LGBT

The ACLU-WA and Kent School District in November reached an out-of-court settlement in the lawsuit filed by former student Mark Iversen. Iversen filed suit against the school district in 1997, alleging it did not respond adequately to incidents of harassment based on his perceived sexual orientation.

The ACLU welcomes the passage of legal protections for gays and lesbians against discrimination in employment, housing and other areas.

In the wake of the tragic murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, civil rights advocates in Washington are calling for passage of the Safe Schools Act.

The ACLU has filed a suit challenging the dismissal of Margaret Witt, a much-decorated major and flight nurse in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, on grounds that she has engaged in homosexual conduct.

The high court voted 5-4 to reverse the ruling of two previous courts, upholding the state's ban on marriage between couples of the same sex.

The federal Equal Access Act requires schools to give all noncurriculum-related student clubs – such as Gay-Straight Alliances - equal access to school facilities, regardless of the content of the speech in their meetings.

A Thurston County Superior Court judge has ordered the removal of misleading language in the ballot title for I-963, an initiative that would roll back state protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The challenge of the ballot title was filed by the ACLU and the Northwest Women’s Law Center.

In February 2004 the ACLU announced an agreement settling a discrimination complaint filed by a gay man against a Seattle business that refused to print invitations to his wedding with his same-sex partner. Under the agreement, the business owner apologized for her actions and agreed to abide by Seattle’s anti-discrimination law in the future.

Mount Vernon High School has opened its formerly all-female cheerleading squad to all students, regardless of gender, after the ACLU intervened on behalf of a male transgender student who was denied a full opportunity to participate.