Reversal: US citizenship not required to obtain a name change
Citizenship in the United States is not required in order to obtain a name change, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday, reversing a trial court and ruling for two transgender men.
LGBT issues
Articles
Indiana must recognize both spouses in female same-sex marriages as parents
A federal court issued an order Tuesday requiring Indiana to include non-birth mothers’ names on their children’s birth certificates, marking a milestone in a long legal battle.
Tougher Indiana law on under-18 marriages wins approval
Anyone younger than 18 will need a judge’s permission in order to get married in Indiana under a law change approved by state legislators.
Reversal: Transgender name change permitted; trial court admonished for disrespect
A transgender man denied a motion to privately change his name and gender on his birth certificate won a reversal from the Indiana Court of Appeals, which admonished a trial court for denying the man’s petition and treating him disrespectfully.
AG Hill: State agencies can’t use nonbinary gender marker
Indiana agencies are not allowed to use an “X” gender designation on identification documents for residents who don’t identify as male or female, the state attorney general said.
RFRA ‘fix’ challenged in appellate briefs in lawsuit against city ordinances
Three traditional-marriage organizations challenging the amendment to Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act are asking the Indiana Court of Appeals for relief, asserting they have standing to sue four cities that have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances.
Fired Cathedral teacher, archdiocese set to meet in court
After a settlement conference was unsuccessful, oral arguments have been rescheduled for Tuesday in the case involving the former teacher at Cathedral Catholic High School in Indianapolis who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage.
Justices to hear dispute over same-sex foster parents
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a dispute over a Philadelphia Catholic agency that won’t place foster children with same-sex couples, a big test of religious rights on a more conservative court.
Birth certificate ruling brings relief
In a cruel twist, Crystal and Noell Allen discovered even though Indiana prohibited them from being listed as parents on their twins’ birth certificates, the state did allow both mothers to be identified as parents on the babies’ death certificates. The couple prevailed in court, but their battle to be legally recognized as parents — along with other women in same-sex marriages — may not be over.
Scrap over old Indiana gay marriage ban derails popular bill
A potential fight over whether to repeal Indiana’s obsolete ban on same-sex marriages has sidetracked a widely supported proposal to raise the state’s minimum age for getting married.
7th Circuit: Birth certificates should list both mothers in same-sex marriages
Nearly three years after oral arguments, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a ruling in Indiana’s same-sex birth certificate case by following what the U.S. Supreme Court said to do — find in favor of the mothers.
Religious retaliation, accommodation claims to continue against Brownsburg schools
A federal lawsuit alleging Brownsburg schools discriminated against a former teacher who refused to address transgender students by their chosen first names will continue with claims brought under Title VII, though 11 other state and federal constitutional claims against the school district were dismissed. The judge also cautioned both sides against efforts to expand the issues in the case to nonparty students.
‘Ministerial exception’ discovery motion fails in lawsuit against Indianapolis Archdiocese
A motion in a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Archdiocese to limit discovery to the question of whether a fired gay counselor falls under the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception” has been defeated in “close call” in Indiana federal court.
Arguments in Archdiocese lawsuit nixed, settlement possible
The oral arguments scheduled for Dec. 12 in the case involving the Cathedral High School teacher fired by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for being in a same-sex marriage have been postponed, but the judge presiding over the matter is hopeful the parties will reach a settlement in the interim.
Archdiocese claiming church autonomy in defense of teacher firing
Declaring the courts have no jurisdiction over church doctrine, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis will be in Marion Superior Court next week, arguing for the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a teacher who was fired from his position at Cathedral High School because he is in a same-sex marriage.
Indiana residents speak out on proposed BMV gender rule
Indiana residents spoke out at a hearing about a proposed rule regarding a policy that allows residents who do not identify as male or female to choose a nonbinary option on driver’s licenses. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ new rule would require nonbinary applicants to go through the Indiana State Department of Health to change gender on licenses and identification cards.
Fired Indianapolis Catholic school counselor files lawsuit
A former guidance counselor at an Indianapolis Catholic high school who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage is suing the school and the archdiocese — the second such lawsuit filed by an employee who was fired for the same reason.
Transgender man wins appeal after judge denies gender-marker change
A transgender man who was granted a name change but denied his petition for a gender-marker change won on appeal Tuesday, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding the trial court lacked sufficient cause to deny the petition.
Divided US Supreme Court weighs LGBT workers’ rights
A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Tuesday over whether a landmark civil rights law protects LGBT people from discrimination in employment, with one conservative justice wondering if the court should take heed of “massive social upheaval” that could follow a ruling in their favor.
US Supreme Court takes up cases about LGBT employment rights
The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in two of the term’s most closely watched cases over whether federal civil rights law protects LGBT people from job discrimination.