The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization. ACLU has led a number of important initiatives and legal cases involving sex and gender minorities.
Background
The National Civil Liberties Bureau was created in 1917 to defend people expressing opposition to U.S. involvement in World War I, including conscientious objectors. In 1920, the group reorganized to focus less on litigation. Throughout the 1920s, much of their work supported the free speech of the labor movement in criticizing powerful conservative capitalists. They also fought overreaching obscenity laws and supported freedom of speech in schools, most notably the Scopes trial on teaching evolution.
Over time, the ACLU expanded its efforts to focus on racial discrimination, police brutality, and censorship in the arts. During the 1960s and 1970s, the ACLU expanded to support the rights of “victim groups,” especially women, poor people, and sexual minorities. In 1966 the ACLU formally announced their involvement in gay rights. In 1973, they started the Sexual Privacy Project, later renamed the Gay and Lesbian Rights Project, to fight discrimination and support the privacy rights of adults engaging in consensual sexual relationships. Around that time the ACLU became more active in reproductive rights through their Reproductive Freedom Project.
Notable trans cases and causes
The ACLU has represented trans and gender diverse interests in a number of lawsuits, including:
- Little v. Hecox (2025–) [trans athletes]
- West Virginia v. B.P.J. (2025–) [trans athletes]
- Luc Esquivel / L.E. v. Lee (2025–) [trans athletes]
- Moe v. Yost (2025–) [trans athletes and trans healthcare for minors]
- GSA Network v. Morath (2025) Texas DEI/Speech case,
- Orr v. Trump (2025) [passport gender marker]
- Stone v. Trump (2025–) [trans US military service]
- U.S. v. Skrmetti / L.W. v. Skrmetti (U.S. Supreme Court, 2025) [trans healthcare for minors]
- Kalarchik v. State of Montana and others (2022) [birth certificate & identity documents rights cases]
- Byron Tanner Cross, et al. v. Loudoun County School Board, et al. [amicus brief supporting school policy against misgendering]
- R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. EEOC / Aimee Stephens (2020) [employment rights]
The ACLU has also advocated for healthcare for transgender prisoners and rights for transgender students, especially in public schools.
ACLU is notable for having high-profile trans staffers, including attorney Chase Strangio and communications specialist Gillian Branstetter.
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Bluesky (bsky.app)
Threads (threads.com)