News & Commentary

Rule #1 in fighting Trump’s unconstitutional orders: Don’t concede power. Period.

Continuing the Fight for LGBTQ Equality

Aimee Stephens was not prepared for the outpouring of affection that greeted her when she emerged from the U.S. Supreme Court after witnessing history in the making. The Court’s nine justices, for the first time ever, had just heard oral arguments in a case involving a transgender person.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear three cases that will have significant impact on the rights of LGBTQ people, specifically whether it is legal to fire workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It was a do or die moment. Literally.

Jacquelin Washington forged equal opportunity and leadership roles for women, especially for African American women, when it felt like there were none. She shattered glass ceilings and shaped executive roles into positions held by women, and expanded the work of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others to fight for the rights of all minorities. For the decades leading to her 1995 induction into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, Jackie was a trailblazer.

A federal judge ruled today that the ACLU’s challenge to Michigan’s practice of allowing discrimination against same-sex couples in the public foster care system can move forward.

Today the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Michigan filed a motion in federal court asking to intervene in a lawsuit that was filed against Williamston Community Schools for adopting policies that prohibit discrimination against students for their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The ACLU is representing Stand with Trans, a statewide organization that supports transgender youth and their families, and Williamston High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), a student-run LGBT support group.

DETROIT — Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes unlawfully discriminated against Aimee Stephens when it fired her after she notified her employer that she would begin working openly as female because she is a transgender woman. The ruling affirms that transgender individuals are protected by federal sex discrimination laws, and that religious belief does not give employers the right to discriminate against them. Today’s decision reverses the lower court’s decision, which held that religious belief was sufficient to exempt the employer from anti-discrimination laws.