in the U.K. Cannot Be Listed as Farther on Child’s Birth Certificate
- Magistrate Judge Rejects Transgender Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed Anonymously
- Federal Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction to Screen ICE Detainees at High Risk for COVID-19
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from April.
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Appellate Victory for Gay Man from Ghana Seeking Asylum in the US
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New York Appeals Court Refuses to Extend Important LGBT Family Rights to Tri-Custodial Arrangements
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Alaska and North Carolina Victories for Access to Transition-Related Health Care
On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh chats with members of the legal profession about how COVID-19 is affecting their lives and work. Joining us:
Victor Tarantino, 2L, Hofstra Law School
Daniel Sinasohn, former associate, Camacho Mauro Mulholland, LLP
Sarah Filcher, Staff Attorney, Legal Services Hudson Valley
Meredith Miller, Professor of Law, Touro Law School.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from February.
- Supreme Court Agrees to Review Catholic Foster Care Agency’s Claimed Right to Discriminate against Same-Sex Couples
- Ninth Circuit Denies En Banc Rehearing in Idaho Inmate’s Gender Confirmation Surgery Case; Circuit Split Possible; Many Judges Dissent
- Ninth Circuit Panel Affirms Ruling Rejecting Challenge to School District’s Policy of Allowing Transgender Students to Use Facilities Consistent with their Gender Identity
- California Court Denies Release or Transfer of Transgender Woman in ICE Custody Seeking Medical Treatment and a Bond Hearing
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from January.
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Fourth Circuit Affirms Injunction against Department of Defense Declaring Policy that Discharges HIV+ Servicemembers as Arbitrary and Capricious and Based on Outdated Science
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Fifth Circuit Issues Hostile Opinion on Transgender Prisoner’s Name Change, Drawing “Emphatic” Dissent
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Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Divorce Decree Requiring Lesbian Co-Parent to Pay Child Support
On February 24, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, The Supreme Court will decide whether Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it stopped referring children in the foster care system to agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples on religious grounds.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from December:
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Supreme Court Denies Trans Inmate’s Petition in Transition Denial Case
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New York Appellate Division Affirms Ruling Reuniting Child With Second Parent After a Significant Lapse of Time
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Arizona District Court Treats State Health Provider’s Exclusion of Gender Reassignment Surgery as a Violation of Title VII and Leaves Open Plaintiff’s Equal Protection Claim
January 22 marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v Wade. The holding in Roe and fight for reproductive justice are centered on the ability of all people to have freedom of self determination over their own body, health, and destiny. These are the same values at the heart of LGBT peoples fight for equal dignity.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY talks with Scott Ruskay-Kidd of the Center for Reproductive Rights about the ways in which the legal battle for reproductive justice and LGBT rights are linked.
On the Law Notes Episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from November:
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Illinois Federal Judge Remands Board of Immigration Appeals' Decision Involving the Denial of a Married Same-Sex Couple's I-130 Petition.
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Christian School's Suit to Remain in Maryland's Scholarship Program Survives Motion to Dismiss
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Art Teache's Lawsuit Against Texas Public School Survives Dismissal Motion
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance (“TDOR”). It is a day to honor the memory of those members of our community whose lives have been lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
On this episode, LeGaL's Executive Director, Eric Lesh, and Board President, Kristen Browde discuss TDOR 2019.
At LeGaL, we remember the primarily trans women of color lost to transphobic bigotry and violence. This year’s TDOR comes in the wake of reports that at least 22 people were lost to deadly attacks in 2019.
Ending the crisis of violence against transgender people demands action across our entire community. Of the 1.4 million transgender people living in the U.S., 9% reported being physically attacked in the past year because of their identity. And this epidemic is on the rise. Between 2017 and 2018, reported incidents of anti-trans violence rose by 34%.
LeGaL has been fighting to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from discrimination for over four decades.
Today, we rededicate ourselves to continuing the fight for the safety, dignity, and equality of all transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Trans Lives Matter.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from October:
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Texas Federal Court Vacates Transgender Protection under Obamacare.
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Mississippi Supreme Court Unanimously Affirms Award of Custody of a Child to His Gay Uncle’s Surviving Husband.
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Kentucky Supreme Court Avoids Ruling on Clash between Free Speech and Anti-Discrimination Law in T-Shirt Case.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from September:
- Last week the Justices heard oral argument in three cases that could completely alter the legal landscape for LGBT workers across the US. Before the justices is the question: Does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbid discrimination in employment because of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity?
- We have a two rulings to discuss dealing with access to information in the ongoing challenges to Trump’s hateful trans military ban. While courts are limiting the scope of discovery they are rejecting the government's broad assertion of privilege.
- Michigan's new democratic governor implemented a policy that required faith-based organizations that provided adoption services using state funding to serve same-sex couples. A federal judge just put blocked it for now.
- Finally, anti-LGBT hate groups are challenging conversion therapy laws across the country. We have an update on a case out of Maryland.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of The LGBT Bar Association of New York, speaks with Lambda Legal Senior Attorney and LeGaL Board Member, Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, about what happened at SCOTUS during oral argument in the LGBT workplace fairness cases.
On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of New York and Mathew Shurka, co-founder and chief strategist of the Born Perfect campaign discuss the fight to ban the harmful and discredited practice of anti-LGBT conversion therapy nationwide.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from August:
- The Ninth Circuit affirmed an injunction ordering gender confirmation surgery for an Idaho transgender inmate;
- The Supreme Court received a second round of filings in the blockbuster LGBT employment discrimination cases to be argued on October 8;
- A divided Eighth Circuit revived a videographers claim that the company doesn’t need to provide equal wedding related services for same-sex couples.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY and Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School, discuss three important LGBT rights cases from July:
- A Catholic Adoption Agency Asks Supreme Court for a “License to Discriminate” Against LGBTQ People;
- A Transgender Teenager’s Mother Asks Supreme Court to Recognize a Parent’s Due Process Rights to Control Her Child’s Life; and
- A Federal Appeals Court has Refused to Reopen Asylum Proceedings for Lesbian from Uganda
There are nearly 1 million adult immigrants in the United States that self-identify as LGBTQ. The Trump administration has been relentless in its attacks against immigrants from apprehension, to detentions, to deportations. The approach has been aggressive, unspeakably cruel and even deadly. LeGaL's Executive Director, Eric Lesh sits down with Sharita Gruberg, Director of the Policy, LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress to talk about the immigration and asylum obstacles and issues that are the directly harming LGBTQ people.
On the LGBT Law Notes episode, LGBT Bar NY Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss the latest wedding cake news from the Supreme Court and more, including a ruling from another state high court that is sticking to its pro-equality decision after searching the record for signs of bias in the proceeding. Next, we will chat about a New York case where a gay dad filled a cert petition that seeks to overturn protections for non-bio/non-adoptive parents. Finally, we discuss the latest on a conversion therapy case in New Jersey state court where the provider of this discredited, fraudulent practice just won’t go away.
LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with transgender rights litigator Jillian Weiss about her LGBT workplace fairness work at the Law Firm of Jillian T. Weiss and as Special Co-Counsel at Outten & Golden. Then, we chat with Larry Pearson and David Gottlieb of Wigdor LLP about their LGBT employment, harassment and retaliation cases against the novelist Nicholas Sparks and their case against Goldman Sachs.
If you experience discrimination in the workplace contact:
Law Firm of Jillian T. Weiss
Outten & Golden
Wigdor LLP
or LeGaL at 212-459-4873
On this LGBT Law Notes episode LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss a rare bit of good news from the Supreme Court in transgender rights case. Next they chat about a religiously affiliated children’s agency’s failed attempt to turn away same-sex couples seeking to adopt. Then they chat about a series of cases that deal with same-sex spouses and their equal access to benefits.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of New York and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard give the very latest updates and insights on everything SCOTUS, including the recent Title VII grants as well as some denials. Next they discuss a federal appellate ruling in a case seeking to block enforcement of Philadelphia’s law barring child welfare groups doing business with the city from discriminating against same-sex couples who seek certification to be foster parents. Finally, they discuss a discrimination and harassment case filed by a lesbian police officer against NYC.
Today’s show is about sex workers' rights and the fight in New York to decriminalize sex work.
We are speaking with Jared Trujillo, who is a Steering Committee member of DecrimNY, a coalition of 30 groups to decriminalize, destigmatize, and decarcerate sex work in New York. He’s also the President of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys.
LeGaL's Executive Director speaks with the ACLU’s Ian Thompson about federal policy issues, including major pieces of legislation like the Equality Act, and the effort to reverse the transgender military ban. We also chat about HIV/AIDS, administrative rollbacks, and the continuing attack on Obamacare.
Ian Thompson is a Legislative Representative in the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. Ian works to advance the organization’s civil liberties and civil rights agenda in Congress and the executive branch by focusing on LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS, and sex education.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will review three cases that could have a massive impact on the rights and lives of LGBT people in the workplace. Specifically, the Court will decide whether the ban on employment discrimination “because of sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 can be interpreted to apply to claims of discrimination because of sexual orientation.
Eric Lesh discusses this breaking news with NY Law School Professor Art Lenard.
LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with New York Law School Professor Art Leonard about SCOTUS’s decision NOT to hear the Aloha Bed and Breakfast case involving a small B & B that received a public accommodations smackdown from Hawaii. Next, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled by a vote of 2-1 that the state of Texas did not violate the 8th Amendment right against cruel or unusual punishment by denying gender confirmation surgery to transgender inmate. Finally, religious objectors rushing to federal court to block the EECC’s ability to come after employers when the fire LGBT people.
Prof Leonard is chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.
On this episode LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh speaks with Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Ethan Rice. At issue is a brief that Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and ACLU South Dakota filed with the Supreme Court in the case of Rhines v. Young. The brief argues that anti-gay juror bias in-part motivated the South Dakota jury’s decision to sentence Charles Rhines to death. We also chat about the experiences of LGBT people in the court system.
On the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, we discuss:
- The latest legal developments on Trump's hateful transgender military ban;
- A federal court blocks discharges of healthy airmen living with HIV; and
- A U.S. district court that finds a child born in Canada through gestational surrogacy to a same-sex couple is entitled to U.S. citizenship at birth.
LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh and New York Law School Professor Art Leonard discuss.
On the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast we discuss the transgender military ban action after the SCOTUS decision to reverse the stays on the preliminary injunctions. Next, we talk about the desire by anti-LGBT litigation groups to permit the torture of queer people by attacking several recent laws banning conversion therapy—including one right here in NYC. Finally, we discuss the latest Title VII action—including a bad circuit court ruling, and two positive district court rulings on employment discrimination cases.
With us is NYLS Prof. Art Leonard, chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.
We call this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast "Weaponizing the Web: Queer People in the Age of Grindr and the Cyberharassment."
LeGaL Executive Director Eric Lesh talks with Professor Ari Ezra Waldman talk about queer people and issues related to online privacy and security, including revenge porn and how the law can address the issue of non-consensual sharing of images over online dating apps. We also about LGBTQ youth and bullying and whether current laws to protect youth are effective.
Ari Ezra Waldman is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Innovation Center for Law and Technology at NYLS. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute for CyberSafety, which includes the first-of-its-kind law school pro bono clinic representing victims of online harassment.
On January 22nd, by a 5–4 vote, the Supreme Court lifted two injunctions blocking Trump’s hateful and discriminatory ban on transgender military service.
This is not the end. It’s only the beginning. Nevertheless this was devastating news.
The disgraceful actions of this president and his administration, aided by his two illegitimate appointments to the Supreme Court, dishonor the brave transgender troops who courageously serve, and wish to serve, their country.
We stand with you.
We have the latest with New York Law School Prof Art Leonard.
Welcome to the Law Notes episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast. I’m Eric Lesh, Executive Director of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar of NY.
On today’s show we are going to be talking about the latest Supreme Court developments. We discuss the attempt by the administration to let the transgender military ban go into effect, and a new sexual orientation discrimination case under Title IX.
Next we will talk about the ruling from a reliably rightwing activist judge from Texas who held that Obamacare was unconstitutional, placing health insurance for thousands of LGBT people at risk.
Finally, we will discuss a case brought by a student against his high school for intentional infliction of emotional distress for anti-gay animus and subjecting him to conversion therapy.
With us is Professor Art Leonard, chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.
On today’s show we are going to be talking about the Trump Administration’s desperate attempt to implement its hateful transgender military ban by jumping the line straight to the Supreme Court. Next, we will talk about another cert petition. This time it’s ADF’s challenge to a PA School District’s policy allowing transgender students to use restroom and locker room facilities consistent with their gender identity. Finally, we will discuss a state court ruling that chips away at the holding in Obergefell and their own state constitutional law by denying a lesbian mother’s co-parenting and visitation access to her child.
With us is NYLS Prof Art Leonard chief editor of LeGaL’s LGBT Law Notes the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest LGBT legal developments here and abroad.
December 1st is World AIDS Day. On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, Eric Lesh speaks with Lambda Legal's HIV Project Director Scott Schoettes about the domestic issues of import to people living with HIV.
People living with HIV continue to face discrimination in all areas of life. Lambda Legal won the first HIV discrimination lawsuit in the nation, and since then Scott and his team have helped maintain or expand protections across the country for people living with HIV. We discuss law, policy, stigma, criminalization, access to care, the Trump administration and more!
It’s the Law Notes edition of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast. On this show LeGaL’s Executive Director Eric Lesh talks with Prof. Art Leonard about the Trump Administration’s decision to ask the Supreme Court to delay deciding whether Title VII bars gender identity discrimination.
Then we will discuss two bigoted baker cases: one that may be coming back to SCOTUS and another that was decided in the UK.
Finally, we talk about Trump’s continued attack on the humanity and safety of trans people and the massive protests that took place in response.
On today’s show we are going to be talking about what civil rights advocates can do to invest in judges who are committed to a liberal jurisprudence that will protect a democracy of the people as well as the rights of LGBT people, women and vulnerable minorities.
We are going to start by talking with Chris Kang, chief counsel for Demand Justice and former Chief Counsel to President Obama about the Supreme Court and how the fight for progressive constitutional change depends on citizen activism.
Then we will talk with Jon Michaels, a Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law about his recent piece for Shall Take Care blog: Advancing a Left-Liberal Jurisprudence.
Finally, we will speak with the Brennan Center’s Deputy Director of Democracy Programs, Alicia Bannon about how civil rights advocates can take a new look to state courts as an alternative to federal courts for upholding liberty and equality.
We call this installment of the LGBT Law Notes edition of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast: “Sodomy Law Goes Down.” That’s because on September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Constitution protects an individual’s sexual orientation.
We will begin by chatting about this case with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School. Art is the chief editor and writer of LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Then we speak with Art about a federal district court that ruled that the U.S. State Department exceeded its authority under the Passport Act of 1926 when it denied a passport to a U.S. Navy veteran who is intersex and non-binary, and does not identify as male or female.
Lastly, we will chat about the federal court in Wisconsin that ordered the state to cover transition medical costs for transgender state employees.
Host, Eric Lesh, talks with Nancy Marcus, co-founder of BiLaw and writer for LegallyBi. Sept 19-26 is Bisexual Awareness Week, and Septender 23rd is Bi Visibility Day.
On this episode we talk about the nearly five million adults in the U.S. who identify as bisexual. In case you were wondering, bi people actually comprise more than half of the entire LGBT community, yet bi people are often erased from the LGBT movement, our political discourse and even litigation. So today we are going to talk with THE expext in this area, Nancy Marcus. Nancy is an out bi lawyer and LGBT rights activist. She is a co-founder of BiLaw, the national organization for bi lawyers, law professors, law students, and their allies, and is the author of "Bridging Bisexual Erasure in LGBT-Rights Discourse and Litigation." Nancy is a former colleague of mine at Lambda Legal, and she is also a dear friend. After our Podcast conversation, Nancy was so inspired by my nudging her that she should be doing even MORE to help bi-inclusion in LGBT-rights advocacy along (because that's what friends do, nudge each other), she asked me to spread the word to any lawyers out there who want help framing strategically effective bi-inclusive arguments (and, possibly, helping with amicus briefing) that she would love to hear from you at LegallyBiNancy@gmail.com.
LGBT Law Notes Episode!
Host, Eric Lesh, talks with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School. Art is the chief editor and writer of LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Topics include:
- Supreme Court Faces Petitions for Review of Rulings on LGBT-Related Issues as October Term 2018 Nears;
- Repeated Victories for Transgender Student Bathroom Access During Summer 2018; and
- 7th Circuit Ruling Creates Federal Precedent to Protect Older Gays in Residential Facilities.
Send Marsha a note of support.
Update: ADF sent a letter to the Court Clerk, suggesting postponing the consideration of Zarda and Bostock petitions until the Oct. 26 conference.
It is long past time for our New York state legislators to take action on the the issues that impact LGBTQ New Yorkers and our families. New York should be a place that protects the liberty and equality of all individuals, particularly those whose existence and expression has been oppressed.
On this episode, we speak with some experts about several important legislative priorities for LeGaL.
First, LeGaL Executive Director, Eric Lesh speaks with our Board Member Kristen Browde about the urgent need to pass GENDA to protect the civil rights of transgender people in New York.
Next, we talk with Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project, about the effort to ban conversion therapy.
Finally, our executive director discusses the need to ban so-called “gay and trans panic defenses” in New York.
Listen to the podcast.
Then stand with us to take action.
On July 31st, the LGBT Bar Association of New York, LeGaL, joined Lambda Legal and 60 other LGBTQ organizations in submitting a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.
Before entering this week’s confirmation hearings, Judge Kavanaugh’s record showed no indication that would decide cases involving discrimination against LGBTQ people fairly, nor that he will uphold our constitutional right to equal dignity.
Unfortunately, nothing during the confirmation hearing did anything to alleviate our serious concerns.
LeGaL's Executive Director, Eric Lesh, sits down with Lambda Legal's Senior Attorney, Omar Gonzalez-Pagan to discuss what we learned, what's at stake and why we must stop Kavanaugh.
We call this episode. “You Better Clerk”
That’s because as many folks are heading into, or back to law school, they may be wondering if a judicial clerkship is in their future.
Besides looking good on a resume, a judicial clerkship can be a transformative learning experience. It can also be a permanent career.
On this episode I am going to speak with a law student who spent the summer clerking for 8 different openly gay and lesbian judges at all levels of the judiciary in New York. I’ll also speak with someone who made clerking a career… or at least on her path towards being a judge one day herself. Finally I will also speak with a recent law graduate who is now in Big Law after speding 2 years clerking for the first openly gay judge on New York’s highest court
This is a dangerous time for LGBTQ people, and children across the country are paying the price.
On this installment, we are going to be talking with Christina Wilson Remlin, lead counsel at Children’s Rights about anti-LGBTQ legislation that targets queer youth in out of home care by attempting to give service providers a license to discriminate against foster parents and others who don’t meet a religious litmus test.
These policies place the agencies ‘beliefs above the needs and best interests of children in care. They also discriminate against parents who are trying to provide a loving home.
We also talk with LeGaL's Legal Director Brett Figlewski about our LGBTQ Youth Clinic and the free legal services we provide.
Links:
Every Child Deserves A Family: Aderholt
Safe Havens
Volunteer LeGaL
Give to LeGaL
Join LeGaL's Pro Bono Panel and Lawyer Referral Network
On July 9, Donald Trump announced that he was nominating Brett Kavanaugh, Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, to fill Justice Kennedy’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge Kavanaugh’s views pose a real threat to our nation’s core principles of equality and freedom for all.
LeGaL, the LGBT Bar of New York assembled a rockstar panel for this podcast to discuss Trump's SCOTUS pick and what's at stake for civil rights.
Panelists: Shannon Minter , Legal Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights Leslie Proll , Civil Rights lawyer, advising NAACP on judicial nominations Keith Thirion , Director of Outreach, Alliance for Justice Eric Lesh , Executive Director of LeGaL, LGBT Bar of NY Sanaa Abrar, Advocacy Director, United We Dream Matry Rouse, National Field Director, HRC
On this episode of the LeGaL LGBT Podcast, we discuss Justice Kennedy's retirement, his LGBT rights legacy, and what's at stake for the future of civil rights claims.
We are joined by Professor Art Leonard of NY Law School. Art literlally knows everything about LGBT litigation, so you are not going to want to miss this.
We call this episode, “What’s Cake Got To Do With It?”. This is because we will discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding Trump’s travel ban and its relation to Masterpiece Cake Shop, Arlene’s Flowers, and the restaurant, Red Hen’s refusal to serve White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders.
For many of us, the travel ban decision left us feeling heartbroken and helpless. The decision reminds us of Korematsu, the SCOTUS decision upholding Japanese-American imprisonment. It does not uphold this country’s most basic principles of freedom and equality.
In a powerful dissent, Justice Sotomayor points out the disconnect between the majority’s ruling in this Hawaii v Trump, “where the majority completely sets aside the President’s charged statements about Muslims as irrelevant,” and the holding in Masterpiece Cakeshop, “where the majority considered the state commissioners’ statements about religion to be persuasive evidence of unconstitutional government action.”
Today, LeGaL was joined on our LGBT Podcast by Lambda Legal’s Omar Gonzalez-Pagan. Together, we discuss the decision in the travel ban case, as well as the Court’s decision yesterday in Arlene’s Flowers, a case involving a same-sex couple that was refused service by a flower shop because they were gay.
We will not be discussing cake in this podcast. If you want our take on Masterpiece, please have a listen to the special episode we recorded 24 hours after the ruling came down—oh and share it with your friends. Make sure they know that the Supreme Court did not give every homophobe across the country a license to discriminate.
We call this episode. “LGBT eyes still on SCOTUS” That’s because the Supreme Court has received two new petitions asking it to address whether Title VII bars discriminationbecause of sexual orientation, a request from a man who may have been sentenced to death because he was gay, and the possible sequel to Masterpiece Cakeshop in Arlene’s Flowers, and a request from a transgender asylum recipient whose attempt to get a legalname change is being blocked by an Indiana law.
We will begin by chatting about these cases with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School. Art is the chief editor and writer of LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.Then, we will chat with Art about 2 new rulings involving access to restrooms for transgender students—including more in the Gavin Grimm case.
Finally, Art will let me go on about an area of interest for me, namely 2 rulings in different states on the discriminatory exercise of peremptory strikes to eliminate gay jurors.
The Supreme Court ruled narrowly against the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in Masterpiece Cakeshop, based on concerns that the original case was not decided “with the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires.”
In doing so, the Court also reaffirmed the core American principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all.
The unfortunate result of this ruling is that cases like this will continue to be litigated in the courts. In the meantime, LGBT people will have to go about their day to day lives fearing they might be refused service because of who we are.
It is important to note that the Supreme Court did not change the long-standing rule that businesses open to the public must be open to all. This ruling was limited to facts specific to this case, and the court importantly did not give businesses the broad right to discriminate that the bakery and the Trump administration sought here.
Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY discusses this case with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School.
We call this episode “Stacking the Courts: The Fight Against Trump’s Extremist Judicial Nominees.”
That’s because in nomination after nomination, Trump’s picks for federal courts are hostile to civil rights in general and specifically hostile to LGBT rights.
As the Senate tries to rubberstamp and rush these nominees through by confirming them at an alarming pace, Lambda Legal has spearheaded a broad effort elevate the importance of this issue. Lambda is working overtime to expose the records and inform both senators and the public of the dangers Trump’s nominees pose to our rights, to the rule of law, and to the nation itself.
We are speaking with Sasha Buchert, a staff attorney at Lamdda Legal who has been leading their amazing work in this area.
Thursday, May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
It was created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBT people internationally. May 17 is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where homosexuality is criminalized.
We have been trying to highlight how Trump’s immigration policies and rhetoric are dangerous and deadly for LGBTQ people.
I am thrilled to be joined by our special guest, Adam Eli. Adam is a community organizer and the founder of Voices4, a non-violent direct action activist group committed to advancing global queer liberation. We also have Azis Toktobaev, a 20 year old, from Kyrgyzstan who is an intern for Voices4.
We will be talking about the treatment of queer people in Russia, the realities that Russian refugees face in the US, their activism, and what our lawyer and activist listeners can do to effectuate change.
We call this LGBT Law Notes episode of the LeGaL Podcast “Trump Benchslap.” That’s because a district court hearing one of the challenges Trump’s hateful transgender military ban saw right through the Administration’s attempt to dress up the same old ban with some fresh paint. The Administration also suffered a tatol defeat in an asylum case before the 9th Circuit. Trump’s favorite Circuit.
We will begin by chatting about these cases with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School. Art is the chief editorand writer of LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication covering the latest legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Then, we will chat with LeGaL's legal director, Brett Figlewski about a NY case involving a child who was conceived and raised by the three individuals in a tri-parent arrangement.
And of course, Art will be surprising us with his choice for our "Of Note" segment.
Hosted by Eric Lesh, Executive Director of the LGBT Bar of NY (LeGaL)
LeGaL (LGBT Bar NY) discusses the brief we joined urging the Supreme Court to strike down Trump’s discriminatory Travel Ban. The Ban is extremely dangerous — particularly for members of the LGBTQ community.
LeGaL’s Eric Lesh, Executive Director, and Brett Figlewski, Legal Director discuss.
Read the brief:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-965/39930/20180326080438530_17-965%20bsac%20Immigration%20Equality.pdf
We call this installment of the LGBT Law Notes Podcast: “The Transgender Trio.” We will be discussing serval cases with significant implications for three very important issues impacting transgender rights. First, a unanimous Sixth Circuit panel held that discrimination based on transgender status is protected under Title VII
Second, we will give you an update on Trump’s hateful trans military ban.
Third, we will tell you about the flurry of activity around equal access to accurate birth certificates for transgender individuals.
We also have a very special segment this month. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I sat down with the Anti-Violence Project’s legal director Virginia Goggin to discuss their legal work and how violence impacts our community.
And of course, Art will be surprising me with his choice for our of note segment.
We call this installment: “Because of Sex.” That’s because we just received a huge win from the full 2nd Circuit in a major Title VII case where the court ruled that sexual orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under existing federal law.
- We will begin by chatting about this huge case that we have all been patiently been waiting for with Professor Art Leonard of New York Law School.
- Then, we will speak with Art about a discriminatory B & B in HI and an antgay cakemaker from CA.
- Lastly, we will chat about a really important NY parenting case with our legal director, Brett Figlewski.
- And of course, Art will be surprising us with his choice for our of note segment.
We call this installment: “Waiting for cake.” That’s because SCOTUS seems to be saving room for desert as the justices turn their nose up at several big LGBT legal entrees.
- SCOTUS passes over an employment discrimination case, a license to discriminate case, a trans rights case and a resisting Obergefell case.
- LGBT rights related activity from overseas.
- NY parenting case with our legal director
- LGBT Bar on NY is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a very special "Of Note" segment.
Themes of resistance run through the legal developments of the past 30 days. This episode of the Law Notes Podcast details: 1) how the Trump administration retreated after a series of 10 federal judges put a halt to the administration’s discriminatory transgender military ban; 2) US Supreme Court’s resistance to hearing several big LGBT rights cases: and 3) how the Iowa Supreme Court is resisting homophobic jurors.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the oral argument for the blockbuster Masterpiece Cakeshop case at the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) marriage equality finally arriving in the Land Down Under; (3) another preliminary injunction against President Trump's ban on open transgender military service; and (4) two big wins in fully litigated Title VII cases.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a great first ruling in one of the four movement organization lawsuits brought to stop President Trump’s ban on transgender troops; (2) two memorandums issued by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in October that threaten LGBT rights; (3) a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ordering a new trial after a district court failed to ask jurors about anti-gay biases; and (4) a New York City judge allowing a Polish gay couple to get divorced, despite New York's statutory residency requirement.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) appellate courts in Arizona and New York extending traditional marital presumptions to same-sex couples; (2) two new cert petitions to watch at the U.S. Supreme Court; (3) a great decision from a federal district court rejecting all constitutional arguments made by wedding videographers in a pre-enforcement challenge to the ban on sexual orientation discrimination in public accommodations in the Minnesota Human Rights Act; and (4) homophobic restrictions imposed on a gay father in a parenting plan that was vacated by the Court of Appeals of Tennessee.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) President Trump setting in motion a ban on open transgender military service in the United States; (2) what is shaping up to be a blockbuster term at the U.S. Supreme Court for LGBT rights; (3) a fascinating custody dispute that has emerged out of the Hasidic community in Brooklyn; and (4) the state of play in Australia as a postal plebiscite on marriage equality gets underway.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirming Obergefell and the Texas Supreme Court's outrageous misreading of Obergefell only days later; (2) the hot-button First Amendment issue the Supreme Court agreed to decide next term; (3) why the big Title VII question could now also be decided by the Supreme Court in the next term; and (4) a setback from the Fifth Circuit in the constitutional challenge to Mississippi House Bill 1523.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) two transgender rights breakthroughs under federal law in May; (2) Title VII developments in the Second Circuit; (3) a Kentucky Court of Appeals decision that a vendor did not violate a local antidiscrimination ordinance when it refused to make pride t-shirts; and (4) the wonderful marriage equality news out of Taiwan.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the first ruling under the federal Fair Housing Act to conclude it protects LGBT people; (2) a Manhattan court finding that a woman is not the legal parent to a child adopted by her former same-sex partner; (3) constitutional equal protection principles for jury selection being extended to sexual orientation in California; and (4) why Roy Moore is back in the news, despite losing his appeal to be reinstated as Chief Justice of Alabama.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the flurry of Title VII decisions from federal appellate courts in the last month, especially the en banc Seventh Circuit's historic ruling in the Hively case; (2) the remand of Gavin Grimm's case back down to the Fourth Circuit; (3) the disappointing replacement for H.B. 2 in North Carolina; and (4) how Neil Gorsuch may impact LGBT rights now that he has been confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all the twists and turns in the Gavin Grimm case as we approach argument at the U.S. Supreme Court later this month; (2) a unanimous Washington Supreme Court decision rejecting a First Amendment defense from a florist who refused to provide flowers for a gay wedding; (3) more bad news from the Arkansas Supreme Court; and (4) why a New York federal court found Grindr probably does not have liability, despite one man using it to severely harass his ex.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) President Donald Trump's nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) a concerning decision to hear a case by the Texas Supreme Court; (3) a federal court letting a transgender woman sue her employer under Title VII after a health plan denied coverage of her transition-related care; and (4) a case arising out of a gay man's tragic fall overboard from a cruise ship balcony.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a familiar Texas federal district court judge issuing another nationwide injunction against the Obama administration; (2) a disappointing 4-3 decision on birth certificates from the Arkansas Supreme Court; (3) a Louisiana court declaring an executive order of Governor John Bel Edwards unconstitutional; and (4) the sad final chapter in the saga arising out of a public nudity arrest at San Diego Pride in 2011.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) what the incoming Trump Administration and Republican control of both houses of Congress might mean for the future of LGBT rights; (2) November developments in the continuing push to have Title VII's protections interpreted broadly to include LGBT employees, featuring analysis of an important en banc reargument in the 7th Circuit; (3) a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling that a family court judge made the wrong call in denying joint custody to two men who were never married, but agreed to co-parent a child after they split up; and (4) how four Texas lesbians wrongly convicted of sexually abusing young children nearly 20 years ago were finally exonerated.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court granting cert in three cases of interest to the LGBT community, especially the Gavin Grimm case; (2) a constitutional challenge brought by a church to a state antidiscrimination law that covers public accommodations and gender identity; (3) a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision establishing that a lesbian partner without a biological connection to a child can satisfy both the "born to" and "holding out" provisions of a state parentage statute when that statute is read in a gender neutral fashion; and (4) a final update on the Dharun Ravi legal saga following the overturning of his criminal conviction on appeal.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore getting suspended for the rest of his term; (2) the extension of the new parental standing test in New York to a gay dad; (3) a New Jersey appellate court throwing out the entire conviction of Tyler Clementi's Rutgers roommate; and (4) how a New York federal court judge's granting of a motion to dismiss highlights a larger problem with the NYPD and the transgender community.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the New York Court of Appeals overruling Alison D.; (2) setbacks in the struggle to get LGBT employees covered under Title VII; (3) all the August developments in the similar battle over whether Title IX covers transgender students using restrooms consistent with their gender identity; and (4) a federal appellate court judge explaining bisexuality to his colleagues in a dissent.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) big wins in federal court challenges to Mississippi's H.B. 1523 that have left the entire law blocked; (2) continuing developments in various federal courts on the question of whether Title VII covers employment discrimination based on sexual orientation; (3) good and bad news for LGBT parents in Maryland, Michigan, and Indiana; and (4) a great ruling in a federal class action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Health over a categorical Medicaid exclusion for cosmetic surgery in connection with gender transition.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
After reading the names and ages of the victims of the Orlando attack, discussion of: (1) all of the competing legal moves over the last month in reaction to the terrible new laws in North Carolina and Mississippi; (2) some thorny issues involving the retroactivity of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision that we have seen several courts wrestling with as of late; and (3) legislative action in Italy that finally offers some relationship recognition to same-sex couples.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a ruling out of the Fourth Circuit calling into question the bathroom provisions of North Carolina's H.B. 2; (2) another in a series of New York appellate court decisions finding a way around the draconian Alison D. rule for parental standing; (3) an update on a 2014 story about a gay man suing over a public nudity arrest at San Diego Pride in 2011; and (4) an Oklahoma court that concluded oral sex is not rape if a victim is unconscious from drinking.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a bad week in March for the Alabama Supreme Court, with a final concession on marriage equality and a reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) horrible anti-LGBT bills signed into law by the governors of North Carolina and Mississippi; (3) a federal court enjoining Mississippi from enforcing its ban on same-sex couples adopting; and (4) a bench slap from the First Circuit against a federal district court judge in Puerto Rico who did not think Obergefell applied there.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the legacy of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and how a nomination from President Obama to fill his seat may play out; (2) big parental rights wins for gay parents out of Kentucky and New Jersey; (3) a New York federal court grappling with the big question of whether Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination; and (4) a sloppy Delaware health care provider that owes over $1 million in damages for leaking a man's HIV-positive status to his co-workers.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a retroactive application of Windsor that may save a pension benefit for a lesbian widow; (2) an unanimous decision from the New York Appellate Division rejecting all of the statutory and constitutional defenses raised by the owners of an upstate wedding venue that discriminated against a same-sex couple; (3) panel and en banc rulings from a Texas appeals court denying standing to a transgender man seeking custody and visitation of children adopted by his former partner; and (4) a case raising the question of whether disability discrimination laws can shield HIV-positive individuals from being fired for using medical marijuana as recommended by a doctor.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court's stay of a novel Alabama Supreme Court ruling involving the Full Faith and Credit Clause, signaling the strong possibility of a reversal; (2) another positive federal court decision finding that sexual orientation discrimination is covered sex discrimination, this time in the context of Title IX; (3) an additional big antidiscrimination development from a Massachusetts state court that found a Catholic school could not discriminate against a gay married man who applied to be the school's food services director; and (4) a bump in the road for Lambda Legal's federal court class action attempting to change Wisconsin's bad policy on birth certificates for the children of married same-sex couples.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to LGBT Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) decisions from appellate courts in Oklahoma and Michigan extending standing for former partners in lesbian couples to seek custody or visitation of children they previously raised together as part of a couple; (2) an important new precedent from a New York federal court holding that all discrimination against transgender people by the government or any agent of the government is presumptively unconstitutional; (3) a ruling out of a Michigan federal court finding that the plaintiffs challenging the state policy for changing their gender on driver licenses sufficiently alleged a constitutionally-protected privacy interest in avoiding disclosure of their transgender status; and (4) two Mississippi Supreme Court justices who believe Obergefell can be ignored.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest developments concerning antidiscrimination law for the LGBT community, including the bad news out of Houston, the good news out of New York, and a stamp of approval for the EEOC's latest interpretation of Title VII from a federal judge; (2) an update on marriage equality in Ireland and Italy; (3) how a New York judge handled the dissolution of a Vermont civil union; and (4) a very funny ruling arising out of a gay male couple's plastic surgery.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) how the Alabama Supreme Court manufactured a jurisdictional issue in order to deny recognition to a second-parent adoption granted in Georgia; (2) an interesting implied retroactive application of Obergefell in a tenant succession case here in New York; (3) some terrific news out of the Ninth Circuit for transgender individuals seeking refuge in the United States under the Convention against Torture; and (4) an update on the Kim Davis saga since we last recorded in early September.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest on the big "religious liberty" challenges to marriage equality, including the Kim Davis saga in Kentucky and a decision out of Colorado in a case concerning a baker's refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay couple; (2) the raid on the Rentboy.com website and the federal charges brought against its owner and employees; (3) a Maryland intermediate appellate court decision finding that a nonbiological mother did not have standing to pursue visitation; and (4) the introduction of the Equality Act by Democrats in Congress over the summer.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the groundbreaking U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is necessarily sex discrimination covered by Title VII; (2) how implementation of the Obergefell marriage equality decision has been going; (3) a new legal theory the Second Circuit opened up for a transgender union member claiming discrimination; and (4) an interesting argument made by a New York gay man's relatives after he died to try and overturn the wishes laid out in his will.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
This special edition of the podcast covers the momentous June 26, 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, striking down all remaining state bans on same-sex marriage. It includes analysis of Justice Kennedy's majority opinion and all of the dissents, as well as discussion of how the decision has been received in the last remaining holdout states and what is next for the LGBT rights movement.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the marriage equality referendum in Ireland on May 22 and some other domestic developments on the marriage equality front; (2) several court decisions from the past month that collectively highlight the diverse legal landscape across the country for same-sex couples with children; (3) a new Title VII ruling involving a fired gay pilot; and (4) the denial of habeas relief handed down to an Idaho prisoner potentially incarcerated for 44 years for HIV exposure.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the blockbuster oral argument on April 28 at the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated marriage equality and recognition cases from the Sixth Circuit, plus some minor updates from Kentucky and several of the federal circuits; (2) the mixed big this past month in several significant discrimination and prisoner rights cases involving transgender plaintiffs; and (3) an interesting ruling out of the intermediate appellate court in Kentucky concerning the standing of an ex-partner to intervene in a step-parent adoption after her former lesbian partner got married to a man.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the legislative developments in Utah, Indiana, and Arkansas that dominated the month of March; (2) all of the marriage equality litigation news from the last few weeks, including a look at who will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of April; (3) an important ruling from the New Jersey Supreme Court that may imperil a high-profile gay hate crime conviction; and (4) an interesting federal court decision about whether Grindr owes a duty of care to users of the gay hookup app.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news since mid-February, including late-breaking developments out of Alabama and from the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) two important precedents set in the area of HIV criminalization in February; (3) a couple of breakthroughs out of the New Jersey Superior Court in a lawsuit filed to hold a faith-based conversion therapy provider liable under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act; and (4) the latest bad news for former Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news from January through the second week in February, including the announcement of the certiorari grant from the Supreme Court and the latest on the situation in Alabama; (2) an intermediate Michigan appellate court decision rejecting a First Amendment challenge from a former assistant attorney general who posted outrageous and homophobic statements on a blog; (3) a California Supreme Court ruling holding that the state’s sex offender registration law does not violate equal protection when it only mandates registration for certain sexual acts; and (4) a military appeals court voiding a sodomy conviction based on the erroneous exclusion of evidence about a penis-measuring contest among Navy men at Guantanamo.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news from the last month of the year, plus the latest developments from Florida, the newest state where same-sex couples have the freedom to marry; (2) a devastating en banc First Circuit ruling for the transgender community that one dissenter compared to Plessy v. Ferguson; (3) a New York parental rights case involving a birth mother that wanted to have it both ways; and (4) a decision from the Rhode Island Supreme Court that dismissed a lawsuit brought by Catholic firefighters upset over being forced to participate in a gay pride parade.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news from the last month, including the latest developments on the certiorari petitions filed with the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) a case from New York's highest court involving the criminal law doctrine of repugnancy in the context of a transgender hate crime; (3) a Michigan federal district court striking down that state's ban on benefits for the partners of gay public employees; and (4) an interesting New York ruling involving an exception to the parental presumption for the children of married same-sex couples.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news since our last podcast in October, including the Sixth Circuit's long-awaited opinion that has now potentially reopened the door to Supreme Court review; (2) a case involving whether a straight man's sexual orientation has any relevance to whether he sexually abused another man; (3) a groundbreaking decision from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel that the Department of the Army engaged in unlawful discrimination against a transgender employee; and (4) where the 2014 election left the LGBT community.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality litigation news, and lack thereof, since the beginning of September; (2) a Third Circuit panel's unanimous decision upholding New Jersey's ban on conversion therapy; (3) an interesting parental rights case out of Texas involving two dads that conceived a child via surrogacy; and (4) an unusual lawsuit filed by a white lesbian against a sperm bank that did not send her what she ordered.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality news since mid-July, including late breaking developments out of Louisiana and the Seventh Circuit; (2) President Obama's amending of important executive orders to protect the LGBT employees of the federal government and federal contractors; (3) an interesting parental rights case out of New Jersey; and (4) a decision involving a gay New York man's disturbing set of allegations against his gym.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) all of the marriage equality news since the beginning of June, including the first federal appellate court decision finding that same-sex couples have the right to marry; (2) the disturbing Hobby Lobby ruling from the Supreme Court and what it could mean for the LGBT community; (3) an interesting bankruptcy court decision involving a woman who contracted HIV from her secretly gay husband; and (4) a New Jersey case that has offered a look inside the scary world of gay conversion therapy.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the avalanche of marriage equality news from May; (2) a landmark reversal from the Department of Health and Human Services, overturning its blanket ban on transgender-related surgeries for those on Medicare; (3) an important New York case on the parental rights of spouses; and (4) an interesting ruling from an appellate court in New York about what the crime is when one accidentally murders their sex partner by asphyxiation.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) groundbreaking decisions for the transgender community from the highest courts in India and Australia; (2) the latest federal court marriage equality litigation news out of Ohio, Indiana, and the 10th Circuit; (3) an important new interpretation of Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination; and (4) a discussion of Jo Becker's very controversial new book, Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest federal court marriage equality litigation news out of Michigan, Tennessee, the 4th Circuit, the 9th Circuit, and the 10th Circuit; (2) a decision ordering the City of New York to pay for a transgender girl in the foster care system's gender reassignment surgery; (3) a Massachusetts appeals court's affirmance of a jury’s rejection of a gay man’s tort claims against a former partner; and (4) a federal judge's dismissal of a gay man's claims arising out of a public nudity arrest at San Diego Pride in 2011.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest federal district court marriage equality rulings out of Kentucky, Virginia, and Texas (with a note regarding Nevada's appeal at the 9th Circuit); (2) an Idaho Supreme Court decision opening up adoption to same-sex partners; (3) the terrible new anti-gay law signed by the president of Uganda; and (4) a 1st Circuit decision critical of a district court judge that does not believe in bisexuality.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) an important 9th Circuit ruling that classifications drawn on the basis of sexual orientation should be afforded heightened constitutional scrutiny; (2) the latest 10th Circuit marriage equality litigation news; (3) a groundbreaking decision from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court finding that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathrooms that match who they are; and (4) a decision to deny a second-parent adoption in New York that is raising a lot of eyebrows.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the marriage equality rulings in New Mexico and Utah, as well as the Supreme Court decision to stay the Utah ruling; (2) a Colorado decision finding that a child can have two parents of the same sex; (3) international setbacks in India and Australia; and (4) an Indiana ruling concluding that a gender change does not void an existing marriage.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
In addition to a marriage equality update, discussion of: (1) a 9th Circuit administrative decision treating a federal court law clerk in an Oregon domestic partnership as if she was married for benefits purposes; (2) a Florida Supreme Court case involving the custody rights of a lesbian co-parent who had donated an egg that was fertilized in vitro and implanted in her same-sex partner; and (3) the passage of ENDA in the U.S. Senate.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
In addition to a marriage equality update, discussion of: (1) a Missouri case concerning the (non-) rights of a partner of a deceased highway patrolman to his partner's death benefit; (2) a federal case out of Nevada finding that a child can have two legal mothers; and (3) a case concerning the sexual harassment claims brought by a female subordinate against her gay male supervisor. Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) marriage equality litigation news from NJ & Illinois; (2) a South Carolina case concerning sex reassignment surgery performed on an infant; and (3) a 6th Circuit case concerning the claimed free exercise of religion rights of a closely-held corporation objecting to providing health plans covering women's contraceptives.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a 9th Circuit case rejecting a constitutional challenge to the state’s ban on so-called sexual orientation conversion therapy; (2) developments out of New Mexico concerning a wedding photographer’s refusal to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony and broader marriage equality news; and (3) additional cases demonstrating again the far-reaching impact of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the first case to go to trial involving a hate crimes prosecution under the amended Federal hate crimes law, which now covers sexual orientation and gender identity; (2) a case out of Michigan involving the First Amendment claims of a high school student who made anti-gay comments on Anti-Bullying Day; and (3) two cases out of Michigan invoking the Windsor decision, which involve challenges the state's ban on same-sex couples getting married or jointly adopting children and a domestic partnership benefits statute.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
This special edition of the podcast covers the major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 in the Windsor and Perry cases, respectively.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Tune in for a brief update on marriage marriage equality developments and discussion of (1) a Florida case concerning whether gay sex qualifies as "sexual intercourse"; (2) a case out of Hong Kong concerning the right of a transgender woman to marry a man; and (3) an Iowa decision ordering the local health department to add the nonbirthing mother's name to the birth certificate of a married lesbian couple's child.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) global marriage equality developments; (2) a NJ case concerning the forced resignation of a gay teacher after discovery of sex-related items in his basement; and (3) the certification of a class action attacking Section 3 of DOMA in the context of spousal immigration rights.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) U.S. Supreme Court arguments in Prop 8 & DOMA; (2) a 4th Circuit ruling concerning Virginia's anti-sodomy statute; and (3) a case concerning homophobic threats communicated over Facebook.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the striking down of Austria's second-parent adoption ban; (2) the latest DOMA & Prop 8 developments in the U.S. Supreme Court; and (3) the firing of a lesbian Catholic school employee after she became pregnant through donor insemination.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) a potential advance for transgender inmates seeking gender reassignment surgery; (2) the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear a challenge to the Federal requirement that NGOs working on HIV prevention affirmatively oppose prostitution; and (3) a California case involving the presumptive parentage claim of an adoptive parent's former same-sex partner.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal & legislative developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) developments for marriage equality/DOMA cases in the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) a Montana case concerning an effort by six same-sex couples to obtain the equivalent of civil unions or domestic partnerships; and (3) a Wisconsin case concerning whether that State’s domestic partnership law violates its anti-marriage equality amendment passed in 2006.
Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the impact of the U.S. presidential election and victories at the ballot box for the LGBT community as well as U.S. Supreme Court (non-)developments; (2) a setback for marriage equality litigation in Nevada; (3) a Canadian case concerning criminal liability for HIV transmission; and (4) a Maine case concerning the bullying & harassment of a transgender student. Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the 2nd Circuit's ruling in Windsor striking down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act; (2) the first U.S. prosecution of an anti-gay hate crime under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act; and (3) a Kentucky state court ruling that the sexual orientation of a parent cannot alone be a determining factor in a custody decision. Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Uncategorized, gay, Law, News & Politics, LGBT, Legal
Discussion of: (1) a MA federal court decision ordering gender reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate; (2) a CA case concerning claims that an Avis car rental discount extended to members of two LGBT organizations discriminated against heterosexuals; and (3) a custody dispute of a former NJ same-sex couple where one partner now wishes to relocate a child to Georgia. Visit le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) more DOMA developments and a loss for marriage equality proponents in Hawaii and (2) a case out of New York concerning New York City's adult zoning ordinance and the First Amendment. Visit www.le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest developments in connection with ongoing challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and (2) a case out of New Mexico holding that non-biological, non-adoptive lesbian parent can qualify as a "natural mother." Visit www.le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) President's Obama's historic announcement of support for marriage equality; (2) 1st Circuit decision striking down Section 3 of DOMA; and (3) New York case concerning whether falsely calling someone gay is still slander per se.
Visit www.le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) landmark ruling from the EEOC applying Title VII to discrimination claims based on gender identity, change of sex, and/or transgender status; (2) a Minnesota case concerning a union-administered employee benefits fund’s decision to drop a transgender woman from coverage after determining her marriage was not valid; and (3) a Mississippi case illustrating yet again some of the dangers for LGBT couples who do not make express their wishes about dividing up assets in the event of a break-up.
Visit www.le-gal.org to learn more about LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) historic decision from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights affecting LGBT rights; (2) NYC case concerning transgender man's effort to obtain an amended birth certificate; and (3) whether insinuating someone is gay is still slander per se in Texas. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) the latest Prop 8 ruling; (2) a Missouri case concerning the blocking of LGBT-affirming websites by a school district's web filter; and (3) two DOMA cases. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) Minnesota Court of Appeals' ruling reviving the claims of three same-sex couples challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage; (2) a 6th Circuit case concerning a counseling graduate student who was expelled after raising religious objections to counseling gay clients; and (3) an Iowa case concerning the rights of two mothers legally married in Iowa to have their names placed on the birth certificate of their child. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of: (1) an 11th Circuit equal protection case involving termination of a transgender employee; (2) child custody cases out of Florida & New Jersey; and (3) a failed challenge to an incest statute premised on Lawrence v. Texas. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to read/subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
Discussion of (1) the latest decision in the Prop 8 case in California; (2) a case involving allegations that organizers of the Gay Softball World Series violated Washington State's anti-discrimination laws with its rule capping the number of non-openly LGBT players; and (3) Title IX claims brought by a gay cosmetology student in Florida who faced harassment and anti-gay bullying. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to read/subscribe to Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.
The November 2011 podcast, featuring Professor Arthur Leonard of New York Law School & Brad Snyder, Executive Director of LeGaL - The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, focuses on three stories featured in the November issue: * A Washington State federal case concerning the disclosure of the names & addresses of petitioners for an anti-gay ballot initiative; * A case out of Australia concerning the requirements to be met to receive a gender reassignment certificate; and * A military case concerning a Marine who faced discipline for appearing in several gay porn videos.
Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, a publication of the LeGaL Foundation, is the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to read/subscribe to Law Notes.
The October 2011 podcast, featuring Professor Arthur Leonard of New York Law School & Brad Snyder, Executive Director of LeGaL - The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, focuses on three stories featured in the October issue: a 9th Circuit case concerning an effort by Arizona to repeal health care benefits for the same-sex partners of state employees; an Alaskan case concerning a challenge by three same-sex couples to the constitutionality of an Alaskan real property tax exemption; and a New York Surrogate's Court case involving a challenge to a probate decree relating to the will of member of a same-sex couple who had married in Canada prior to his death.
Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, a publication of the LeGaL Foundation, is the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL and to read/subscribe to Law Notes.
The September 2011 podcast, featuring Professor Arthur Leonard of New York Law School & Brad Snyder, Executive Director of LeGaL - The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, focuses on three stories in the September issue: the certification that paves the way for ultimate repeal of the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy; a Wisconsin case concerning a state statute that sought to bar payment for hormone therapy or sexual reassignment surgery for prisoners diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder; and a Nebraska Supreme Court case concerning the rights of same-sex co-parents to pursue custody claims. Visit www.le-gal.org for more about LeGaL.
Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, a publication of the LeGaL Foundation, is the most comprehensive monthly publication summarizing legal developments affecting the LGBT community here and abroad.