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04/18/2011

Just A Smack On The Ass: A Tale Of Sexual Assault, Vengeance And Nervous Swearing

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 10:56am

Last month, the ACLU's Louise Melling blogged about how street harassment shames and humiliates women, and is underreported because of the stigma attached to it. While that blog was making the editing rounds here at the office, I shared my own story of how I dealt with a particularly obnoxious harasser, and my esteemed colleagues suggested I share it. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, after all, here it is. And there's gonna be swearing. I'm really sorry in advance (Mom).

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10/18/2011
Single-Sex Education

ACLU Lens: Sex-Segregated Education Will Not Cure Our Ailing Schools

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 4:47pm

Galen Sherwin of the ACLU Women's Rights Project was recently featured in the New York Times' Online Room for Debate discussing the drawbacks to sex-segregated education in public schools. Galen's essay was one of seven featured in the debate, which included educators and legal experts from both sides of the issue.

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06/08/2012
Defense of Marriage Act

"Honey, We Did It!" – Edie Windsor Says Thank You

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 4:41pm

Yesterday, Edie Windsor visited the ACLU and NYCLU offices to address the media after her amazing victory in her challenge against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. Edie filed a lawsuit with the help of the ACLU and the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP against the government after the death of her spouse and partner of 44 years, Thea Spyer. 

 

 

Edie told the press about her lifelong love with Thea during which they were engaged for 40 years, and officially married for two. After Thea’s death, Edie was forced to pay over $363,000 in federal estate taxes that she would not have had to pay if she were married to a man. The government regarded Edie and Thea as legal strangers.

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07/13/2012
Single-Sex Education

ACLU Lens: National Scrutiny of Single-Sex Programs Based on Stereotypes

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 1:55pm

This week, the Associated Press reported on our “Teach Kids, Not Stereotypes” campaign challenging unlawful single-sex education programs around the country.

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11/17/2011
Using Religion to Discriminate

ACLU Lens: Using Religion as an Excuse for Discrimination

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 12:21pm

This week, the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops is holding its annual meeting in Baltimore. The bishops are the lobbying arm of the Catholic church, and they hold substantial sway over lawmakers. But instead of focusing on issues like poverty or the economy, the bishops are instead complaining loudly that recent laws broadening women’s access to contraception and granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry amount to an assault on their religion.

However, as this Media Matters piece attests, this is hardly the case.

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09/28/2011

ACLU Executive Director Featured in New HBO Documentary

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 10:54am

Our own Anthony D. Romero joins notable names in entertainment, science, politics and sports who are profiled in The Latino List, a documentary and multimedia initiative presented by HBO. The documentary and accompanying book and photo exhibit spotlights the contributions Latinos are making to contemporary society to a variety of fields.

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12/28/2011
B-SHOC

The New York Times Highlights ACLU's Religious Freedom Work in Public Schools

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 12:29pm

Contrary to what you might see elsewhere on the Internet, the ACLU is not trying to eliminate religion from public schools.

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06/02/2010

Church, State and LGBT Rights: ACLU's Daniel Mach Appears on In The Life

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 2:19pm

This month's installment of the documentary television program In the Life features our own Daniel Mach of the Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. Each month, In the Life highlights an issue of importance to the LGBT community. Dan was asked to appear to speak about the theme of this month's episode, "Democracy or Theocracy?" explaining how the role of religion in government affects the gay community.

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05/31/2012
Defense of Marriage Act

ACLU Lens: Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down DOMA

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 12:15pm

A federal appeals court in Massachusetts ruled today that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it denies married same-sex couples the same federal benefits available to other married couples.

The case, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, was originally filed by GLAD on behalf of several married same-sex couples and widowers in Massachusetts in 2009. In 2010, a federal judge found that DOMA violated the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment. Today’s decision upholds that ruling.

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03/02/2012
Student Rights in School

Victory in Haywood! Anti-Gay, Proselytizing Principal Resigns Hours After Public Outcry.

By Robyn Shepherd, ACLU at 11:34am

The Jackson Sun reports that Dorothy Bond has resigned as the principal of Haywood High School in Haywood, Tennessee, after reports surfaced that she said gay students are “not on God’s path” and threatened to expel them if they publicly showed affection for members of the same sex. The ACLU also received reports that Haywood High School Principal Dorothy Bond not only made discriminatory remarks about LGBT people, but also told students that “life is over” for girls who became pregnant. We sent a letter to the superintendent yesterday afternoon asking the school to clarify students’ rights. Within hours, Bond was out.

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