Long before LGBTQ equality achieved mainstream acceptance, the ACLU of Rhode Island was actively fighting for the legal rights of people in the LGBTQ community.  Our first trans lawsuit was more than 30 years ago! Here’s a sample of some of the LGBTQ cases our Affiliate handled in earlier, and somewhat less enlightened, times.
 

Toward a Gayer Bicentennial Committee v. McQueeney (1976). 

Thanks to an ACLU lawsuit, the City of Providence was court-ordered to issue a permit to allow the state’s first Pride parade to take place in the city.

Toward a Gayer Bicentennial Committee v. R.I. Bicentennial Commission (1976).

This was a successful suit requiring that the parade be endorsed as an official state Bicentennial event.

Project Vote v. DiStefano (1984).

This was a successful lawsuit on behalf of the R.I. Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights and other groups denied appointment as voter registrars.

In re: G.R.K (1988).

This was a successful appeal of a Probate Court decision denying a person’s request to change her first name from a male to female name after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

M.V. v. Russo and Stephenson (1993).

These discrimina­tion complaints were favorably settled on behalf of a person who had been denied dental treatment because of his HIV-status.

In re: C.D (1997).

We represented before an internal police review board a person harassed by Providence police officers on the basis of his sexual orientation.

Tiverton School Committee v. McCullough (2005).

This was a successful suit on behalf of a retired schoolteacher who sought to have her same-sex spouse added to her school health insurance plan.