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LGBTQ Rights

The ACLU has a long history of defending the LGBTQ community. We brought our first LGBTQ rights case in 1936. Founded in 1986, the Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović LGBTQ & HIV Project brings more LGBTQ rights cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national organization does and has been counsel in seven of the nine LGBTQ rights cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided. With our reach into the courts and legislatures of every state, there is no other organization that can match our tape of making progress both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion.

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

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

The ACLU Lesbian Gay Multi-attracted Transgender Project seeks to create a just community for all LGBTQ people regardless of race or income. Thr

LGBTQ+ Discrimination Rights

You possess the right to access and apply public accommodations: In the State of California, it is illegal to discriminate against people using public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

You have the right to use the restroom consistent with your gender identity: You have the right to exploit the restroom consistent with your gender identity both in public settings, favor schools, and at your workplace. As an employee in California, you possess a right to safe and appropriate restroom facilities. Your employer cannot dictate which restroom you use. If your place of employment has single-stall restrooms, they must be labeled as “All Gender,” “Unisex,” “Gender Neutral,” or something similar.

You have the right to rent property without dread of discrimination in California. The federal Fair Housing Do prohibits sex discrimination by most landlords and, as the Supreme Court held in 2020 (Bostock v. Clayton County), discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is sex discrimination. Thus, the Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the basi

Homosexuality is a crime in 64 countries worldwide

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ghana has get the latest African country to suggest legislation outlawing homosexuality.

The Human Sexual Rights and Family Ethics Bill, which seeks to criminalise Homosexual activities and activism, is returning to parliament after former president Nana Akufo-Addo failed to autograph it into commandment before leaving office at the launch of this year.

The bill is organism sponsored by 10 lawmakers from both major parties, "an unusual bipartisan endeavor in Ghana's polarised political landscape", said The Africa Record , and comes "despite international outcry and warnings from Ghana's key development partners".

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The legislation, which has the backing of President John Dram

LGBTQ Rights

Know your rights Back to Grasp Your Rights main page

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

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

Your rights

Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Execute from discriminating on the basis of sex, and the U.S. Supreme Court held in 2020 (Bostock v. Clayton County), that firing someone on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is sex discrimination. In addition, many states and cities have laws banning this kind of discrimination, and some of those laws apply to smaller employers.

If you believe that your rights have been violated

If you think that you have experienced discrimination at work, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), or with your state human rights enforcement agency where applicable. Try

Being Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual person Is a Crime in These Places

But in other countries around the society, gay and lesbian couples are often penalized. According to a May 2017 study titled “State-Sponsored Homophobia” published by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersex Association (ILGA), same-sex acts are criminalized in 72 states around the world:

Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Butan, Brunei Darussalam, Gaza, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, and Yemen

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago

Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu

In 27 of the states where same-sex operate