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Washington, DC – Today, the Supreme Court struck down a central part of the Voting Rights Act, invalidating crucial protections passed by Congress in 1965 and renewed four times in the decades since. The sharply divided decision will significantly reduce the federal government’s role in overseeing voting laws in areas with a history of discrimination against African-Americans.

We, America’s leading LGBT advocacy organizations, join civil rights organizations – and indeed, all Americans whom this law has served to protect – in expressing acute dismay at today’s ruling. Not only had Congress repeatedly reaffirmed the need for this bedrock civil rights protection, but authoritative voices from across America had filed amicus briefs urging the court not to undermine the law: the NAACP; the American Bar Association; the Navajo Nation; the states of New York, California, Mississippi and North Carolina; numerous former Justice Department officials charged with protecting voting rights; dozens of U.S. senators and representatives; and many others.

These varied and powerful voices attest to the self-evident reality that racial protections are still needed in voting in this country. As recently as last year’s elections, political partisans resorted to voter suppression laws and tactics aimed at reducing the votes of people of color.

Voting rights protections, which have long served our nation’s commitment to equality and justice, should not be cast aside now. The court has done America a grave disservice, and we will work with our coalition partners to undo the damage inflicted by this retrogressive ruling.

Center for Black Equity
CenterLink: Die Community der LGBT-Zentren
The Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Gleichstellungsverband
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Marry
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
Menschenrechtskampagne
Immigration Equality Action Fund
Lambda Legal
Nationale Koalition für schwarze Gerechtigkeit
Nationales Zentrum für Lesbenrechte
Nationales Zentrum für Transgender-Gleichstellung
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG – Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
Unid@s

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Fifteen years ago, on June 26, 1998, the lead story in the New York Times read: “People with HIV infection can be covered by the federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of disability even if they have no symptoms, the Supreme Court ruled today in a major victory for people with the virus that causes AIDS.”

The case was Bragdon gegen Abbott, which involved a Maine dentist refusing to treat a woman with HIV. The victorious lawyer representing Sidney Abbott was Ben Klein, Director of the AIDS Law Project of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

“While people living with HIV can now live longer and with less fear of discrimination, stigma has certainly not gone away,” said Klein. “There is much work still to do to ensure that people with HIV can live full lives unencumbered by discrimination.”

To mark the anniversary, GLAD is rolling out a series of educational materials about the legal rights of people living with HIV:

• GLAD’s new shareable graphic illustrates the protections that people living with HIV enjoy under the Americans with Disabilities Act as a result of the victory in Bragdon.

• GLAD’s podcast about the Bragdon case tells the story of how the refusal of a dentist in Maine to treat Ms. Abbott became the basis for nationwide protections for people living with HIV.

• GLAD has produced new editions of the Overview of Legal Issues for People Living with HIV for the six New England states. The overviews explain the legal rights of people living with HIV in employment, health care, privacy, and more.

GLAD has litigated over 100 HIV-related cases over the years, and is currently focusing on access to health care for people living with HIV. GLAD is spearheading the Treat Lipodystrophy Coalition in Massachusetts, which supports legislation requiring insurance coverage of medical treatment for lipodystrophy, a debilitating and disfiguring side effect of HIV medications.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. GLAD’s Legal InfoLine operates Monday-Friday from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at 1-800-455-4523.

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To mark the anniversary, GLAD is rolling out a series of educational materials about the legal rights of people living with HIV:

• GLAD’s new shareable graphic illustrates the protections that people living with HIV enjoy under the Americans with Disabilities Act as a result of the victory in Bragdon.

• GLAD’s podcast about the Bragdon case tells the story of how the refusal of a dentist in Maine to treat Ms. Abbott became the basis for nationwide protections for people living with HIV.

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HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and protections are our entire LGBT community’s issues. Join us in taking the pledge to end this epidemic at http://www.wethelgbt.org

GLAD’s AIDS Law Project has been at the forefront of fighting HIV discrimination in state and federal courts since its founding in 1984.

From our 1998 groundbreaking Supreme Court victory in Bragdon gegen Abbott, which established that people with HIV are protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to our current work fighting for privacy and healthcare coverage for people with HIV, our commitment has never waivered.

Today, GLAD and 34 LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations from across the United States are rededicating our time, talent, and resources to the fight against HIV.

Join us: visit www.wethelgbt.org to read the letter and sign the pledge to do your part in ending the HIV epidemic.

Read GLAD’s press release here.

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With April 15 on the horizon, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) means that married same-sex couples across the country are dealing with the indignity, confusion, and expense caused by the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

DOMA means that married same-sex couples cannot file their federal income taxes jointly as married. For some, this means paying more in taxes, and for others, it means paying less. For all, it is a stark reminder that the federal government doesn’t respect their marriage or their family. In tax year 2012, couples from Maine and Washington have been able to marry, and are confronting these problems for the first time.

For couples and members of the media, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is making a number of resources available.

Guides for Couples and Tax Preparers

Navigating Income Taxes for Married Same-Sex Couples
https://www.gladlaw.org/uploads/docs/publications/navigating-taxes-married-couples.pdf

Tax Time and Preserving Your Federal Rights (information on preserving the right to claim a prior-year refund if DOMA is ruled unconstitutional)
https://www.gladlaw.org/uploads/docs/publications/tax-time.pdf

Blog Post

GLAD’s InfoLine Manager Bruce Bell, who has received hundreds of calls about tax-filing, prepared this blog post to help couples think through the issues.

Legal InfoLine

Volunteers with GLAD’s Legal InfoLine can answer questions for couples and tax preparers. The Legal InfoLine can be reached at 800-455-GLAD (4523), or by email at gladlaw@glad.org, or for live chat at https://www.gladlaw.org/rights/infoline-contact.

Stories of Tax-Filing Couples Harmed by DOMA

Beth Ryan and Jenny O’Flaherty of Vermont: They moved from Virginia to Vermont to protect themselves and their children from anti-gay laws, but federal discrimination followed them.

Suzanne and Geraldine Artis of Connecticut: At tax time, they must decide to whom their three children belong: to Geraldine or Suzanne. Says Suzanne, “They’re not property, they’re my family.”

Joel Howard and John Tracy Tucker of Connecticut: This couple has paid an additional $12,000 in taxes because of DOMA. “We are basically paying a penalty for being a gay couple,” says Joel.

Ailsa Wu and Kate Herman of Massachusetts: With their modest income, it’s a significant loss to be unable to file jointly. They must hire an accountant to prepare two sets of returns instead of one, and they pay more.

Paul Ruseau and Bob Ruseau of Massachusetts: With two small children and one stay-at-home dad, Paul and Bob take a tax hit that worries them for their children’s future.

There are more stories of couples affected by DOMA at www.gladlaw.org/doma/stories.

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(Washington, D.C., March 29, 2013)—Last week, several national LGBT groups and a cooperating attorney filed an administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients. Medicare, which provides healthcare to Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with certain qualifying disabilities, currently prohibits all forms of gender reassignment surgeries regardless of the individual patient’s diagnosis or serious medical needs.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and civil rights attorney Mary Lou Boelcke initiated the challenge on behalf of Denee Mallon, a transgender woman whose doctors have recommended surgery to alleviate her severe gender dysphoria.

“Medicare’s categorical exclusion of this care lacks any scientific basis,” said Shannon Minter, the Legal Director at NCLR. “Study after study has shown that these surgeries are the only effective treatment for many patients suffering from severe gender dysphoria.”

Ms. Mallon joined the United States Army when she was 17 years old and worked as a forensics investigator for a city police department after she was honorably discharged from the Army. She was later diagnosed with gender identity disorder, a serious medical condition that is characterized by intense and persistent discomfort with one’s birth sex.

“The American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, and the American Psychological Association all support these treatments for transgender patients,” said Joshua Block, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s LGBT and AIDS Project. “These procedures have been performed for decades and are proven to be safe and effective.”

Medicare adopted the ban, which is codified as National Coverage Determination (NCD) 140.3, more than thirty years ago. Decades of extensive scientific and clinical research since that time have established that these surgeries are safe and effective.

As a result of the administrative challenge, the Department Appeals Board (DAB) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must review the ban, determine whether it is reasonable based on current standards of care, and reverse it if it is not. The DAB is staffed by career civil servants who have been tasked with providing an impartial independent review of disputes concerning Medicare and other HHS programs. Earlier last week, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its own initiative included a statement on its website that it would be reconsidering the ban. CMS subsequently withdrew its proposal to reconsider the ban and through a spokesperson explained that the ban would instead be reviewed through the independent DAB process.

“What matters to us is that there will be a fair and scientifically based review of the ban. We don’t think the medical data supports it and are hopeful that CMS will agree,” said Jennifer Levi, Transgender Rights Project Director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.

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The American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Project works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England’s leading legal organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. https://www.gladlaw.org

Das National Center for Lesbian Rights ist eine nationale Rechtsorganisation, die sich für die Förderung der Menschenrechte und Bürgerrechte der lesbischen, schwulen, bisexuellen und Transgender-Gemeinschaft durch Rechtsstreitigkeiten, politische Interessenvertretung und öffentliche Aufklärung einsetzt. http://www.nclrights.org

Mary Lou Boelcke is a civil rights attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Last week, several national LGBT groups and a cooperating attorney filed an administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients. Medicare, which provides healthcare to Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with certain qualifying disabilities, currently prohibits all forms of gender reassignment surgeries regardless of the individual patient’s diagnosis or serious medical needs.

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Washington, DC – Der Oberste Gerichtshof hat heute mündliche Verhandlungen geführt in Vereinigte Staaten gegen Windsor, und stellt damit Abschnitt 3 des sogenannten „Defense of Marriage Act“ in Frage, der die Ehe für alle Bundeszwecke als Verbindung zwischen Mann und Frau definiert.

Die folgende Erklärung wurde vom Geschäftsführer von Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Lee Swislow, nach der heutigen mündlichen Verhandlung abgegeben in Vereinigte Staaten gegen Windsor:

„Mit jedem Tag, an dem unsere Bundesregierung DOMA durchsetzt, wird Tausenden von legal verheirateten gleichgeschlechtlichen Paaren entscheidender Schutz verweigert.

DOMA ist ein eklatant diskriminierendes Gesetz, das sich gegen eine besonders unbeliebte Gruppe richtet, wichtige persönliche Interessen beeinträchtigt und eine einmalige Abweichung vom üblichen Prozess der Zuteilung bundesstaatlicher Rechte und Leistungen darstellt.

Gleichgeschlechtliche Paare, die in ihrem Heimatstaat legal verheiratet sind, sollten wie alle anderen verheirateten Paare in diesem Land behandelt werden – mit Respekt und Würde.

Ich bin überzeugt, dass dieser Fall heute vor dem höchsten Gericht unseres Landes fair verhandelt wurde. Dieser Tag hat sich lange angebahnt, und die Frage ist nicht, ob, sondern wann dieses diskriminierende Gesetz aufgehoben wird.“

Die beiden DOMA-Herausforderungen von GLAD, Gill gegen Office of Personnel Management Und Pedersen gegen Office of Personnel Management wurden bei der Konferenz des Obersten Gerichtshofs im Dezember geprüft, erhielten jedoch keine Revisionszulassung.

GLAD reichte 2009 den Fall Gill ein, die erste strategische Anfechtung von DOMA im Land, und reichte 2010 den Fall Pedersen ein. Gill war der erste Fall, in dem DOMA von einem Bundesbezirksgericht für verfassungswidrig erklärt wurde, und im Mai 2012 erreichte es auch das erste Berufungsurteil, das DOMA für verfassungswidrig erklärte.

Gill wurde vom Gericht festgehalten und wird höchstwahrscheinlich im Juni vom Gericht behandelt.

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Washington, DC – Der Oberste Gerichtshof hat heute mündliche Verhandlungen geführt in Hollingsworth gegen Perry, Anfechtung des kalifornischen Vorschlags 8, der gleichgeschlechtlichen Paaren die Möglichkeit entzog, im Staat zu heiraten.

Nach der mündlichen Verhandlung gab Lee Swislow, Geschäftsführer von Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defender, folgende Erklärung ab:

„Wir sind zuversichtlich, dass dieser Fall heute vor dem höchsten Gericht unseres Landes fair verhandelt wurde. Schwule und lesbische Paare empfinden die gleiche Liebe und gehen die gleiche Verpflichtung ein wie alle anderen Paare und verdienen die gleiche Anerkennung als vollwertige Bürger.“

Diese Paare fordern die Regierung lediglich auf, ihr Grundrecht auf Heirat zu respektieren und sie vor dem Gesetz mit gleicher Würde und Respekt zu behandeln.

Die Geschichte unseres Landes ist geprägt von der Ausweitung des Kreises der verfassungsmäßigen Rechte und Schutzbestimmungen auf mehr Bürger, und unsere Nation profitiert davon immer mehr.

Wir hoffen, dass das Gericht diesen historischen Moment nutzt und sich auf die Seite der Fairness, Würde und Gleichheit stellt.“

GLAD ist führend im Kampf um die Ehefreiheit für gleichgeschlechtliche Paare, angefangen mit dem Prozess 1997 in Vermont, der im Jahr 2000 zur Einführung einer eingetragenen Lebenspartnerschaft führte, bis hin zum bahnbrechenden Sieg 2003 in Goodridge gegen das Gesundheitsministerium Damit war Massachusetts der erste Staat, der die Eheschließung gleichgeschlechtlicher Paare legalisierte. Es folgten Siege vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof von Connecticut im Jahr 2008, vor den Parlamenten von New Hampshire und Vermont im Jahr 2009 und an der Wahlurne in Maine im Jahr 2012.

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GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto and Edie Windsor

Marriage at the Supreme Court – Wednesday, March 27

Windsor gegen die Vereinigten Staaten

Plaintiff: Edith Windsor

Federal constitutional challenge to Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples. Read more at www.aclu.org/edie

Briefs and additional information: www.gladlaw.org/doma/documents Und www.aclu.org/edie

Case Brought by: Paul, Weiss and the ACLU

Audio of the Argument: www.supremecourt.gov

For live updates from Washington D.C. throughout the day, follow: