HeinOnline has introduced a new LGBTQ+ rights database. This is timely as it coincides with the rising discussion over a variety of different LGBTQ+ related issues in the media. While the database contains a plethora of documents published as recently as January 2023, it also has documents ranging back to 1739, making this a great database for historical researchers as well as the 2023 practicing attorney interested in LGBTQ+ issues.
The database is split up into five mains subcategories that are of interest to anyone who would like more information about the law surrounding LGBTQ+ rights. These subcategories include marriage and family, employment discrimination, AIDS and health care, military service, and public spaces and society. It also includes an introduction to LGBTQ+ history, an introductory timeline of said history, Supreme Court Briefs, research done by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, and an analysis of historical attitudes regarding this topic.
Those interested in Texas LGBTQ+ resources specifically can also find useful information on this database. The UCLA Williams Institute conducted a survey from 2012-2017 and found that approximately 4.1% of the population in Texas identifies as LGBTQ+. The Williams Institute has also published articles of note regarding the stigma against LGBTQ+ people in Texas specifically which can be accessed through HeinOnline. Some titles include: LGBT Population, Legal Landscape, and Social Climate in Texas, and Stigma and Discrimination against LGBT Adults and Youth in Texas. Legal analysis of rulings that originated in Texas, such as Lawrence v. Texas, can also be found through HeinOnline.
While there are many titles that discuss the hardships LGBTQ+ individuals have gone through in the past, there are also hopeful additions that portray the steps forward we have made as a country to become more inclusive. One example is the Bostock v. Clayton County case in which the Supreme Court ruled Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. If you’d like to read more you can find all 173 pages of the Supreme Court’s brief through this database.
Whether you are a researcher of LGBTQ+ history or an attorney who focuses their practice on LGBTQ+ matters this database may be of interest to you. HeinOnline also has many other great databases that can be accessed either in the Law Library or remotely. Please see our blog post titled, Remote Access to HeinOnline, for more information.
For more information and resources, please see:
Texas Law Library – LGBT Law
LGBTQ Community and Internet Resources
LGBTQIA+ Students’ Rights Toolkit
LGBTQ+ Advance Healthcare Planning
LGBTQ+ Parental Rights