Here’s what they mean for you. If the term “federal regulations” doesn’t feel all that relevant or interesting to you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The term does perhaps sound a little dry and boring.  But, as it turns out, federal regulations are actually very important and shape many aspects of our lives, even if […]

If passed, historic legislation would bar discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, women, and people of color in education, employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and other aspects of everyday life WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NCLR lauded the reintroduction of the Equality Act (S.5/H.R.15), a comprehensive federal civil rights bill that would create permanent protections for LGBTQ individuals, […]

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and The Trevor Project – along with the National Education Association and more than a dozen other organizations – have submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education supporting its proposed rule requiring equal treatment of transgender students in school […]

High Court Intervenes to Correct Grave Errors of Lower Federal Courts WASHINGTON, DC – Today the U.S. Supreme Court took appropriate action and stayed the outrageous opinion issued two weeks ago by U.S. District Judge Mathew Kacsmaryk that purported to invalidate the FDA’s approval of Mifepristone, one of two drugs used as part of the most common […]

For the first time in history, chamber votes to strip rights from children WASHINGTON, DC – The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) condemns today’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 734, which would ban transgender students from participating in school sports. This bill is discriminatory and goes against the values of […]

Floor Vote on H.R. 734 Expected on Thursday WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives is moving toward a floor vote on the so-called “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.” This mean-spirited bill, which should really be called the “Politics Over Participation Act,” would amend Title IX of the Education Amendments […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today a federal judge in Texas, in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, stayed the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used most commonly for medication abortion in the U.S. While stopping short of a full injunction, the court’s action threatens access to an important form of abortion […]

Today’s release of a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Education affirms that Title IX requires the equal participation of transgender students in sports.  WASHINGTON, DC – Today the United States Department of Education released a new Title IX rule affirming protections for transgender students’ participation in sports. The proposed rule provides that categorically banning […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Biden signed the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies same-sex and interracial marriage and family equality into Federal law for the first time in history at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.  NCLR has issued the following statement:  This afternoon, President Biden not only ended the […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congress took a historic step toward legislatively protecting marriage equality in federal law for the first time in a bipartisan vote of 61-36, with 12 Republican Senators joining every Democratic Senator in voting aye on the legislation. This summer the House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act with a strong […]

116 organizations signed on to a letter urging the White House and Congress to provide funding to help eradicate the MPXV outbreak and to ensure equitable access to care and vaccines WASHINGTON – This week, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) penned a letter to elected leaders calling […]

WASHINGTON, DC – The nation’s top civil rights leaders, reproductive rights and justice organizations met with Vice President Kamala Harris on September 12, 2022 to discuss the harmful impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the ongoing threat to our democracy.  This meeting stems from a letter the organizations sent […]

Equality California, LA LGBT Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation also call for renaming virus to reduce stigma CALIFORNIA – Today, a coalition of LGBTQ+ legal and health organizations sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demanding the implementation of a more robust federal response to […]

U.S. House of Representatives Approves Respect for Marriage Act WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) by a bipartisan vote of 267-157. The bill repeals the disgraceful Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 – and codifies […]

President Biden’s proposed updates to Title IX on its 50th anniversary include strong protections for LGBTQ students WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the historic federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in our nation’s public schools, the U.S. Department of Education has issued regulations codifying federal court […]

Presidential Order Addresses the Deadly Harm  of Conversion Therapy WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Biden issued a historic and sweeping executive order aimed at addressing multiple facets of discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans. The order, timed to coincide with Pride Month, addresses the wave of anti-LGBTQI+ bills being introduced and passed in dozens of states across the […]

On May 17, 2021, NCLR submitted comments on behalf of 14 LGBTQ and sexual health advocacy organizations encouraging the Biden Administration to adopt new regulations for the Title X family planning program. This critical federal program provides funding for health centers around the country that provide contraception, STI testing and other important health services to […]

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) strongly supports the decision announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) not to finalize a rule proposed by the Trump administration that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to discriminate against transgender people. The rule that HUD officially rescinded today […]

Today, the United States Senate took a historic step by holding a hearing on the Equality Act for the first time. A statement from NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon on today’s hearings: “Today’s historic hearing in the United States Senate illustrates why it is so important for Congress to pass – and President Biden to […]

SUMMARY OF ISSUE The Equality Act (S. 393) would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, credit, education, public accommodations (things like restaurants, hotels, and theaters), and jury service. It would also prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in programs receiving federal funding.  It […]